It is incredibly hard to explain something complicated. We all remember that teacher in high school that was great at explaining math. They made math seem so easy. And we remember that teacher that made us feel stupid for not understanding. They made us feel like we were bad at mathematics. If someone’s good at explaining, they’ll be able to adapt to the level of the audience. They’ll be able to make complex stuff practical. They’ll be able to come up with examples that make sense. They’ll be able to make us feel like the complex stuff is easy.
If you’re good at explaining complex concepts to a broad audience, you’re probably also a good salesperson and an awesome marketeer. You’ll be able to empathize with your audience, understand their needs, and adapt your explanation accordingly.
However, there is a downside to being good at explaining complex things. If you make things too simple and too practical, people tend to underestimate the complexity of your topic. To make matters worse, they even tend to underestimate you.
Public speakers don’t necessarily want you to understand everything they’re saying. They want to inspire you or convince you of their expertise. They don’t want to be underestimated. As a speaker, it could be beneficial to show how much you know and how much you can do. It will make you -as a speaker- more convincing. If you do a talk on stage and people can follow about 80% of what you’re saying, that 20% they’re not understanding (yet) could be why they want to hire you. Or want to talk to you. If you show them that you DO understand all of that, you’ll probably be most successful. Sometimes, using jargon or complex words is very helpful to show your knowledge and expertise.
It is all about balance. Explain your product or your idea in a way that is accessible while still trying to look smart. You’ll need people to trust you enough for your message to come across. Showing your expertise sometimes means showing your knowledge and using those big words.
At the same time, let’s remain critical as an audience. If you don’t understand something, a product, an idea, or a concept, that does not mean something is too complex to understand. It could very well be that it is not explained correctly. It all depends on the teacher. Just like with mathematics!
