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Thinking Template - 8 minute read

How to explain a concept clearly and concisely

By Nigel Manson

This article is part of a series focused on how to introduce, explain, and condense complex thinking into a single-page view so that other people can easily understand you.

The Concept Canvas

Welcome to the second instalment in our free blog Canvas range - The Concept Canvas.

Much like the previous Brief Canvas, its particular purpose is to split up your deep thinking into a set of clear buckets and create a clear structure so that you can explain your complex concepts and ideas efficiently and with maximum effect to the world and your audience.

This is important because our individual brains interpret everything differently, which could lead to misinterpretation, especially with new thinking that is not anchored to things we already understand. Your canvas should help carefully create the correct mental image and direct focus.

We adopted the popular Business Model Canvas process and adapted it for our own needs. We found that our clients really liked the category format, so we wanted to share it with you.

The Two Reasons Why We Created The Concept Canvas

1. The need for a tool that can not only harvest lots of ideas, but act as a consistent way of comparing them.

2. A framework to help creative thinkers tighten up their idea and writing by asking some tough questions that provoke reflection and analysis.

STAGE 1 - COMPLEX CONCEPTS

The Idea

Explaining a complex thing in a small number of words that demonstrates your knowledge, just like a good elevator pitch, is a valuable ability. That's why we restrict this part of the Canvas to only 140 characters. We know a tweet is now 280, but we’re old school here. Definition of both your idea and of your writing is key, so you may find you need to practise.

The problem (in a tweet):  Effectively ommunicating to the audience your idea that your interpretation of the problem or opportunity is sound.

The insight (in a tweet): This is the universal truth that elegantly connects your concepts to the issue at hand. A unique insight into an issue is key to an original concept solution.

The solution (in a tweet): If you have quality insight as a springboard, this bit will come naturally. And keep the writing simple - your audience and Grandma should be able to understand too!

Three Stages To Success

The Concept Canvas breaks your creative thinking down into a three-step process to help you explain your abstract concepts;

1. A definition of your idea - describe how it works, the resources required, etc.

2. A viability and honesty sense check in the form of a gateway question (e.g. Would I be genuinely interested in it if it wasn’t my idea?)

3. A justification of your logic behind your complex concept, and a demonstration of what the ROI would look like.

Here are our tips for the type of details and knowledge you should include in the Canvas categories about your complicated concepts:

Explain Stuff

Working through all the channels an idea might exist in upfront can be a helpful learning experience. By doing so, you can generate a deeper understanding of how the process works and do some research, so you (or a production person) understand the resources that will be needed to execute it. "Build it and they will come" is a familiar phrase, but it rarely happens, so the distribution of your idea needs to be considered and explained from the off.

When writing your explanation of the experience, remember that this is a high-level user journey. Try to keep your writing to only the main steps, otherwise it will get a lot more complicated later on when you add details. A step-by-step explanation isn't really necessary at this point.

Practical Resources

By now, you should have a reasonable idea of where the concept will live and how individuals will interact with it. This should mean you can realize all the people then needed for its development. The big picture, if you will.

Depending on your experience, you may want to get advice here. For example, ask yourself "Do I have the right skill set for the job? How long will each step take? What is a typical day rate?" Your audience will likely have the same questions.

You won’t need to identify the exact budget - an estimate will do. But at least you’ll have explored what the reality looks like.

If you are serious about getting this idea off the ground, you need to show you’re serious about understanding what resources that will take. Provide an example or two of specific tools you will need to give the audience a clearer image.

STAGE 2: GATEWAY QUESTIONS

"Sense Check" Your Abstract Concepts

Time to ask some tough questions about your ideas and thinking, and be honest with your answers.

Aside from the obvious stress-tests - for example, whether your idea is technically or financially feasible - the really big one is being able to say, hand-on-heart, that you would care about this if it wasn’t your idea. Is it an ugly baby?

STAGE 3: MAKE IT MAKE SENSE

‘Why it works’

By explaining why this is a well thought out idea, you save readers the effort of having to search for your focus points in your material and missing important details. Choosing your words carefully helps massively at this point, as you don't want to mislead or confuse the reader.

Go back to the persona in the brief and map the benefits of your ideas back to their needs. This shows you've identified their needs, that they have importance, and how you can meet them.

The business will like it because this is the part that's often forgotten then awkwardly post-rationalised. Save yourself the pain and show the people paying how your concept ties to their objectives.

You will cover this in more detail in the ‘Return’ box too.

‘How you talk about it’

It’s always good to have a working name or concept title. If it’s a fun and pithy one, all the better, as it helps stakeholders get invested and gets them talking.

The press release is a tried and tested approach. Future projecting what success would look like in the form of a press release demonstrates the real world context of what you’re aiming for.

‘Return’

This is where the rubber hits the road, where you define where your idea creates value and how that value can be measured.

You want the audience to arrive at this part completely clear on what you’re suggesting, and then walking away sold on its potential and ready to commit.

Download all the canvases for free in editable Keynote format

Next up is our Pilot Canvas , the essential 1-pager for executing a new concept in a low-risk way.

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