The Art of Explanation Quotes

“All our lives are shaped, in part, by the information we share, the information we seek and the information we receive. They’re shaped too by our interactions with family, friends, colleagues, officials and many others. How we explain ourselves can impact all of that. It can improve our lives and the lives of others.”
― Ros Atkins, The Art of Explanation

“The more you distil and lay out the information, the more you answer people’s questions, the more you make your explanation a utility, the more likely people are to read it and understand it.”
― Ros Atkins, The Art of Explanation

“The best explanations are helpful. Whenever I want to explain something, I write a list of the questions that I think I’ll be expected to answer. If you can answer them all, there’s a good chance whoever you’re addressing will want to hear what you say.”
― Ros Atkins, The Art of Explanation

“SHORT WRITTEN EXPLANATION – QUICK REFERENCE 1. EXPLAIN THE MESSAGE IN THE FIRST SENTENCE 2. IS YOUR MESSAGE AS SHORT AS POSSIBLE? 3. IS IT FORMATTED TO BE SKIMMABLE? 4. IS IT EASY TO RESPOND TO? 5. HAVE YOU ANSWERED THE READER’S QUESTIONS?”
― Ros Atkins, The Art of Explanation

“Professor Rogers has conducted experiments where he’s removed text, even sometimes at random, and the response rate goes up. In one experiment, cutting the number of words by two thirds increased the response rate by 80 per cent. It’s a simple but powerful equation: make it shorter and people are more likely to read and to respond. If making it shorter is sometimes harder, it’s worth the effort for the improved response rate.”
― Ros Atkins, The Art of Explanation

“when we send a message or email, we’re fighting for attention from the start. Everything we write needs to be geared to convincing the recipient that this is worth opening and then worth reading. We can’t be complacent about either.”
― Ros Atkins, The Art of Explanation

“here are my five assumptions as I start to write an email. 1.   The recipient/s may not read it at all. 2.   The recipient/s may not read all of it. 3.   The recipient/s will skim it rather than going through it sentence by sentence. 4. The recipient’s approach will be entirely functional. 5.   If the recipient doesn’t feel that it’s specifically for them, they are far less likely to read it.”
― Ros Atkins, The Art of Explanation

“making that initial investment in clarity can make all the difference. It can improve your interactions; it can rapidly reduce the time you spend on exchanging emails and messages, and it can enhance your reputation.”
― Ros Atkins, The Art of Explanation

“email and messages have reached such volume that the social etiquette around them has changed. The most significant development being that there is no expectation that it’s possible to read every piece of incoming information or that it’s possible to reply. There may have been a time when you sent a message or email and had a reasonable expectation its content would be consumed, acknowledged and responded to. Now you can assume no such thing.”
― Ros Atkins, The Art of Explanation

“SEVEN-STEP EXPLANATION – QUICK REFERENCE 1. SET-UP 2. FIND THE INFORMATION 3. DISTIL THE INFORMATION 4. ORGANISE THE INFORMATION 5. LINK THE INFORMATION 6. TIGHTEN 7. DELIVERY”
― Ros Atkins, The Art of Explanation

“The difficulty level of talking from memory reduces sharply with a visual presentation to accompany you. In many cases, the slides (or any other visual support you’re using) can act as a prompt which makes being completely without notes much easier. They act almost as a replacement for the bullet points that you might have had.”
― Ros Atkins, The Art of Explanation

“The best written and verbal explanations have a rhythm, a personality and a fluidity that complement the precision and relevance of the information they are passing on.”
― Ros Atkins, The Art of Explanation

“Before you start to write and when you think you’ve finished, take a few seconds to ask yourself: ‘What’s this story in five words?’ Have you conveyed that?”
― Ros Atkins, The Art of Explanation

“As history teaches us, narrative can be used for the worst and the best of reasons. What is beyond doubt is the potency of stories. Tell a good one and people will hang on your every word. If you’re a brand, shape a narrative (and even better an origin story) about your business or your products and it can be incredibly powerful in making people feel favourably towards you.”
― Ros Atkins, The Art of Explanation

