Blog Posts About: explainer

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The first Common Craft videos came from seeing technology experts stumble through explanations of social media. I thought, "That's not going to help anyone". I sometimes feel like an early warning system for poor communication because I am naturally drawn to (and need) clarity. I can empathize with the confused and bewildered and work to account for their needs.

In fact, I believe the majority of people are underserved when it comes to clear communication. I worry that people are needlessly left behind because of the disconnect between expertise and clear communication. That's part of the magic of being an explainer: helping people develop a clear understanding of something new.

Think about it this way...

We need experts who are qualified to speak about their fields. Unfortunately, expertise and clear communication do not always work together. The expert's deep knowledge and experience influence how they communicate and can limit the reach of their words. Like many of us, they have the ​curse of knowledge​ and are prone to using acronyms, jargon, and examples that require context and experience.

For too long, access to this kind of expertise was limited to classrooms and textbooks. Educators were (and still are) on the front lines of translating complicated language and information into lessons that are clear and understandable. This is vital, but still represents only a slice of the population who could be learning.

The question is: how does everyone else learn? Who is accounting for the huge number of people who are out of school and just want to learn something new?

To me, that's the role of the explainer. We're not experts in specific domains like medicine or law. Our expertise is in clear communication and creating resources for people who need help getting up to speed. We learn about and understand a subject in order to translate it clearly. Then we move to the next subject.

Let's consider an idea like quantum computing. The knowledge of quantum computing is varied and we'll assume the distribution takes the shape of a normal curve. On the right side of the curve, we have a relatively small population of experts who know enough about quantum computing to do presentations and write articles. What we know about the subject comes from them.

Next, we have a bigger population that's interested in quantum computing and excited to learn from the experts. They know enough to keep up and are motivated to seek out information. This population is informed and working toward expertise. Some may be educators.

On the other side, we have the unaware and disinterested. We won't worry about them for now.

Then we have the biggest group of all: the curious middle. This group is aware of quantum computing but has very little knowledge. They're capable of understanding it, but only when it's explained in ways that account for their familiarity. Without help, they may be left behind.

When I think about my work as an explainer, I'm focused on the curious middle. This large population is unfortunately underserved because they need the right kind of introduction to an idea. Experts can help, but their focus is often growing their expertise and pushing the envelope.

Explainers don't have to be experts in quantum computing to help. In fact, true expertise in a single subject may compromise our ability to explain it clearly. Instead, we are experts in the process of understanding our audience's needs and developing useful resources for them.

When I think about my work at ​Common Craft​, ​Explainer Academy​, and ​The Art of Explanation​, I'm focused on helping the curious middle and I can't do it alone. To help them, we need more explainers. We need people who are ready to take on the challenge and create resources that can help.

This summer, think about the idea of the curious middle and what explanations you could develop to help people who are being left behind.

I recently worked with Robby Macdonell on his language learning project: https://comprehension.club. He describes it like this: "Comprehension club is an easy way for language learners to experience real people speaking their native language, talking about things that matter to them."

Robby's idea was to build on the idea of language exchange, which is a well-known process for learning a new language. We decided that the concept of language exchange may be a perfect introduction to Comprehension Club.

Over a few hours of coaching, Robby was set up to create his own animated explainer video and I think it's pretty awesome. You can see it here:

If you're considering an explainer video and need coaching through the process, you can learn more about my coaching.

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Using a tool like ChatGPT can feel like chatting with an omniscient human. It appears to know virtually everything and is able to communicate clearly. It can understand what we want with minimal input.

You may wonder: Does ChatGPT learn and understand all the subjects? Does it truly know anything?

The answer to these questions lies in something called a Large Language Model or LLM. The model is created by computers that attempt to capture every word on the internet; around 1 trillion words. Then, massive computers analyze the context and connections between words and use that information to respond to chat requests.

A big part of understanding ChatGPT means understanding LLMs. And that was my challenge. I set out to explain LLMs in a two-minute video with a couple of constraints:

1. It needed to be a Readable Video
2. The video needed to work as an animated GIF

Large Language Models Explained

The video below is available on ​YouTube​.

Video Workaround for Email

One of the problems with online videos is that they don't play in most email programs. We're forced to link to a website in order to see the video play. And of course, most people don't click the links.

But all is not lost. Animated GIFs DO play in email. It's possible to include an animated gif that explains an idea right in the body of the message. For this to work, the GIF needs to be small in file size and consumable without sound.

This is a perfect situation for ​Readable Videos. I converted the video above to an animated gif that's two minutes long and under 2mbs in size. I converted the video above into a GIF using the free tool ​gifski​.

Animated GIFs aren't perfect for every situation, but they offer a way to share an idea in the form of an animated video. This is one of the many skills we teach in the ​Readable Videos course​.

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I believe AI chatbots, like ​ChatGPT, will become a part of most white-collar work. Whether you are an accountant, architect, or attorney, artificial intelligence will soon become part of your work and for some, a competitive advantage. Those who choose to experiment may find that AI can take their work to new and more efficient levels.

Tools like ChatGPT can play a valuable role in creating explainer videos. How? By helping you through one of the most difficult phases in the creative process: establishing a creative direction.

It's a common challenge. You have the idea and the major points for a video, but packaging the information can seem like a hurdle. Do you tell a story? Use an analogy? A walk-through? Is it a first-person narrative? What about visuals?

