Experts often spend so much time with their subject that its most complicated minutia becomes second nature. They can quote facts, figures, articles and theories at any time or place. While this might be impressive (or maybe annoying), it is an issue when the expert speaks to someone who is new to the subject. They’re so in the weeds that they can’t adequately explain their subject to someone on the outside.

 

I feel it’s important to remind experts that they shouldn’t assume that everything they know is common knowledge. So when I had the opportunity to speak to three other people with doctoral degrees I thought it was a great opportunity for us to look in the mirror and ask the question.

 

Dr. Bob Choat quoted from Albert Einstein: “If you can’t explain something to a six-year-old, then you don’t know what you’re talking about. Those that tend to complicate even simple concepts, they have no understanding of it at all.”

 

Performance consultant Dr. Jenna Ross suggested that we bear in mind when our excitement for our subject leads us to over-explain. “There’s so much that I know that I want to share and sometimes I forget to keep it simple and not expound upon this idea that goes to this idea…Sometimes I go overboard.”

 

Grand Canyon University professor Dr. Rhonda Bompensa-Zimmerman advised that we let the expert know beforehand how best we learn. “I find it my responsibility to let the other person know, ‘Hey, I’m a kinesthetic tactile learner, so can we do some role playing? Break the information down into smaller chunks?’”

 

How have you had success getting an expert to explain something in a way that you could understand?

 

Connect with the panelists:Dr. Bob Choat: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobchoat/

Dr. Jenna Ross: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennaross712/

Dr. Rhonda Bompensa-Zimmerman: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-rhonda-bompensa-zimmerman-138aa3b/

Dr Robyn Odegaard: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robynodegaard/

 

Want a summary of the Quick Hits I post every week, plus the links to the LinkedIn pages of each of the panelist to show up in your in-box every week? Just let me know where to send it: https://drrobynodegaard.com/quick-hits-notifications/

 

#QuickHits are designed to exercise your brain by letting you listen in on an unscripted conversation to get other people's thoughts on pertinent subjects. If you would like to join a conversation or have a topic you would like to hear discussed, please message me. https://www.DrRobynOdegaard.com

 

#Experts #ExplainBetter