Make a mental note of any questions that they ask, so you can better fill in the gaps later. In terms of improving your explanation skills, like another person said: put yourself in the shoes of a teacher, or imagine yourself explaining what you have to explain to a little kid: start from the simplest of concepts and build up on that. This will help you gauge your listener's understanding, in addition to providing you with an opportunity to clarify your point, if necessary. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. Understanding the basics of explanation can serve as a remedy for The Curse of Knowledge and help us think differently about how we explain ideas. Not only will you receive your FREE weekly lessons every Friday, youll also receive. People tend to absorb details only so much at a time. It can help you to communicate better may it be on your personal or professional dealings with other people. Comment * document.getElementById("comment").setAttribute( "id", "af17ebd621601d5b5d8144e6a3df3aa0" );document.getElementById("dd7dd4b5d3").setAttribute( "id", "comment" ); document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Also give them an opportunity to ask their own questions so that you can help fill in any gaps that might exist in their body of knowledge. The ability to meaningfully communicate with other people is an integral part of healthy, positive relationships. Impressing them will take place if you succinctly and clearly presented your explanation. When you need to make a speech, or even have a planned conversation, write out your points just as you have been, but make a recording of yourself on your phone before you deliver the talk. A concise message will also keep you from tripping over or stumbling to find the right words to say. How To Find Community: 19 Tips That Actually Work! All Rights Reserved | Contact Us | Advertise | Privacy Policy, How To Explain Things Better To Help People Understand, How To Sound Smart And Speak More Eloquently, 13 Reasons Why People Dont Listen To You, How To Keep A Conversation Going And Avoid Awkward Silences, 8 Unmistakable Ways Men And Women Communicate Differently. Have you had difficulty figuring out where to start, what path to take or just wanted some advice to get you to the next level? Use this important point to set the tone of your explanation. Make a note of these expressions (the whole sentence). But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. shape of a doughnut, size of a tennis court, making a cup of coffee. For example, if I was going to talk about value investing I needed to make sure I knew the subject inside out before trying to explain it. These days closing the deal, or even getting close, comes with more prerequisites the biggest of which is understanding. It was important that I explain the risks and strategies to them, especially as they were entrusting substantial amounts of money to my company and they needed to feel comfortable with the decisions theyd made. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. Ohand you need to explain these above situations in English. So how can we explain difficult topics in an easy-to-understand way? A list of bullet points with your primary message and supporting points can help you jog your memory when you need to. 7. Vocabulary: I'm unsure if you do this too, but some times my attention to detail lacks and I start to say some things like "So that first thing works with the second thing, and they combine to do this" or something like that. The curse causes us to make inaccurate assumptions about our audiences level of understanding. Your Job is to Inform Smart People No one likes to be talked down to, and if you approach explanation with the wrong attitude, it can be destructive.

Transition phrases will help your listener understand the connection of the details you presented in your explanation. :). Copyright 2022 Leaf Group Ltd., all rights reserved. Pay attention to your listeners facial expressions and verbal communication while explaining. This gives you a chance to clarify and fill in any gaps that they may have. A message that you want to present often needs to be honed and trimmed of the fat that distracts from the main point. Its a tempting move. Stories provide a way to see how a product works in the real world, with real people. Everyone has their own personal style, though some factors remain consistent depending on the circumstances in which the communication is happening. What will resonate with them in a way where they will hear your message? How To Take Your Power Back: 12 No Nonsense Tips! Divide your ideas and communicate each fully and simply. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. I agree with this because Ive seen this when coaching my clients on presentations and job interview preparation. That can be a difficult thing if they arent as familiar with a subject as you are. Well, that's what /r/IWantToLearn is all about! These will be scary moments full of anxiety, but one thing i have come to learn is the most optimal time for self improvement is when you are under pressure. Her teaching method focuses not on grammar and vocabulary but on uncovering and breaking your harmful communication patterns and developing new, more effective habits that will boost your confidence and help you become your confident self while communicating in English at work. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. I suggest a new motto for today: Always be explaining.. Also better to catch it if its an issue than struggle on your own to no avail. I think this is an excellent idea. Dont keep talking without looking at your listener/audience. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. But if youre talking about your job to people outside of your industry, those same acronyms and jargon will only make it more difficult for your audience to understand what youre saying. If you use unfamiliar terms, you may lose them while explaining. You may find that what you want to explain is not clear so writing it makes you structure your thoughts. When people listen to explanations, they tend to pick keywords, hence, it is best to be on point and articulate the detail that the reader is looking for. This may require your planning what you say in advance. 