Welcome to the Common Craft newsletter, a free resource for educators, communicators, and explainers. Subscribe or read past issues. Friends, How many times have you seen a new policy at work or a pitch for a new product, and thought: "Why does this feel so complicated?" It happens too often. A well-crafted explanation in the form of a brief video can solve this problem, and it's easier than you think. My Explainer Video Workshop (5 hours of live, online instruction) starts Wednesday, April 17th. It teaches explanation skills and how to turn your idea into an animated video that solves problems. "Lee is an expert explainer and a terrific teacher of his method — he broke down each phase into understandable pieces and his knowledge transfer process was fun, approachable, and practical."
- Eric Bakey
Baseline vs Progressive ExplanationsWe've all seen the digital image format JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group). It's a standard on the web because these images can be compressed, which creates smaller file sizes and easier sharing. The compression happens in two forms that serve as a useful analogy for learning. Baseline Compression - This form of compression works in full resolution, line-by-line. The image is complete when every line is present. Progressive Compression takes a different approach. It starts blurry and develops into full resolution. The Lesson for ExplainersWe all have the Curse of Knowledge. When we know a subject well, it interferes with our ability to make accurate assumptions about the knowledge of others. What seems normal and simple for us can be confusing for learners. When we understand an idea fully, it appears to us in high resolution. We learned the basics long ago and now see the details, technicalities, and exceptions. When it's our turn to teach someone, we must adjust our thinking and consider what will work for our audience. The two types of image compression above are a way to approach this situation and counteract the curse. Baseline ExplanationsWhen your audience is informed and generally matches your level of knowledge, you can think about using a baseline explanation. Here the idea is presented piece-by-piece in full resolution. You assume the big idea is clear and your explanation is more linear, from beginning to end. This could be an explanation of a process, flow of information, or a financial model. Progressive ExplanationsWhen your audience is new to an idea, they will need to see the big picture. Here, the idea is low resolution at first. Only the big ideas are visible. Details are not apparent or discussed, yet. The process builds from blurry shapes to recognizable forms, and eventually to full resolution. This approach works well for introductions to new concepts, or when context is useful. Your Next ExplanationThe next time you need to explain an idea, think about the curse of knowledge, JPEGs, and what approach will work best for your audience. Do they need to see the big blurry idea first, or can you dive into the details? That's what I have for now. Cheers!
Lee LeFever, Common Craft and Explainer Academy |
Learn about new Common Craft videos, useful resources, and the skill of explanation from Lee LeFever, author of The Art of Explanation.
Welcome to the Common Craft newsletter, a free resource for educators, communicators, and explainers. Subscribe or read past issues. Hello friends. Deepfakes are a growing problem that needs more awareness. This video is now available for downloading and embedding for members via the Common Craft Video Library. Anyone can view it for free. New Video: Deepfakes Explained Link to this article Today, we can’t be sure if the videos, audio, or images we see online are real or fake. Thanks to AI...
Welcome to the Common Craft newsletter, a free resource for educators, communicators, and explainers. Subscribe or read past issues. Hello friends,I'm writing with a quick tip for organizing an explanation. I've used this example in workshops and courses and it seems to stick. Recently, a custom video client used the idea to describe his goals. He said, "I want to focus on the tree first, then the branches." That made my day. If you're looking for ideas and help with clarifying your message,...
Welcome to the Common Craft newsletter, a free resource for educators, communicators, and explainers. Subscribe or read past issues. Hello friends,Last week, I shared The Vibes Project, a purely educational newsletter I'm writing about human nature and the origins of "coolness" and "nerdiness." It's an unexpected subject to study and explain, but trust me, it's fascinating. The project is starting with a series of 5 posts on The Roots of Cool. I published the first issue last week on Cool...