Good communication helps people to understand and consider complex concepts by using techniques to simplify the concepts and create more impact.
“If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough,” is a great observation from Albert Einstein.
Therefore, make the effort to understand the complex idea well enough to identify its key elements so you can communicate these to others.
It is essential to decide your intended outcome. Communication always has an intended outcome. Social psychology professor and author of the best-selling book Influence, Robert Cialdini, says recent thinking is that we should consider language as mainly a mechanism of influence, no longer just as a neutral means of delivering communication. His view is supported by Alan Kelly of Playmaker Systems, who says, “we know today that influence and strategy are central drivers of marketplaces.”
Do you intend to help someone understand a concept or idea, do you want them to support it, or do you plan to get them to act on the information? This intended outcome will shape your approach to the communication activity.
Having decided the outcome you want to achieve, you can use these 10 techniques to simplify and communicate complex ideas to others:
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