Creating Accessibility of Thought

This may be the holy grail of communication.

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I have a friend whose mission is to make architecture, something we may normally take for granted, more accessible. The idea being that, while the baser ideas of architecture itself aren’t terribly difficult to grasp (“That’s a tall building,”) much of the language around it and fine details go by the wayside as we struggle to use ordinary words to describe beautiful particulars (“The radius of that finial accurately mirror the Golden Ratio, which lends grace to the transition of the repeated form throughout.”)  It’s almost like learning a different language. We often use words from other languages to bolster our vocabulary to describe our world when our own language falls short.

At this point, I should point out that I am not suggesting we learn everything about everything. Nor to teach everything about everything. The gist of what I want to get at is the ability to convey an idea in the most richly efficient way possible, so that any and all audiences completely understand. This is called communicating. And there are plenty of podcasts, articles, books, TED talks, experts and other media that are willing to introduce ideas on how to be an effective communicator. It is indeed a perilous, yet vital, journey. If one wishes to conflate it, the future of the entire human race rests squarely and solely on communication. It is how we interact with one another. How ideas evolve. How one person takes an idea, modifies it, and presents it back to the world. In the simplest form, communication is how we interact in our day-to-day ordinary existence. From ordering food at the drive-thru to reminding the kids to brush their teeth. We are all communicators, and communicatees. And since I can only control myself (me, my words, my delivery) and not others, it is my highest desire to ensure that what comes out of my mouth is understood the same as it appeared in my head.

How does this tie into the idea of accessibility?  The more accessible knowledge is, the more readily it will be soaked up. If information is really accessible, knowledge practically teaches itself. This may be the holy grail of communication. To just have information out in the wild and it gets gobbled up. So what does accessible information look like?  Viral media is a great example. And catchy jingles that promote ear-worms. Gossip, working on a vehicle of intrigue, seems to work well. Comedians appeal to our desire for laughter, politicians and newscasts appeal to our fears. It seems like anything that produces a significant emotional response is prone to make information stick. Another way is to use rich adjectives and adverbs. To expand one’s vocabulary in order to use sufficiently differing words that help bring an idea to life. To me, this is the noblest form of idea conveyance. To allow an idea to stand on its own without props like jingles. To be moved by words alone.

In my world, I communicate to my coworkers, children, dog, the fine readers of The Good Men Project, and various other audiences. I’m also a communicatee to these same audiences. I’ve collected a few tips on getting the best as both. My belief is that a mixture and balance of all of them is what will serve best, and make for the most accessible, of all worlds.

As a communicator:

Be clever. Do something no one’s done before. Present an idea that will want your audience to show other people, and they will feel clever too. This gives an idea legs.

Be interesting. This creates fascination and intrigue. Because the finer points of thermodynamics are much more palatable when using Wile E. Coyote as an example.

Be firm in your convictions. Do not waver from your message. Have faith in your knowledge. Know enough about your message so that you are able to defend your point from all angles. This is not about being evangelical and bullyish.

Make ideas and concepts simple. Einstein posited: “If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.”  This is also about knowing your subject matter well enough that you can explain it differently, to multiple audiences.

Use a language your audience understands. Dogs do not understand English, no matter how slowly you speak. Learn to speak Dog. Learn to speak Kid. Learn the 5 Languages of Love for your significant other.

Use analogies. This is a combination of clever, interesting, and using an audience’s language all at the same time. “Granddad had a mind like a steel trap, only one that had been left out so long, it had rusted shut.”

If you don’t know, own it instead of guessing and spreading untruths. This shows vulnerability, and that a person is finite in knowledge. To me, this lends credibility because no one knows everything, and no one’s perfect.

Understand that your message isn’t wrong, it’s your valid opinion. This does not mean everyone is obligated to like or accept it.

As a communicatee:

Go to the source. Do not depend on friends, rumors, or Cousin Agnes just because they seem like they know. There is no excuse to find a proper source in this digital age.

Strive for fidelity in your information. Get information from multiple sources. Ferret out the truth. This doesn’t mean find the single and only truth, but rather don’t believe the first thing you read. See if other sources say the same thing in the case of scientific data. In the absence of (reliable) data, use those multiple sources to form your own opinion.

Avoid tropes, stereotypes, omniscient sources, evangelists and other one-stop, convenient, easily digestible sources. This is what term papers in school were trying to prepare you for. There’s a reason the bibliographies got graded too.

Listen openly without trying to use a framework to understand. Listen to what is actually being said, instead of what you think is being said.

Understand that what someone says isn’t wrong, it’s their valid opinion. This does not mean you have to like or accept it.

I curate what I learn carefully. Just as a body builder curates what they eat in order to develop specific body type, so I do with knowledge. I model this for my children in the hopes that they too, will choose to learn this way. I carefully craft what I communicate. I want my message to be as accessible and clear as possible, in order to reduce misinterpretation and promote healthy discourse.

The above techniques are endorsed by the founder of On the Dot Translations, whose founder is a certified translator from Brooklyn.

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