Explaining complex information may be one the toughest challenges PR, marketing and corporate communications face – whether writing an article or giving a presentation. You might have a strong concept and data to support your argument, but your work is pointless if people don’t understand it. Subject matter experts and data analysts deeply familiar with their topics are often prone to losing audiences because of TMI-NEI – too much information – not enough insight.
Following these steps can help explain complicated concepts.
Understand your audience. First, understand the audience’s background and understanding of the subject. If you’re just meeting them, you can gauge their understanding with questions like: “How familiar are you with …?” Sometimes you’ll repeat information they already know.
In addition to assessing their familiarity with the topic, learn about their priorities and motivations. How do they prefer to communicate? What “language” do they tend to use? For instance, CEOs and other C-suite executives typically care about sales and revenue. PR has many possible metrics to track, but it’s best to focus on a handful of metrics aligned with goals that are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely, using web analytics and media measurement tools.
Beware digressions and details. Delving into too much detail often loses people, especially when details are tangential to the main point, says physicist Dominic Walliman who teaches children about complex topics like quantum physics and nanotechnology. Don’t get caught up with add-on thoughts that don’t add value or relevance. Make your main point; support it with a few details. Then stop.
Seek clarity over accuracy. Explaining every facet perfectly can hinder comprehension, Walliman says. “It’s better to come up with a simpler explanation that maybe isn’t completely technically correct but it gets the point across,” he says. Although he includes methodology in written research reports, he doesn’t worry about comprehensive explanations of methodology when speaking before audiences. That would stifle the emotional response to the study’s results.
Show passion. Explain why you’re so passionate about your topic. If the audience can understand why you’re fascinated with your topic and why it’s so important, they’re more likely to feel the same way. In public presentations, speakers can convey enthusiasm through voice and movement. In press releases and blog posts, content writers can convey enthusiasm with a direct quote from an executive or other company employee intimately involved in the project.
Limit your priorities. Communications experts recommend emphasizing just a few key concepts, or perhaps just one or two. Matt Eventoff, owner of Princeton Public Speaking and the founder of The Oratory Project, recommends choosing the “one thing” the audience should understand. Ask yourself two questions:
If my audience will only remember one thing about my explanation, what is that “one thing?”
And why should my audience care about this “one thing?”
“This instantly creates focus for you to pick and choose the information you deliver (and how you deliver it), and makes it more likely your audience will get what you’re trying to say,” Eventoff writes.
Use analogies. Analogies can simplify complex, data-driven concepts by giving people a familiar frame of reference for understanding something new, explains Heather Muir, vice president of marketing at Mandel. Albert Einstein used an analogy to explain radio, a new technology at the time: “You see, wire telegraph is a kind of a very, very long cat. You pull his tail in New York and his head is meowing in Los Angeles. Do you understand this? And radio operates exactly the same way: you send signals here, they receive them there. The only difference is that there is no cat.”
Tell stories. Stories improve memory and comprehension of complex information. Research shows people easily forget facts but readily recall stories. Good stories include a main character, a challenge and a plot. Consider one of the common story plots. Good stories also apply the right combination of data and storytelling. It’s essential to use the right combination of data and storytelling, as data can overwhelm an audience. Company employees likely have plenty of stories about company products and services. The challenge is to uncover those employee stories.
Visualize data. Charts, graphs and other types of data visualizations help people quickly grasp data and complex information. Data visualizations don’t have to be extremely sophisticated or beautiful. Simply designed graphics are often the most effective. It’s important to pick the right type of data visualization for information you want to explain. Line charts, area charts and bar charts are best for showing trends over time. Bar charts are ideal for comparison and ranking.
Bottom Line: Relaying complex concepts and information may be one of the most challenging jobs in PR, marketing and corporate communications. These tips can help writers and presenters present information in ways that audiences understand.
Schedule a Free Online Demo of the Glean.info Media Monitoring & Measurement Dashboard
William J. Comcowich founded and served as CEO of CyberAlert LLC, the predecessor of Glean.info. He is currently serving as Interim CEO and member of the Board of Directors. Glean.info provides customized media monitoring, media measurement and analytics solutions across all types of traditional and social media.
