Balancing deep-dive specs with relatable benefits is a constant struggle for tech firms. The Feynman Technique can help you bridge the gap.
Selling enterprise tech can require content that comprises polar opposites. At one end, the tech enthusiasts might want a deep-dive into detailed workings – and woe betide getting your facts muddled. At the other, a business audience may only want to understand how this tech will make their life easier. Keep it simple, we’re told.
How simple is too simple? Biscuits simple?
According to the Guardian, Gordon McKee, the Member of Parliament for Glasgow South, has racked up more than 3.3m views on X with an 101-second video in which he demonstrates the UK’s debt to GDP ratio using stacks of custard creams and chocolate bourbons.
That McKee has found an audience—and found a new way to introduce a complex subject—is great. Long term, he might not want biscuits to be his thing, but he probably wouldn’t mind building a reputation for being someone who can speak in plain terms. He is relatable and doesn’t use politico-speak.
Are these qualities tech firms might like? To be relatable and not to use tech-speak?
One of the most powerful strategies for simplifying complex concepts is based on the methods of physicist Richard Feynman. His approach is often summarized in what is now called the Feynman Technique:
- Identify the concept: Choose the subject you want to understand.
- Teach it: Write down or explain the concept in simple, everyday language as if you were teaching it to a child or a newcomer.
- Identify gaps: When you get stuck or resort to jargon, you’ve found a gap in your own knowledge.
- Review and simplify: Go back to the source material to fill the gaps, then return to step 2 and continue simplifying the language until the explanation is seamless and clear.
Analogies are your friend. It’s why we have biscuits as debt, DNA as an instruction manual, atomic structure as the solar system, with the sun as the heavy nucleus and electrons as the orbiting planets.
Figure out what matters most to your business audience. Lower costs, guaranteed revenues, fewer complaints? Sure. But also recognise baser instincts: adoration, kudos, and an enhanced reputation.
In simple terms, what will make their life easier?