11 Essential Vocabulary to Know for When Youre Working in a Project, 8 Business Documents that Everyone Should Know About. Unfortunately, these organic explanations can fail, especially when were explaining a complex idea. Remember that your ultimate aim when explaining is to make your listeners understand. Sign up today and be a part of the fast-growing EWAT community of professionals. By zooming out and focusing on context at the beginning of an explanation, you can build a world around your product that enables it to make more sense. These could be written (news articles) or spoken (documentaries, news programmes, podcast). Tip1: Focus on making your thinking clear. Your email address will not be published. What kind of expressions does your audience have? 2. Also, stories are effective because they are relatable especially if it illustrates a person with a challenge or pain, and eventually figure out a solution. When you explain, think that you are explaining to people who are not just well informed. That kind of approach is necessary for patients who do not have a medical background to understand the more complicated aspects of the medication. Remember that you wont see a change over night, but they will improve if you continue to productively work on your orating skills. A good example of this is medication inserts that you receive when you pick up a prescription from the pharmacist. How have they used them? Why does this matter to me? Use shared experience on your analogy to ensure it will resonate among your listeners. How To Be Unapologetically Yourself: 15 No Bullsh*t Tips! Follow all of these steps and you too can enlighten clients and win prospects. Anecdotally: I had a colleague that would often rephrase his sentences so as to make sure he got the correct point across and minimize misunderstandings. Avoid being vague but be more specific with the details you provide. ATTENTION PLEASE: Our brand new YouTube channel is live. by Shanthi Streat | 17 Aug, 2017 | Business Tips, How To, Learning Tips, Skills | 0 comments. If you're anything like me, usually mid-explanation I'll start trying to explain a smaller piece of the puzzle before hopping back into the full explanation. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Below are some tips and examples of language that can be used for explaining. Lets say Im a person with depression trying to communicate what it feels like to a loved one. Knowing your audience, their education level, and their worldview allows you to tailor your message in a way that they will be able to conceptualize. While the ultimate purpose of explaining is for others to comprehend, at certain times you may find that the more you talk, the more youre losing your audience. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Dazzle them with clarity; its another kind of brilliance. After earning degrees in political science and English, she attended law school, then earned her master's of science in mental health counseling. Through this, you can identify whether they are confused or understand your point. 4. Sometimes youll need to explain things to a boss, coworkers, or even total strangers to make your perspective known. Hence, when you explain, refrain from discussing complexities too soon as your listeners will be confused. Or maybe you want to propose an idea at a business meeting or present your academic research at a conference. The easiest way to figure out if your message landed is by asking your audience. The best way I found was to write out my explanation. This creates less potential variation from the main issue you are talking over and will allow the listener to follow along without getting side tracked. We get overwhelmed when we are presented with too much knowledge all at once. Your email address will not be published. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. I can even mess up on simple things because of this. Communicating to a crowd is a bit different in that its not as easy to get direct, verbal feedback. Other useful phrases for discussions and Q&A, Copyright 2010 Pomaka - All rights reserved. Shanthi Streat is a Business English Coach who helps senior business professionals communicate more effectively in English with their international colleagues and clients. Refrain from making your explanation too simple nor too complicated. You can steer this in a verbal direction by asking if anyone has questions about what it is you communicated. By understanding your audience, you can tailor your message in a way that will be easier for them to comprehend. Taking into account a listener's age, developmental stage and level of understanding can provide a good starting point for explaining yourself in a way that is clear and understandable.

or if you arent great at expressing your thoughts clearly to others. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts, https://www.reddit.com/r/IWantToLearn/comments/2yjxe1/iwtl_how_to_explain_things_better/. Once their heads are nodding again you can proceed, but with caution. So many times I think Ive been crystal clear only to find my listener looking at me blankly. Press J to jump to the feed. Remembering this will help you achieve an informative, not condescending, tone. No. To help, Ive provided seven tips to create effective explanations that will work for prospective customers: 1. Firstly, here is another post with the same question on the same subreddit with some more helpful tips than I might be able to provide: https://www.reddit.com/r/IWantToLearn/comments/2yjxe1/iwtl_how_to_explain_things_better/. Often the problem is what Chip and Dan Heath, in their book Made to Stick, call The Curse of Knowledge. We ourselves know so much about our product or service that we cant imagine what its like not to know. Keep making notes, and practice, practice, practice. People tend to hear and interpret things through the filter of their own life experiences. It is usually used when explaining topics related to problems, solutions, and outcomes. Listen back and see if your explanation is similar to what you had in your mind. Overall, I feel like my mind is a disorganized mess and sometimes I struggle with organization and how to make sense of certain things. Why does this idea, product or service make sense? 6. This distracts the listener and yourself, making it harder to understand. Customers wont care about the bells and whistles if they dont understand why your product exists and why it matters to them. This will allow them to process the details you shared with them as they provide detailed responses. And you dont have to be a storyteller to make stories work. Write Less Copy, Use More Visuals Prospect not getting it? The terminology and references that sound right to us come across as confusing jargon to others, and our explanations fail. Your job is to inform smart people, not help the slowest people catch up. Body language will be quietly talking alongside of you as you communicate. To guide you to be able to explain succinctly and compellingly no matter what topic it may be in English, here are useful tips that you can use. This idea also applies to other areas as well. While explaining, look for nonverbal cues, such as nodding or frowning, that indicae the listener understands what you are saying. And yet, if you want to be a successful business communicator, learning how to explain things clearly and simply is important. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. By following the tips given above, youll be able to assist more people to understand better. To do this identify first the general principle you want to expound, then choose an example from real life or common knowledge that illustrates that principle. Observe the language the person uses to explain something. Stop trying to look smart and start making your audience feel smart by building their knowledge and confidence. Continue to record yourself until you feel comfortable with your progress. Encourage them to see things from a different perspective by asking them a rhetorical question. Events like a friend or relative dying, missing out on an opportunity that they were really looking forward to, or being hit out of nowhere with an extreme hardship are all things that could be comparable to the same feelings. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. If she appears confused, take a moment to check in and directly ask if she understands you. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.