ChatGPT is an amazing tool for identifying a creative direction. With a few requests, it can generate examples and ideas that may never occur to you otherwise. Let's look at some examples:

ChatGPT Examples

I asked ChatGPT (free version 3.5) for 5 story ideas for explaining phishing scams.

"I want to create a video that clearly explains phishing scams. Please provide 5 ideas for short stories."

Here's what it generated in seconds:

​See the full version of these results​

This is the spark. ChatGPT easily provides titles and directions for a new video. If you don't like these ideas, you can ask for five more.

Let's take this a step further. I like story idea #1: "The Suspicious Email" and want an example script. So, I ask it:

"Let's focus on #1. Write a 300-word script for this story. Include a person named Chris."

Here are the results:

​See a full version of these results​

This is only a taste of what is possible. In this way, ChatGPT is a creative partner. It can get you down the creative road much faster than you can brainstorm. It can surface ideas and directions that aren't obvious.

Of course, ChatGPT has limits. It may be inaccurate or biased. It doesn't know your audience or situation. That's why it's a partner. You are required to evaluate, redirect and edit what it provides. You are required to shape it for your audience and include what you feel is important. You are the flame.

This article was published in an issue of the Common Craft Newsletter. Subscribe here.

I’ve wondered if artificial intelligence, like ​ChatGPT​, will eventually eat my lunch, so to speak. Given that I am an author, educator, and video creator, the risk seems real that AI could replace the creative work on which I've built my professional life.

Today, ChatGPT can create, analyze and summarize lengthy text, transform that text into the language of a specific demographic, and write a video script complete with suggestions for visuals, all in a matter of seconds. Needless to say, we’re living in a new reality.

Today, it can analyze and summarize lengthy text, transform that text into the language of a specific demographic, and write a video script complete with suggestions for visuals, all in a matter of seconds. Needless to say, we’re living in a new reality.

Amid the disruption, I think it’s important to understand what AI can’t do.

My career has been focused on the skill of explanation and how to design communication for a specific audience. I’d like to focus on two things that make explanations work and how they connect to AI and the human experience.

Packaging Ideas

First, let’s discuss packaging ideas. Remarkable explanations use data and facts as starting points for creativity. We ask: how can I package this information so it’s clear and understandable for my audience? Would an analogy work? A short story? This step can be frustrating because it requires inspiration and creativity. Projects sometimes need a spark to find a creative direction.

This is where generative AI, like ChatGPT, can excel. Given the right prompts, it can provide new ideas and provide multiple paths to consider. It can brainstorm with incredible speed and generate long lists of approaches, titles, themes, and more.

But that’s only part of the explanation equation.

Empathy

The second point is empathy. For that explanation to work, it must be designed around the audience’s needs. We must put ourselves in the shoes of the audience and communicate in a way that works for them. This is where humans excel. We can naturally empathize with others and adjust our communication in a way that no AI can replicate.

For Example

Imagine working in a company where it’s your job to communicate company policy. The CEO micromanages everything you do and over time, you’ve learned how to navigate her standards and write according to her expectations.

You’ve experimented with ChatGPT and it’s been helpful. You’ve had it rewrite a memo, generate suggestions for a meeting, and recommend ways to work with a micromanager.

But it can’t write for your boss. It doesn’t know your boss. It can’t understand your relationship with her. It doesn’t know what makes her happy, how she feels, or what worries she has. It doesn’t know her ambitions or aspirations. Only you, the human, can know these things.

This is true in multiple contexts.

• AI can help you do research and generate ideas for a conference presentation, but it can’t know the people in the audience, or what they need.
• AI can help teachers develop lesson plans and find creative activities, but it can’t know what will delight that specific group of students.
• AI can help an architect develop designs for a home, but it can’t know the homeowner’s attitudes and desires.

My point is this: AI is a powerful and inspirational tool. It can jumpstart creative projects. But the human touch, in the form of empathy, is required for truly effective communication. This has always been the secret sauce of explanations and that hasn’t changed.

In my book, ​The Art of Explanation​, I wrote that “Facts give stories substance. Stories give facts meaning.” You can think of AI as a (sometimes untrustworthy) fact and idea machine. It provides the substance and often, that’s not enough. Our task is to package that substance into meaning for our audience by applying the most human of traits: empathy for our audience.

The animated gif below is a succinct summary of this idea. This gif is also an example of a ​Readable Video​ that took about an hour to create.

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You've probably been in situations where someone is speaking and they seem to only focus on general ideas and concepts. They are not specific and you find it hard to relate the points to the real world. This is because their communication is more abstract.

The opposite may be even more prevalent. In this example, the person speaking is focused on very specific data points and examples. The data are interesting, but you find it hard to see the big picture. This communication is more concrete.

The best communicators are able to use both these ideas in tandem: a balance of abstract and concrete. You can think about this spectrum as a ladder: the ladder of abstraction.  Samuel Ichiye Hayakawa  developed this idea in 1939 in his book Language in Thought and Action. 

When planning a presentation or classroom lesson, you can use the ladder to consider your points. You might ask yourself: Am I being too abstract? If so, move down the ladder to more concrete examples.

A simple example is photography.

A Video Explainer

You can find this video on  YouTube  and in the Explanation Master Course at the Explainer Academy.