Think outside the box
Explaining technical subjects or those with a lot of jargon and acronyms is never easy, especially if you are on “the outside” or new to the concept.
Sometimes a dictionary and thesaurus is the answer. Sometimes it’s a visual and needs graphics. Either way you are looking for the “I GET it! Ok, now I UNDERSTAND!” moment of learning.
Recently I came across an interesting idea on how to share the moment of understanding.
Dance
For example: If you are looking for something technical to explain to people outside your field, Ph.D. research will usually cause heads to nod that yes they do understand when really they were lost after about three sentences. John Bohannon created a contest called “Dance Your Ph.D.”. The concept is pretty simple: take complex scientific research, break it down and perform it as an interpretive dance. This international contest is sponsored by the journal Science. You can watch his talk at TEDxBrussels from November 2011 or check out the videos from the contest.
Now I know what you are thinking. Dance? How is a bunch of twirling around going to help my learners understand anything?! Since I kind of doubt many bosses are going to go for running out to hire a choreographer, videographer and studio time, here are some things the rest of us can take away from the idea:
-Break complex concepts and ideas down and create a visual representation of each piece.
- Think beyond the typical images, pie charts and PowerPoint when creating visuals. Keep in mind that the visual that gets your learner to the “Ah ha!” moment is your goal—which is not necessarily the prettiest or flashiest.
What are some other ways to think outside the box?
Katie Lund, Project Developer
email katie@phasient.com
