Blog Posts About: Explanation

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As a daily user of NYT Puzzles, I signed up for the ​Gameplay Newsletter which provides tips, behind-the-scenes looks at how the puzzles are made, and more. This week's newsletter introduced me to a new term: Tricolon.

From the newsletter:

Chandler [a speech writer] put it like this: A tricolon is essentially a story with a beginning, a middle, and an end. “We like learning about a subject, the journey it takes, and where it ends up,” he said. Chandler even noted that the most popular adage about the power of the tricolon was, itself, a tricolon: “Tell ’em what you’re going to say, say it, and then tell ’em what you said.”

​A tricolon​ is usually a series of three phrases, words, or sentences that create meaning or emphasis when combined. A classic tricolon is "Live Laugh Love". The words, when read together, say more than the words alone.

Usually, the third and final part of the tricolon carries more weight, emphasis, or surprise. FDR's famous quip is an example: "Be sincere, be brief, be seated." Used effectively, it can help the audience remember an idea, situation, or feeling.

Ben Franklin once said: "Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn."

Julius Caesar is credited with saying "Veni, vidi, vici", which is Latin for "I came, I saw, I conquered"

I like this version from ​Quinten Crisp​: "If you describe things as better than they are, you are considered to be a romantic; if you describe things as worse than they are, you will be called a realist; and if you describe things exactly as they are, you will be thought of as a satirist."

Tricolons in Explanations

When writing a script or working through a longer explanation, I consider the three big ideas that every viewer needs to remember. While the explanation may have analogies, stories, and examples, the summary is what often brings the idea home. Here, a tricolon can serve as a reminder of the big points to remember.

Imagine pitching a new product or idea to a group of investors. Over thirty minutes you provide details and walk-throughs. You show features and discuss strategies. It's a lot to remember. In the end, you bring it all together with a tricolon that's engaging and memorable. Examples could include:

• All you have to do is select, summarize, and send.
• The pain will be gone, the solution will be cheap, the joy will be lasting.
• When we're done, customers will see that we support them with integrity, treat them with respect, and serve them with a smile.

The next time you're introducing an idea, consider how a tricolon can help you package the big ideas into a memorable sentence that makes an impression:

Engage, Empathise, Explain

That's what I have for now. Cheers!

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Every four years, a Common Craft video gets renewed attention. Why? Because it clearly explains how the US elects a president.

Watch the video below on YouTube:

About the Video:

The electoral college process is complicated. When we decided to make the video in 2008 it took research to see the big picture and that was part of the fun. We set out to be non-partisan and give the video a long shelf life. This meant, in part, symbolizing the parties as shapes: circle, square, rectangle.

As always, the goal is not describing the process, but explaining it. This meant addressing common misconceptions and focusing on why the system works as it does. For example: how does the system account for the difference in population across states like California and Kansas?

This video has over 2 million views, 10k likes, and 2,500 comments. Here are a few:

• "Man, I've been watching videos on this matter all day long, and this is BY FAR the most explicative one. Thank you so much."
• "Thank you! This is the only explanation that I’ve understood so far"
• "Oh my gosh thank you! I finally, finally, finally get how this works!!!"
• "I'm doing a report on this topic and this summed up 4 weeks of searching in a little less than 4 minutes thank you so much!"

As an explainer, this warms my heart.

​Watch the Video

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Are you working on something complicated? Needing to communicate change? Hoping to get support for a new direction or educating a team? In these situations, clear explanations are essential.

Working with an outside partner can help you see new opportunities and avoid getting stuck. This person can help develop your points and ensure you get the results you want. I want to be that resource for you. See below.

Office Hours with Lee

It's simple. My hourly rate is $225 per hour. Contact me when you need help, and I'll be your personal explainer and help you get unstuck.

We'll work together, as needed, until you're satisfied. Often, this work results in a set of explanatory talking points, a script, or a presentation that explains an idea effectively to your audience.

Here's how it works:

• Email Lee to schedule a brief introductory meeting at no cost. Or, pick a time that works for you.
• We'll start with a 1-hour "discovery" call to learn more, set the stage, and outline deliverables/goals.
• From there, we'll work collaboratively, online and off, in whatever style works for you.
• Along with text-based explanations, I can create visuals, diagrams, animated GIFs, and more
• Pay-as-you-go: No long-term contracts or hourly minimums

From a recent consulting client:

I came to Lee feeling stuck. I was working on a presentation and struggling to explain my work in a brief and engaging way. Lee listened carefully to my experience, goals, and ideas for the presentation and asked multiple questions. Within a few days, he came back to me with clear talking points that helped me see new opportunities to frame the ideas. Over time, we worked together to turn those talking points into visuals for my presentation. Now, when someone asks, I can explain my work with a few short sentences and even draw a quick diagram on the back of a napkin. Our time together was well with it!

