Take Steps to Reduce Confusion
Printed Page 180
New information can be hard to grasp, especially when it addresses a difficult concept (such as equilibrium in engineering), a difficult-to-envision process (such as cash-flow management in business), or a counterintuitive idea—one that challenges commonsense thinking (such as drinking a glass of red wine a day can be healthy).6
Useful for almost any speech, the following strategies for communicating information are especially helpful when attempting to clarify complex information.
Use Analogies to Build on Prior Knowledge
Audience members will understand a new concept more easily if the speaker uses an analogy to relate it to something that they already know.7 For example, to explain the unpredictable paths that satellites often take when they fall to earth, you can liken the effect to dropping a penny into water: “Sometimes it goes straight down, and sometimes it turns end over end and changes direction. The same thing happens when an object hits the atmosphere.”8
Quick Tip
Use Analogies Accurately
Linking the unfamiliar with the familiar through analogy aids understanding. But no analogy can exactly represent another concept; at a certain point, the similarities will end.9 To ensure accuracy, state the limits of the comparison. The statement “The heart is like a pump, except that the heart actually changes size as it pushes blood out” demonstrates that, though similar, a heart and a pump are not the same.10
Question 23.4
yVtfviakeWKXGmI3QkDjQVgEfNabgh88OqjDMb+XzP8RKjtQmO/oXe7d1WZLQPjjdFSy5wLdl5/CUNJ5gmmmEA==Demonstrate Underlying Causes
Listeners may fail to understand a process because they believe that something “obviously” works a certain way when in fact it does not. To counter faulty assumptions, first acknowledge common misperceptions and then offer an accurate explanation of underlying causes.11
Checklist: Strategies for Explaining Complex Information
Checklist: Strategies for Explaining Complex Information
Check the boxes as you finish each task, then use the link below the box to print the checklist.
To explain a concept or term:
- Build on prior knowledge.
- Use analogies that link concepts to something familiar.
- Define terms in several ways.
- Simplify terminology wherever possible.
To explain a process or structure, do all of the above and:
- Make ample use of visual aids, including models and drawings.
To explain a counterintuitive idea, do all of the above and:
- Address the commonly held assumption first.
- Acknowledge its plausibility.
- Demonstrate its limitations using familiar examples.
Appeal to Different Learning Styles
People have different learning styles, or preferred ways of processing information. One learning theory model suggests four preferences: visual, aural, read/write, and kinesthetic12 (see table on p. 182 on different learner types). Some of us are multimodal learners, in that we combine two or more preferences.
Audience analysis may give you a sense of individuals’ learning styles. For example, mechanics of all types have strong spatial visualization abilities and thus would be classified as visual learners; they may also be kinesthetic learners who want to “test” things for themselves. Often, however, you may not have enough information to determine your listeners’ learning style, so plan on conveying and reinforcing information in a variety of modes.
| TYPE | ADVICE FOR COMMUNICATING INFORMATION |
|---|---|
| Visual | Will most easily grasp ideas communicated through pictures, diagrams, charts, graphs, flowcharts, maps. |
| Aural | Will most easily grasp ideas communicated through the spoken word, whether in live lectures, tapes, group discussions, or podcasts. |
| Read/Write | Will most easily grasp ideas communicated through text-based delivery, handouts, PowerPoint with text-based slides. |
| Kinesthetic | Will most easily grasp ideas communicated through real-life demonstrations, simulations, and movies, and through hands-on applications. |