Can you explain that to a sixth grader?
Full confession: I’ve been a bit addicted to true crime podcasts lately. I’ve been enjoying Serial Season One, which tells the story of Baltimore teen Adnan Syed, who was convicted of murder in 2000 and maintains his innocence to this day. It’s beautifully researched and presented by journalist Sarah Koenig, and, I highly recommend it giving it a listen!
What does that have to do with strategic communications? Well, silly, everything has something to do with strategic communications!
In Episode 10, “The Best Defense is a Good Defense,” Koenig describes Syed’s attorney, M. Cristina Gutierrez, a highly reputed defence attorney at the time (she was later disbarred). In this description of what made Gutierrez “tough, savvy, and smart,” Koenig relays:
“She did the first, or at least one of the first DNA cases in Maryland. To figure out how to explain it to a jury, I heard a story that she went to a grade school and practiced. Each time a kid said he or she didn’t understand the science, she started over.”
Source
“Speak at a sixth grade level” is something that we refer to frequently in media and public speaking coaching, and I am just kicking myself for not thinking of actually going into an elementary school classroom earlier!
Much of what we are tasked with communicating to the public, either directly or through media, is highly technical, industry-specific and complex material. In order to prepare to speak on a given topic, you have to first understand it, and so it’s very likely that you know much more detail than you would ever choose to communicate to the public.
To be effective communicators, our challenge is to tell our story in a way that even a child would understand.
Of course, your audience is likely more educated than a sixth grader. But they don’t know your industry, they may be scanning the news on their phone in between bites of dinner, or they might hear a small clip of your topic in passing. Presenting your information in plain language is essential.
When I was Director of Communications for the federal Minister of Transport, we were constantly communicating highly technical regulatory information. Especially when working with air, marine and rail safety and security issues, it was imperative to get our information across in a way that the average Canadian could understand, and respond appropriately.
Here are a few tips for preparing talking points that will get your message across:
Use simple vocabulary
Try one-syllable words
Avoid the use of acronyms
Avoid the use of industry jargon
And, if you have a sixth grader in the house, by all means, test your messages on them! But seriously, any friend or colleague will do. Run through your talking points verbally until they are clear, in plain language, and easy to understand.
If you need some help telling your story in a highly effective way that even a sixth grader would understand, give me a call. Together we will get it right and get your message out there!
