Speak without Fear #19
Knowing is different from helping others understand
Every time I stand in front of a room full of participants, I remind myself of one simple truth: understanding something deeply is not the same as explaining it well.
It took me years to appreciate the difference.
Early in my career, I believed that the more I knew, the better I would teach. So, I packed my presentations with concepts, models, definitions, and technical terms. I walked away feeling satisfied because I had covered everything. Then the questions began. Participants would ask me about ideas I thought I had already explained. Some nodded politely but later admitted they were confused. It was a humbling realisation. My knowledge was not the problem. My communication was.
Since then, I have come to believe that the true measure of expertise is not how much we can say, but how much others can understand.
Simplicity Is Not the Absence of Depth
One misconception I often encounter is that simplifying an idea somehow weakens it. I see this especially among technical experts, researchers, engineers, policy professionals, and even experienced entrepreneurs. They worry that if they remove technical language, their work will sound less credible.
I see it differently.
Simplicity is not about leaving things out. It is about making sure people can follow the journey. Complexity often belongs in our thinking while clarity belongs in our speaking.
I remember facilitating a business continuity workshop where participants included engineers, factory managers, and business owners. The technical framework was comprehensive, but an hour into the session I could sense the room becoming quieter. People were listening, yet they were no longer connecting.
Instead of explaining the framework further, I paused and asked, “What happens if your house loses electricity during dinner with guests invited?” Everyone smiled.
Within minutes, we were discussing backup plans, alternative arrangements, communication, and recovery. Without mentioning business continuity, the participants had already understood its essence. Only then did I connect the conversation back to the formal framework. The technical model suddenly made sense because it had found a place in their everyday experience.
That day reinforced in me that people rarely understand concepts first. They understand experiences first.
Building Bridges Instead of Displaying Knowledge
One of the biggest changes in my own speaking came when I stopped trying to impress audiences and started trying to connect with them.
In mentoring sessions with entrepreneurs, this happens regularly. Founders often become passionate about explaining every feature of their product, every technical specification, or every process behind their innovation. Yet, potential customers are usually asking a much simpler question.
“What problem does this solve for me?” When the explanation begins with technology instead of the customer’s reality, attention fades quickly.
I often encourage entrepreneurs to imagine that they are building a bridge. One side of the bridge is what the audience already knows. The other side is the new idea we want them to understand. If we begin from our side instead of theirs, the bridge never reaches the audience.
The same principle applies in boardrooms, classrooms, and conference halls. Communication begins where the listener is, not where the speaker stands.
The Power of Analogies
Over the years, I have become a collector of analogies. Not because they are clever, but because they make unfamiliar ideas feel familiar.
When discussing business models, I sometimes compare a business to a bicycle.
Customers provide the direction, revenue keeps the wheels moving, operations form the frame, and people provide the energy that keeps everything balanced. The analogy is not perfect and it doesn’t need to be. Its purpose is simply to help people organise a new idea using something they already understand.
In another training, while explaining organisational resilience, I compared it to carrying an umbrella during the monsoon. Buying an umbrella does not mean we expect rain every day. It simply means we choose to be prepared. Suddenly, resilience no longer sounded like an abstract management concept. It became common sense.
Our brains naturally look for familiar patterns. Good analogies respect that instinct rather than fighting against it.
Explaining One Step at a Time
Another lesson I learned came not from speaking but from answering questions.
During Q&A sessions, I occasionally notice speakers responding with everything they know instead of everything that was asked. Their answer is accurate, but it overwhelms the audience.
I now remind myself to explain ideas the way we climb stairs. Each step should feel manageable before taking the next.
When discussing entrepreneurship with university students, I rarely begin with financial projections or market strategies. We first explore a problem worth solving. Then we discuss who experiences that problem. Only after those ideas become clear do we talk about solutions, business models, customers, and revenue.
The sequence matters as much as the content. People rarely resist complex ideas. More often, they resist being asked to understand five complex ideas at the same time.
Clarity Is an Act of Respect
Perhaps the most important lesson I have learned is that explaining something simply is not a communication technique. It is a sign of respect.
When we choose clear language, relatable examples, and thoughtful sequencing, we acknowledge that understanding belongs to the audience, not the speaker.
During one mentoring session, I was explaining customer segments to a group of women entrepreneurs. The more I explained the framework, the more puzzled they looked. So, I stopped and asked one bakery owner, “When you bake today, who are you thinking about?” She immediately replied, “School children in the morning and office workers in the evening.” Without realising it, she had just identified two customer segments. It feels good to hear participants say, “I finally understand what that means.”
Those moments remind me that communication is not about transferring information. It is about creating understanding.
As speakers, trainers, educators, or leaders, we often take pride in mastering difficult subjects. That is important. But perhaps the greater challenge is making those subjects accessible without making them smaller.
These days, when I prepare for a presentation, I ask myself a different question. I no longer ask, “How much should I tell them?” Instead, I ask, “What will help them understand?” The answer is usually much simpler than I first imagined. And perhaps that is exactly the point.
Shakya is an entrepreneur, certified trainer, and small business consultant. He can be reached for an executive mentoring session at suman@tangentwaves.com
