252. Rethinks: How to Make Complex Ideas Accessible

Hi. Matt here. Just wanted to let you know that our December newsletter is now out. Read it to learn how to use a back pocket question to get you out of tricky situations. Plus, you'll learn about all of the exciting things we're up to, including our new learning community. Check out our newsletter on LinkedIn or at fastersmarter.io under resources and newsletter. Now a word from one of our sponsors. Their support allows us to bring you quality content free of charge. Hi. Matt here. I recently have done some international travel, and I'm always amazed when people can speak the language of the country they're visiting. So for my upcoming trip, I'll be using Babbel, my go to app for science backed language learning. Babbel lets me practice real life conversation step by step without the stress. It helps me build the confidence to speak up when it matters, from ordering a coffee or chatting with new friends. However you learn best by listening, speaking, reading, or writing, Babbel adapts to your style and keeps you motivated with personalized learning plans, real time feedback, and progress tracking. Right now, Babbel is offering up to 55% off your subscription at babbel.com/tfts. That's Babbel, babbel,.com/tfts to get up to 55% off. Rules and restrictions may apply. Hi. Matt here. Our world is getting more and more complex. When communicating about complexity, we need to work to make ideas accessible rather than simply dumb things down or oversimplify. We're diving into our archive to bring you a reTHINK's episode where I speak with Lauren Weinstein about specific techniques we can use to help our audience better understand our complex topics. Enjoy one of our very first, but still very relevant episodes. We've all been in situations where someone explained something to us that went over our heads or didn't land because it wasn't relevant or meaningful. I'm Matt Abrahams. I teach strategic communication at Stanford's Graduate School of Business. Welcome to Think Fast, Talk Smart, the podcast. In this episode, we'll chat with Lauren Weinstein as we explore specific techniques you can use to help your audience understand the complex information that you need them to. In other words, we hope to find the antidote to the curse of knowledge. Hey, Lauren. How are you doing? Great. Glad to be with you here today. Like me, Lauren is a lecturer at Stanford's Graduate School of Business. Together for over five years, we've co taught a class on strategic communication. In addition to this work, she also has a very popular TEDx talk called don't believe everything you think. So Lauren, as teachers and coaches, we often have to explain complex ideas so others can understand them. But lots of other folks also have to take complex technical or scientific information and make it accessible. Can you talk about some of the examples you use in class that you've seen where people need to do this? Yes. I see this all …