Explain the complex with expressive writingHumans are funny creatures. We’ll binge-watch hours of TV episodes or movies, yet barely tolerate a fraction of a second for a web page to load.

That means you need a shortcut to meaning if you’re explaining something complex or unusual. Seth Godin says the best way to convey a complex idea is to “find it living inside something else you already understand.” From there, you say, “This” is like “that.”

My February newsletter shares five great examples, including this:

The distinction between the terms content strategy and content marketing strategy “is best explained with a Russian doll: a smaller strategy is inside a larger one. In this case, content marketing strategy is the smaller strategy inside the larger one, content strategy.”
Demian Farnworth for Copyblogger

Wordnerdery is a quick monthly read about words, effective/expressive writing, newsletters and more, including the occasional ponderings on the meaning of life. Not a subscriber yet? You can sign up right now. In keeping with Canada’s anti-spam laws, you can easily unsubscribe any time.