![]() They highlighted sections and asked, “Okay, but why?” They didn’t just check for spelling/grammar and make suggestions on how to improve the flow of my writing. I recognized this process as the same one used by the best editors I know. Step 4: Return to the literature to understand better. Step 3: Identify any gaps in your understanding. Step 2: Explain the topic to someone like a child who is unfamiliar with the topic (and at their level of understanding.) Use simple language. ![]() Along the way, I discovered this technique (shared by Nobel prize-winning physicist Richard Feynman) that lays out the step-by-step mechanics of how to communicate simply and clearly for maximum comprehension. Interesting, right? These deep thinkers-who work with extremely complex ideas and theorems the average person can’t understand-are proponents of simple, concise writing and communication.Ĭoming from the tech/marketing world where jargon abounds and purposely speaking over other peoples’ heads is a common occurrence, I thought: Hallelujah. “If you hear yourself saying, ‘I think I understand this,’ it means you don’t.” -Richard Feynman, physicist “It’s my ambition to say in 10 sentences what others say in a whole book.” -Friedrich Nietzsche, German philosopher “One should use common words to say uncommon things.” -Albert Schopenhauer, German philosopher “If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.” -Albert Einstein, physicist So maybe you’ll be as surprised as I was when I discovered a common theme. My theory, then, was that these folks were onto something when it comes to explaining their ideas ( and I wanted to know about it!) That's done through a medium of communication, and most often it’s in the form of the written word. ![]() I’ve been leaning into subjects that get me out of my comfort zone.Īnd while these topics are great mental exercise on their own, I also search out what the author has to say about the act of writing and communication.īecause, after all: What good is a brilliant idea if you can’t share it with others? The titles within my stack of library books have been all over the place genre-wise lately: Philosophy, physics, jazz, mathematics.
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