~Jake McKee

To learn more, schedule a brief call with Lee. 

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When you hear the word "design" you might think about fashion, art, graphics, or devices, and that's accurate. Apple is famous for its emphasis on design as a competitive advantage. It might seem that design is the sole domain of professionals with experience and degrees, but I beg to differ.

I believe we are all designers. That's because design, in its simplest form, is identifying a problem and planning a solution. In this way, design can be simple (planning a meal) or extremely complicated and rigorous (planning a VR headset). If you've ever built a campfire, you've used design skills to achieve the desired outcome.

Design Thinking - A Primer

Professional designers often use a concept called "Design Thinking" to guide the design process. It's human-centered and creates a foundation for thinking through the steps and big ideas that lead to a good design. The main steps are:

• Empathize - Who is the audience, and what do they need?
• Define - What problem needs to be solved? Why?
• Ideate - What is likely to work?
• Prototype - Quickly create or build something that can be tested
• Test - Show it to people, ask for feedback
• Iterate - Make changes based on feedback

These steps are also a useful guide for designing explanations:

• Empathize - Who is the audience, and what do they need?
• Define - What needs to be explained? Why?
• Ideate - What is likely to work? Analogy? Visual? Example? Video?
• Prototype - Write a script, develop a presentation
• Test - Share a draft script, ask for feedback
• Iterate - Make changes based on feedback

This may seem like a lot to consider for an explanation and in most cases, that's true. But some explanations are important enough to deserve planning and design thinking.

If you're going into a job interview, introducing a new product or service, communicating a new policy, or asking for funding or support, clarity is essential. Your success depends on your audience understanding what you have to say and without planning, the task becomes more difficult.

The best, most impactful explanations are designed. They are premeditated. They are explanations in the first degree and an essential skill for the 21st century. Soon we'll take more steps in this direction.

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Over the last couple of years, my focus at the Explainer Academy was how to make animated explainer videos. I created a new course called Ideas in Motion that teaches every step of the process. I'm a little biased, but I think it's pretty great.

While explainer videos can be powerful, they aren't for everyone. But you know what is? Clear and understandable communication. Explanations help us earn respect and attention. They help us collaborate and iterate. The right explanation at the right time can move mountains.

Unlike videos that require tools, these explanations happen in conversations, meetings, and presentations. They solve a problem we all face: helping our audience understand an idea.

For a lot of people, an explanation is just something that...happens. We don't often step back and consider what makes an explanation work, or how to improve. In my 2012 book THE ART OF EXPLANATION, I used this analogy:

It's a little like dancing. Your grace on the dance floor may mean that you take dancing for granted: it just happens when there is a rhythm. But even the best dancer can only get so far without defining specific dances, such as what makes the samba the samba and the waltz the waltz. These definitions create a standard form and shape that can be honed and refined. Only by defining the standards of the dance can we hope to improve it.

I want the skill of explanation to have a form and shape in your mind. I want you to see that explanation is a creative act that can be planned and executed in almost any context.

How? By connecting the skill of explanation to the basics of design thinking. I will share a method for designing explanations that solve specific problems for specific audiences. You'll learn how designers approach their craft and how to use those lessons for your explanations.

More coming soon!

Over the past decade, social media has become centralized around a few big tech companies. New technologies and ideas are changing this environment by allowing apps and platforms to work together in a federation that provides more choice and flexibility. This new version of the social web is called ​The Fediverse​.

​Watch this video in full​ (3m 27s)

Also available for free ​sharing on YouTube

The term 'Fediverse' refers to a fresh approach to the social web, derived from the words 'federated' and 'universe.' A key idea is the concept of federation: independent apps and platforms can now be connected by a new protocol. With the protocol in place, people and content can move across the fediverse, creating flexibility and choice. This decentralized model could become the future of online communities. This video teaches:

• The drawbacks of centralized platforms
• The essence of federation
• Criteria for platforms to join the Fediverse
• Navigating Fediverse apps and platforms
• The significance of portability
• The impact of established platforms embracing the Fediverse

Curious? Download this video's Lesson Plan: ​​Common Craft Lesson Plan - Fediverse

Related Video: Mastodon Explained

Mastodon is an example of a platform that operates in the fediverse. The video below ​explains how it works​:

Do You Teach Technology or Internet Safety?

The ​Common Craft video library​ is used in school districts, universities, libraries, and organizations around the world. Our unique approach to explanation and education has delighted students since 2008.

If you're interested in making Common Craft videos available to your students, evaluate the ​videos in our library​.

All videos have open captions and can be embedded, downloaded, and streamed. We offer a ​variety of plans​ and options for integrating the video library into your systems.

Bottom line: if you want to use the videos, we'll ensure they work for you. ​Contact us​.