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Last April I wrote at length about simplicity and why we have a tendency to overload our presentations with excess information leading to an over-saturation of content.
You can revisit that Brief, here.
The first reason for this overloading is because we can; because the medium allows us to and because we think it looks clever if we do.
As though we believe that an overly saturated presentation is an indicator of expertise and a deep understanding of a subject.
The second reason is that, in many instances and somewhat ironically we don’t have deep knowledge of the subject at all, so we over-saturate our presentations with too much information in the hope that we can convey the impression of expertise in the subject. Needless to say, this is walking on very thin ice and it only takes one hostile member of an audience and a searching question to crack that ice.
I wrote:
There are no fast answers, short cuts, quick fixes that help you get your point across.
The reality is that there is no substitute for time spent strategising, designing, practising and deepening your knowledge of what you intend to talk about…
‘Deepening your knowledge’ invariably involves dealing with complexity.
We have a natural disposition to shy away from complexity; it can be confusing, challenging, frustrating and understanding it requires effort.
However, simplicity often lies on the far side of complexity; you have to go through one to reach the other.
Dealing with the complexity of a subject is the key to understanding that subject. Understanding that subject is the key to explaining the subject to others. And the key to your audience understanding what you are explaining is your ability to explain as simply as possible.
As Einstein said ‘if you can’t explain it simply then you don’t understand it well enough’.
Einstein — let that sink in for a moment.
In Ross Atkins’ book ‘The Art of Explanation’ he lists 8 criteria for getting your explanation across with optimum effect. Simplicity and complexity are both on that list.
Atkins does not advocate adding complexity to your explanation (or presentation, speech, negotiation…) but he does advocate understanding it, however difficult that may seem.
Of course, using complex information in your explanation is sometimes unavoidable — if that is the only way of getting your point across — however, unnecessary complexity must always be avoided.
What needs to be understood is that when preparing to communicate, whether a speech, presentation or meeting, dealing with complexity is often unavoidable — complexity has to be faced, understood and finally simplified to make it more ‘digestible’ for the audience.
Further, if you get to grips with the complexity of a subject you are then in a position to make an informed decision as to whether including, omitting or simplifying that complexity will convey your communication more effectively.
Remember, it is easy to cram complex information into our communications. It takes confidence and a deep understanding of your subject to take the complexity away.
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