Is there anything you’ve done lately that I probably don’t know how to do? Do you routinely do things that would require “how-to” explanations to those who’ve never attempted it? I’m talking about “normal” activities, not rocket science. For example, maybe you recently baked a pie, hung a tire swing, cut down a tree, or changed the oil in your car. None of those things require a Master’s degree, but I would need instructions to do any of them. Actually, I’m not sure I would cut down a tree even with instructions, but that’s beside the point. Without a clear explanation, many people would have a difficult time accomplishing any of those tasks, and each of them would be thrilled to have someone show them how to do things in a way that they can easily understand.

Online success will almost always be more easily achieved if you master the art of the explanation. Whether you are selling information or selling toothpicks online, explanations are very often a necessary part of the informational flow. If you can help someone understand something, in simple, clear terms, without making that person feel demeaned, you will have gained a happy reader, user, or client. You will have established your authority of the subject and proven that you care enough about others to share your knowledge with them. In return, you will gain a loyal following, and very likely, increased income.

So, what is the art of the explanation? Explanations need to be easy to understand, clear and precise. Although I highly recommend using pictures when appropriate, I suggest you practice the art of explaining by only using words at first. This will force to you learn how to vividly describe a process so that the reader can “see” it, even without pictures.

My challenge to you is to practice the art of explaining by describing the process of something you’ve done recently in as clear and simple a manner as you can. If you are explaining the process of changing the oil in your car, list the tools needed and the steps required to go from start to finish. Try to imagine someone who knows nothing about the workings of a car is reading your explanation. Will they get it? Could they take your instructions and successfully change the oil?

Test it and see. Give your explanation to a few different people. Ask them if they understand it. Find out what is confusing to them. Use that information to make the explanation even simpler and more understandable. This process of taking just one activity, breaking it down into clear, simple steps, and then refining it from user input will go a long way in teaching you the art of the explanation.

Take the knowledge you gain from this exercise, and apply it to some process related to your site’s topic. Sell kitchen faucets? Explain how to replace an old faucet with one of your new hi-tech ones. Blog about horses? Explain how to muck a stall or groom a horse. (Hopefully, I used appropriate terminology there. I know nothing about horses. Care to explain it to me? )

Once you have content that clearly explains a concept or activity on your site, there is a very good chance that you can easily gain traffic to that content. Let interested people know about the explanations you provide via social networks, forums, etc., and you could quickly find your site gaining traffic, links, and search engine rankings. But it all starts with great content, and in the case of the “how-to”, the art of the explanation. Get that right, and everything else follows.

(from Smash Mouth. "AllStar" Astro Lounge. Interscope Records, 1999.)

Posted on January 10th, 2008 by DazzlinDonna
Filed under: Creativity Exercises