Many professionals work toward the moment their project, presentation, or work blows someone’s socks off. It’s easy to imagine a dream-like vignette where, once your peers and managers see your work, they form a conga line to celebrate the amazing things you’ve done. It’s sexy, they say. It’s slick. It’s mind-blowing.
It’s a seductive way to think about work. We want to make big impressions and get noticed. We love the attention that may lead to promotions and accolades. It’s not that different from what we see every day in the media. Glamour sells. Sex sells. Do I even have to mention Paris Hilton?
But here’s the thing. Sex may sell, but substance delivers. The slick presentations and marketing speak are often only a veneer that’s designed to make an impression. It’s a short-term step in a much longer game that involves much more than simply making impressions.
Once the lights dim and dance floor clears, there must be more to the story. For anyone to care the next day, substance must be part of the mix and that substance often comes from a specific skill: explanation. By making sure people actually understand what we’re doing and why it matters, we can offer them a cure for the hangover they may feel once the excitement fades.
Of course, this may not be sexy. It may not be glamorous. An amazing explanation does not typically instigate a conga line. I doubt your CEO will stand on her desk and exclaim “We need MORE UNDERSTANDING.” And that’s OK. Explanation is not about sexy - it’s about effective.
So, don’t be seduced. Instead, become an advocate for substance. Work to make sure the bright lights and loud music don’t obscure the one thing that may actually help people engage with you: a basic understanding of WHY your message matters.
NOTE: If you're interested in learning in-depth about the skill of explanation and how to make Common Craft Style videos, check out our online courses at the Explainer Academy.
Since I was young, I've wondered about pain relievers and how they work. Thankfully Richard Byrne over at FreeTechForTeachers pointed me to this awesome animated explanation that's part of the TED-Ed series of videos.
A few things to notice about this video, from the explainer perspective:
The First Half of the Video is Mostly Context
It starts with an easy first step - everyone knows the discomfort of pain - it makes you want to do something to relieve it. No viewer would disagree or lose confidence with the first couple of points. Next it answers questions like - why should I care about pain? What role does pain play in our lives? Then it does a good (and quite technical) job of explaining what happens inside your body that enables you to feel pain.
Let's look at the big picture for a moment. The video is called "How Do Pain Relievers Work?" Two full of minutes of video pass before pain relief is even mentioned. That's close to half the video focused on building context and agreement. This creates a foundation for the more specific, pertinent points about pain relievers. Without taking the time for context, the other points may not be as understandable.
NOTE: If you're interested in learning in-depth about the skill of explanation and how to make Common Craft Style videos, check out our online courses at the Explainer Academy.
The Explanation Lesson:
The next time you're working to explain an complex idea, it may seem logical to head straight for the ideas you need to explain. In this example, it's pain relievers. Instead, I encourage you to take a step back and think about building a foundation for the ideas. Make the first couple of points easy to understand and answer questions like "Why should I care?" or "Why does this matter?" Talk about the forest first, then the trees. By building context, you'll give the audience a way to make sense of the points that are the real focus of your explanation.
The video above was based on a lesson by George Zaidan. The animation was produced by Augenblick Studios.
Moe Abdou is the founder of 33 Voices, a website and interview series that focuses on entrepreneurs, business success and life. Recently he interviewed me about the Art of Explanation. The interview is about 25 minutes long and covers a lot of ground. Have a listen.
I love doing interviews like this. If you have a podcast or website and are looking for guests, please let me know. I have a lot to say about entrepreneurship, communication and creativity.
Below I'm using a single scene from this video to highlight an important element of explanation: building and sustaining confidence.
NOTE: If you're interested in learning in-depth about the skill of explanation and how to make Common Craft Style videos, check out our online courses at the Explainer Academy.
A quick point about intent. This video is not entitled “Private Equity Explained” or “Private Equity Made Easy”. Further, the target audience for the video is not stated, so I acknowledge that the intent may not be explanation or for a general audience.
First, I think it’s nicely presented. The illustrations work well with the voice-over and it has a friendly, approachable feel. And I think it does a reasonable job of explaining the basic ideas behind private equity from the perspective of the industry.
However, when I watch the video I see language that represents a risk. I’m a big believer in the idea that explanations should build and sustain confidence for the audience. Anything that takes away confidence erodes the power of the explanation.
The first big and potentially powerful point in the video is this:
Private Equity firms partner with investors like public and private pension funds, university endowments and charitable foundations to buy companies...
If you work in finance, this may make perfect sense to you and seem simple. But I doubt that the average person, whom I believe is the target for this video, will get it. Understanding what each of these investors are and do can be intimidating. Like so many explanations, it depends on assumptions. Let’s take a look:
The question is “What is Private Equity” and the first point they make is about “private equity firms partner with...”. Assumption(1): People know that private equity is something that a “firm” does. Assumption (2) People know what it means to “partner” with an investor.
The firms “partner with investors like public and private pension funds, university endowments and charitable foundations.” Assumption (1): People know what those things are. Assumption (2): People know that pension funds, endowments and foundations can be investors.
These assumptions don’t necessarily compromise the video, but they offer the audience a good reason to lose confidence.
Further, the point on investment partners is a distraction that was likely included to promote a message of positivity (private equity helps things that do good). Aren’t the investment partners a detail that can be covered later?
If I had to rethink the beginning of the video, I’d zoom-out, talk about the big picture and discuss the various needs at work, without all the details:
On one side, there are investors that have money and need a way to make more. On the other, there are companies that need money and have the potential to grow. In the middle are private equity firms, which use the money from investors to buy companies, turn them around and sell them to at a profit.
It’s a very simplified view but one that focuses on the big, high level concept. Of course it’s not bulletproof, but it builds a foundation that may help the audience feel more confident in understanding the big ideas *first* and the smaller ones later - and that’s what matters.
I’m sure you’ve heard the superstition that it’s bad luck to walk under a ladder. Like many superstitions, it’s rooted in a real-world consequence. The truth is, walking under ladders has nothing to do with luck - it’s just a bad idea. It could fall, paint could splatter on you, or you could cause someone to fall off of it.
But those points are almost worthless. You could promote the risk of walking under ladders until you are blue in the face, but no one will care. But, add a story, a fable, some emotional connection and people often respond in a different way. No one wants a lifetime of bad luck - that’s a curse!
Here’s the lesson... If you’re trying to change someone’s behavior, don’t be so direct about your points. Repeating the risks of walking under ladders won’t help. Use a story that connects to some universal truth about the subject-at-hand. Give people a way to see the high-level consequences of their behavior, good or bad, and they may identify with your words in a whole new way.
I’m sure you’ve heard the superstition that it’s bad luck to walk under a ladder. Like many superstitions, it’s rooted in a real-world consequence. The truth is, walking under ladders has nothing to do with luck - it’s just a bad idea. It could fall, paint could splatter on you, or you could cause someone to fall off of it.