One of the easiest ways to make an explanation worse is to keep explaining it in the same form.

Someone looks confused, so we add more words. We repeat the definition. We make the sentence longer. We explain the same idea from the same angle, only with more detail.

Sometimes that helps. Often it does not.

The problem may not be that the person needs more information. They may need a different representation of the same idea.

A concrete example can do that quickly.

If I say, “Prioritize the work with the highest leverage,” the phrase may sound reasonable but still remain fuzzy.

If I add, “If one hour spent fixing the onboarding email removes the same question from 50 future support conversations, that may be higher leverage than answering those 50 questions one by one,” the idea becomes easier to see.

The example does not replace the principle. It gives the principle something to attach to.

One thing to try

The next time you explain something and it does not seem to land, resist the urge to add another paragraph.

State the idea in one sentence.

Then add one specific example of what it looks like in practice.

If needed, ask the other person to give you an example back in their own context. That will tell you much more than asking, “Does that make sense?”

When an idea is hard to grasp, more explanation is not always the answer. Sometimes it needs a shape.

What is one idea you explain often that would become clearer with a better example?