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Hello friends,

As you've seen in previous posts, I’ve been working on a new project called The Science of Explanation. It explores a simple but important question:

Why do some explanations work… and others don’t?

The answer, it turns out, has less to do with what we say and more to do with how the mind works.

Lately, I’ve been writing a series called The Gauntlet of the Mind, which follows the path an idea takes to become real knowledge. It’s a story about limits, attention, and what helps an idea survive and become a memory.

And the first challenge is the same for every idea: Attention. Without it, nothing else matters.

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I've included excerpts and videos from three recent articles below:

1. The Built-in Limits of Attention

The Gauntlet series uses the story of Olivia, a woman who finds herself in a doctor's office full of distractions. Her doctor provides multiple bits of advice, but only some sink in. Why? In part, because of attention.

Attention is linked to each person's perspective.

What does this mean for explainers?

The opening of any explanation is critical. You’re not simply persuading the audience, but appealing to a part of their biology that responds to the signal in the noise. If you don't appeal to their perspective, their mind has already moved on.

​Read the Full Article​

2. The Science of Attention (Video + Text)

In the 1950s, WWII inspired researchers like Donald Broadbent to start studying attention using scientific experiments. This helped establish these big ideas:

• The mind automatically filters out most of what we encounter
• When signals compete, the mind initially chooses based on signal strength
• Signals are not processed together, but in sequence (multitasking is a myth)

This 2.75-minute video explains the experiments and what was learned.

What Does This Mean for Explainers?

Communication is a competition. Your message will only be remembered if your signal wins. Be sure that your message is clear, easy to access, and has a strong signal strength.

​Read the Full Article​

3. The Breakthrough: Meaning Matters

Next, Anne Treisman took the reins. Her work showed that meaning matters. Our attention can be shifted or refocused when we encounter something that connects to our goals, relationships, and health, for example.

This 2.5-minute video explains how she established this knowledge.

What Does this Mean for Explainers?

By attaching your message to what is meaningful to your audience, you can earn attention and increase the chances that your ideas will make it through the gauntlet and into long-term memory.

​Read the Full Article​

I’m sharing new ideas like these every week in The Science of Explanation.

I'll be in touch again soon!

Lee LeFever, Common Craft​