“Whether it’s a one-off, like a job interview, or something long-term, such as an idea or product or business you’re trying to get going – ask yourself: where’s the credibility gap? Then you can work up ways to address that.”
― Ros Atkins, The Art of Explanation

“There is a direct connection between how well you communicate to an audience that this is for them and their level of engagement.”
― Ros Atkins, The Art of Explanation

“If we can better understand what our audience knows and wants, we can better judge what information is most relevant and helpful to them, with all the benefits that come with that.”
― Ros Atkins, The Art of Explanation

“In the same way that you can’t run a business as well as possible without understanding your target market, you can’t explain yourself as well as you’d like if you’ve not considered who your explanation is for.”
― Ros Atkins, The Art of Explanation

“being good at explaining is about learning skills but also about being sure to keep sharpening them. I still keep my lists of things to check to hand and hopefully this is one you can use too. 1. SIMPLICITY Is this the simplest way I can say this? 2. ESSENTIAL DETAIL What detail is essential to this explanation? 3. COMPLEXITY Are there elements of this subject I don’t understand? 4. EFFICIENCY Is this the most succinct way I can say this? 5. PRECISION Am I saying exactly what I want to communicate? 6. CONTEXT Why does this matter to the people I’m addressing? 7. NO DISTRACTIONS Are there verbal, written or visual distractions? 8. ENGAGING Are there moments when attention could waver? 9. USEFUL Have I answered the questions that people have? 10. CLARITY OF PURPOSE Above all else, what am I trying to explain?”
― Ros Atkins, The Art of Explanation

“if you can anticipate the information that people want from you, then you’re much more likely to deliver it in a coherent and focused way. It also increases your credibility and increases their engagement.”
― Ros Atkins, The Art of Explanation

“If you lose people in one section, they might not see or hear anything else that you have to say. Even if you’re giving a speech, and have a captive audience, losing people in one section is still the last thing you want. There’s no guarantee their attention will return once your explanation returns to form. Or if you’re a teacher and your explanation loses the attention of some students, that can quickly lead to all the kids getting restless. The best explanations connect each section, part by part. But if one link in the chain underperforms, that can impact the whole thing.”
― Ros Atkins, The Art of Explanation

“Good explanation minimises distraction, maximises context and gives you the most important information with precision, simplicity and efficiency.”
― Ros Atkins, The Art of Explanation

“Visual support can be a massive plus in great explanation. But if you’re creating visual distractions, you’ll be having the opposite of the desired effect. Hunting down distractions in all their forms is essential to giving your explanation the best chance to communicate what you want to say.”
― Ros Atkins, The Art of Explanation

“Explanations can be undone by distractions of our own making. It might seem a strange thing to say, but a good explanation requires the person or people we’re communicating with to stay focused on the subject in hand. All of us are remarkably good at including any number of things that may disrupt that focus.”
― Ros Atkins, The Art of Explanation

“The reason this matters is . . .’ •   ‘To understand this, we need to remember that . . .’ •   ‘All of which connects back to . . .’ • ‘This is not happening in isolation.’ •   ‘This is important beyond the immediate consequences because . . .”
― Ros Atkins, The Art of Explanation

“Less is more in explanation if the information at the heart of it is worth hearing.”
― Ros Atkins, The Art of Explanation

“If your sentences are too long, your writing hasn’t been disciplined enough. If your writing hasn’t been disciplined enough, your thinking hasn’t been disciplined enough.”
― Ros Atkins, The Art of Explanation

“Fewer words are not a negative and won’t automatically reduce the quality of information that you’re passing on – often it’s the direct opposite.”
― Ros Atkins, The Art of Explanation

“A great explanation will include the essential details and the essential complexities – and do so in the simplest language possible.”
― Ros Atkins, The Art of Explanation

“you can’t dodge the complexities and hope to explain something well. To explain is to first understand.”
― Ros Atkins, The Art of Explanation