How to Explain

Engage your audience and help them understand your ideas easily

Being able to explain concepts in a clear and engaging way is an excellent skill to have. Whether you’re giving a presentation or a speech, leading an important meeting, sharing your passions with friends, or just wondering how you can improve your verbal skills, we’ve got you covered. Start with the most relevant, engaging information, then reword or rephrase your explanation to ensure your audience is on the same page. Keep reading to learn all our tips and tricks so you can explain anything to anyone.

[Edit]Steps

[Edit]Start with the most relevant information.

1. Give your listener the information or answer they’re looking for first. While context can be important, an audience might be more engaged if you tell them why they should be interested right off the bat. Try to tell your listener the most urgent information first, then dive into the nitty-gritty details after.^[1]
   
   • If you’re giving a work presentation about a new financial plan, you might start by saying that profits are declining, and then talk about the reason why.
   • If you’re explaining to your friend why his garden plants are dying, you might start by explaining that the soil has been watered too much, then talk about proper soil drainage.

[Edit]Simplify complex ideas in 2-3 points.

1. Explain a couple of the main points and avoid using specialized language. It can be tempting to dive into everything you know about the topic right away. However, everyone has a different knowledge base, and this may confuse your listeners if they don’t know much about the topic. Instead, start with the basics, focusing on 2-3 major points that explain the bigger picture.^[2]
   
   • If you’re presenting to a group of people about a book you read, you might focus on talking about two of the main themes and give a couple of examples from the book that best show that theme.
   • If you’re teaching your daughter how to drive a manual car, you might tell her how to switch gears and then talk about what the car does when it shifts gears later.
   • If the audience is interested in learning more or if they have additional questions, then you can add details and break down your simple explanation into a more complex answer.
   • Before you explain something, try reciting what you’re going to say in your head or writing it down to make sure your explanation is going to make sense.

[Edit]Provide Clear Explanations over Accurate Ones

1. Provide your audience with the basics rather than sweating over details. When talking about something you’re excited about, it can be easy to get caught up in trying to make sure that everything you say is correct. Sometimes, it can be better to come up with a simple explanation that isn’t completely correct but gets the point across.
   
   • If you’re explaining to your grandmother how Wi-Fi works, it might be better to explain it as something that allows you to connect your electronic devices to the internet than to talk about all the different technologies working together with radio waves.
   • If you’re presenting a history of black hole discoveries to a general audience, you might talk about black holes as vacuums that suck up light and then go into detail about their mass or electric charge.
   • If someone asks you a question, don’t be afraid to say “I don’t know” or “Let me get back to you on that.” You can always research more and come back to the conversation later.

[Edit]Use similes, metaphors, and analogies.

1. Compare your topic to something the audience knows already. If your audience can “see” what you’re trying to explain, they can not only understand it better but remember it after the presentation is over.^[3] Try to use similes, metaphors, or analogies to tie your topic to something the audience is already familiar with.^[4]
   
   • Simile: Use “like” or “as.” “Blood vessels are like highways and the blood cells are like cars.”
   • Analogy: Compare two unlike things based on a shared similar trait. “Your phone’s storage is like a cupboard because it gets full when you put too much in it.”
   • Metaphor: Use a word or phrase that takes on the meaning of another word or phrase to talk about similarities between the two. “Your eye is a camera and the cornea is the lens.”

[Edit]Create a mnemonic.

1. Images, acronyms, or rhymes can make the information easy to remember. Mnemonics are memory devices that can help your audience recall larger pieces of information and keep them engaged.^[5] Acronyms are a popular mnemonic device. A few other mnemonics you can include in your explanation might be:
   
   • Name mnemonics: ROY.G.BIV is a way to remember the colors of the rainbow: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, and Violet.^[6]
   • Rhyme mnemonics: Create rhymes that are easy to recall, like in “I before E except after C.”
   • Chunking: If you’re remembering a long number like 847382985, try to “chunk” it into smaller numbers, like 847, 382, and 985.^[7]
   • Storytelling and image mnemonics: To remember who Rosa Parks was, imagine a woman sitting on a bench at the edge of a park, surrounded by roses, waiting for her bus to show up.^[8]

[Edit]Break up your explanation into lists or steps.

1. Separate your topic into step-by-step instructions or detailed examples. Breaking down your explanation into smaller bites can help your audience digest the information and remember it later. To help break your topic into smaller chunks, try using:
   
   • Step-by-step instructions: To explain how to start a business, you say, “First, conduct market research. Second, write your business plan. Third, you’ll need to fund your business.”^[9]
   • Role-playing: If you’re telling a friend how to respond to gaslighting, you might give them a few tips, then pretend to be a gaslighter to help them practice responding.
   • Examples: If you’re telling a large audience how to stay healthy and active, you might give them multiple exercise examples, like running, swimming, biking, or weightlifting.

[Edit]Rephrase and repeat your explanation.

1. Reword your explanation multiple times to increase understanding. Repetition can improve memory and learning recollection.^[10] Try to explain the problem, show or describe the steps to solve it, and then address the larger issue again in a different way to enhance learning.^[11] Instead of repeating your explanation over and over, try to explain your topic a little bit differently each time.
   
