When someone tells me a new concept, I almost never understand it.
This is because it’s told from their perspective and their life, and I’m not living that life. My life is an entirely different set of experiences so there’s immediately a gap between us.
Metaphors and analogies help bridge this gap. This makes them incredible sources of communication and they’re used by some of history’s most brilliant people
- Warren Buffet describes his investing using moats, castles, and lords
- Nobel prize physicist Richard Feynman used chess to explain science
- And of course, Jesus famously spoke to his disciples using parables
Metaphors and analogies make understanding easier for your audience and the best ones I’ve seen share three things in common.
- It’s based off something everyone experienced
- This is audience dependent so use examples based on them
- I wouldn’t compare skateboarding to surfing for my friend from Siberia, but skiing might work
- It’s simple– if someone has to explain their metaphor it fails the test
- It captures the key elements
- It should boil down complexity to only what is critically important
- Importantly it can also enable audiences to ask questions, further helping their understanding
Regardless of the topic, metaphors and analogies allow us to speak in a common language. Use them for your most confusing topics and many audiences will thank you.