   • If you’re explaining how to tie a shoe, you might show the other person how to do it, then give verbal instructions, and then ask them to do it by themselves.
   • If you’re holding an office meeting, you might explain a new editing process by verbally giving the steps and breaking the meeting into teams so they can physically act out the process.

[Edit]Use visual aids in your explanation.

1. Charts, graphs, and pictures are easy ways to expand on your topic. Visual aids can be an excellent way to help others learn about complex ideas and systems.^[12] They can also make your explanation more effective and credible.^[13] Try to incorporate these visual cues into your explanations:
   
   • Use graphs to show numbers and common trends. For example, use a bar graph to compare the ages of respondents to whether they said “yes” or “no” to a survey question.
   • Use charts to demonstrate a sequence of events. For example, use a flow chart to map out your company’s new recruitment process.
   • Use maps to show specific locations and settings. If you're giving a presentation on Roman history, you may want to include a map showing all the cities you're talking about.
   • When introducing visual aids to a large audience, give background for the aid and maintain eye contact while talking.^[14]

[Edit]Let your passion for the topic shine through.

1. Talk about your topic with energy and enthusiasm. If you’re talking to a large group, pretend that you’re talking to your best friend—let your hand gestures and voice inflections take the stage. If you have time, talk about why this topic is important to you. Showing your passion can help keep your audience engaged.^[15]
   
   • Try to vary the pitch and speed of your voice for emphasis, and instead of using filler words like “um” or “like,” try to pause before moving on to your next point.
   • Point out the parts of the topic that interest you the most. For example, if you and your friend are looking at a painting together, you might tell them that you think it’s so cool that the artist just drew the landscape without looking at it in real life.

[Edit]Check the audience’s understanding.

1. Ask the audience if they understand to make sure you’re on the same page. It can be important to meet your audience where they are and build up their knowledge so you can get your point across. If you’re not sure what your listener already knows, try asking questions like, “Do you already get this?” or “Is this making any sense?”
   
   • If you’re talking to a large group, make your best guess based on what you think the knowledge level of the room is, or ask them to raise their hands.
   • You can also always start at the basics—people generally don’t care if you talk about something they’ve already heard before, and it ensures that everyone is on the same level.
   • If you’re starting from the very basics, try not to worry about telling the audience something they’ve heard before—most people don’t mind.

[Edit]Pay attention to the listener’s body language.

1. Read your listener’s non-verbal cues to make sure they aren’t confused. In a conversation, people might not want to openly admit that they’re confused. To see if you need to change your approach or reword your explanation, look for some of these subtle cues:
   
   • Confused body language: Furrowed brow, avoiding eye contact, crossed arms, slouching or leaning away.
   • Engaged body language: Maintaining eye contact, leaning forward, arms uncrossed.^[16]

[Edit]Motivate your audience to take action.

1. Present your listeners with the challenges and the following steps to take. Try ending your explanation by telling your listeners why this topic should matter to them.^[17] This might involve showing the audience what they can do to prevent an issue, or telling them what your topic might mean to them personally or to humanity.
   
   • If your sister comes to you asking why her smartphone has slowed down, end your explanation by telling her that emptying the phone’s storage will make it run faster. Then, show her how to empty her storage.
   • If you’re giving a presentation about climate change, end your explanation of the problem by giving your audience the resources to contact their local politicians.
   • If you’re talking to a friend about a new law that just passed, you might tell them what the law is and why you think it should or shouldn’t be passed, and ask what they think about it.

[Edit]References

1. ↑ https://www.forbes.com/sites/estherchoy/2022/12/25/how-do-leaders-communicate-complex-ideas-3-strategies-to-engage-your-audience/?sh=6a2980f653a7
2. ↑ https://www.hunter.cuny.edu/rwc/handouts/the-writing-process-1/invention/Guidelines-for-Writing-a-Summary
3. ↑ https://www.britishcouncil.org/voices-magazine/how-explain-complex-ideas-clearly
4. ↑ https://www.writersdigest.com/write-better-fiction/analogy-vs-metaphor-vs-simile-grammar-rules
5. ↑ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6851171/
6. ↑ https://www.seattleu.edu/media/learning-assistance-programs/files/9-Types-of-Mnemonics-for-Better-Memorya4b4.pdf
7. ↑ https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2018-18179-001
8. ↑ https://medicine.llu.edu/academics/resources/using-mnemonic-devices-make-memorization-easier
9. ↑ https://www.sba.gov/business-guide/10-steps-start-your-business
10. ↑ https://www.apa.org/education-career/k12/practice-acquisition
11. ↑ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21574747/
12. ↑ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5256450/
13. ↑ https://www.comm.pitt.edu/visual-aids
14. ↑ https://www.comm.pitt.edu/visual-aids
15. ↑ https://ctl.wustl.edu/resources/improving-presentation-style-in-lectures/
16. ↑ https://www.helpguide.org/articles/relationships-communication/effective-communication.htm
17. ↑ https://www.hamilton.edu/academics/centers/oralcommunication/guides/how-to-engage-your-audience-and-keep-them-with-you

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