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The Art of Explanation: Making your Ideas, Products, and Services Easier to Understand Paperback – Illustrated, September 25, 2012

by Lee LeFever (Author)
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 308 ratings
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Your guide to becoming an explanation specialist.You've done the hard work. Your product or service works beautifully - but something is missing.  People just don't see the big idea - and it's keeping you from being successful. Your idea has an explanation problem.The Art of Explanation is for business people, educators and influencers who want to improve their explanation skills and start solving explanation problems.Author Lee LeFever is the founder of Common Craft, a company known around the world for making complex ideas easy to understand through short animated videos. He is your guide to helping audiences fall in love with your ideas, products or services through better explanations in any medium. You will learn to:
  • Plan: Learn explanation basics, what causes them to fail and how to diagnose explanation problems.
  • Package: Using simple elements, create an explanation strategy that builds confidence and motivates your audience. 
  • Present: Produce remarkable explanations with visuals and media. 
The Art of Explanation is your invitation to become an explanation specialist and see why explanation is now a fundamental skill for professionals. 
Previous page
  1. Print length
    256 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Wiley
  4. Publication date
    September 25, 2012
  5. Dimensions
    8 x 0.58 x 8 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1118374584
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1118374580
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

Become an explanation specialist

You've done the hard work. Your product or service works beautifully—but something is missing. People just don't see the big idea, and it's keeping you from being successful. Your idea has an explanation problem.

The Art of Explanation is for businesspeople, educators, and influencers who want to improve their explanation skills and start solving explanation problems. These tools, tactics, and techniques will help you consistently inspire audiences to fall in love with your ideas, products, or services through better explanations in any medium. You will learn to:

  • Plan: Learn explanation basics, what causes them to fail, and how to diagnose explanation problems
  • Package: Using simple elements, create an explanation strategy that builds confidence and motivates your audience
  • Present: Produce remarkable explanations with visuals and media

The Art of Explanation is your invitation to become an explanation specialist and see why explanation is now a fundamental skill for professionals.

From the Back Cover

Become an explanation specialist

You've done the hard work. Your product or service works beautifully—but something is missing. People just don't see the big idea, and it's keeping you from being successful. Your idea has an explanation problem.

The Art of Explanation is for businesspeople, educators, and influencers who want to improve their explanation skills and start solving explanation problems. These tools, tactics, and techniques will help you consistently inspire audiences to fall in love with your ideas, products, or services through better explanations in any medium. You will learn to:

  • Plan: Learn explanation basics, what causes them to fail, and how to diagnose explanation problems
  • Package: Using simple elements, create an explanation strategy that builds confidence and motivates your audience
  • Present: Produce remarkable explanations with visuals and media

The Art of Explanation is your invitation to become an explanation specialist and see why explanation is now a fundamental skill for professionals.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Wiley; Original edition (September 25, 2012)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 256 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1118374584
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1118374580
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 8 x 0.58 x 8 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 308 ratings

About the author

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Lee LeFever

Lee LeFever

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Lee LeFever is the co-founder of Common Craft and author of The Art of Explanation. Since 2007, Common Craft has won numerous awards, created explanations for the world’s most respected brands and produced explainer videos that have earned over 50 million online video views.

Today, Common Craft produces educational guides, ready-made videos and visuals that are used by educators in over 50 countries. Lee and his wife, Sachi, are Common Craft’s only employees.

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
308 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Anna H
5.0 out of 5 stars Absolute must read!
Reviewed in the United States on February 3, 2019
Verified Purchase
In the busy world of social media, we lost good way of explaining what we do and communicating freely. Understanding of ideas and problems is lost. Here in this book you can find an amazing way how to explain what you do and how things work so everyone will understand.
I work as a mind coach and over last two years I hire marketing and business coaches to help me market what I do. It was waist of money and time. I developed my own "elevator pitch" that works for me. Now after learning all the points about explanation I will make it my goal to do it better.
I highly recommend this book to everyone. We can use good explanation that is a core of good communication in every area of our lives.
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kirchenn
4.0 out of 5 stars How to achieve your goals through a carefully planned explanation
Reviewed in the United States on March 24, 2013
Verified Purchase
I am an information architect and explanations kind of go with a job. I'm not saying I am an extremely good explainer, but I do that a lot, so I've already known or guessed about most of what is written in the book. However, I've never thought about an explanation as a process with a defined structure and a beforehand planning, and I've never put together all those little things we all use when explaining something in such a way that it would make a deliberate pitch to a defined audience and reached the goal that YOU want to reach, considering the exact buttons to push for your given audience. The book has definitely enriched my overall understanding of how to approach different problems in my line of work. Thank you, Lee and Sachi!
2 people found this helpful
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James
5.0 out of 5 stars Before action comes commitment. And you can't commit unless you understand...
Reviewed in the United States on February 23, 2013
Verified Purchase
I've been fascinated with the lack of communication skills in our business world, and why is it so bad. To make anything happen someone must do something, and that can be from explicit instruction, or because they understand what is needed and why. Commitment and initiative comes from understanding. This book is a break through in waking us up to the fact that we aren't getting through to the people that matter. More importantly its how to fix this.
Imagine being able to persuade customers about the benefits of your product or service, so that they actually understand it. Not that they just get the brand. Hello... Clarity is the basis for all communication. And Lee LeFever is a master at making difficult ideas and concepts crisp and clear. More importantly making the subtleties of ordinary of ordinary day to day ideas "loud and clear" to the average Joe working in your business, or considering buying from your business.
A must buy for anyone serious about growing their business....
2 people found this helpful
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Henry
5.0 out of 5 stars Can't Get Any Better
Reviewed in the United States on March 3, 2013
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When i first got this book, i was skeptical. Seriously a book on explanation?

But something urge me to go ahead and give it a read. After all, what can i lose right?

Good explanations is like "turning on a lightbulb" in your head when its completely overwhelm and confused. It makes you shout "WOW" silently in your head.

I think the author did a heck of a job in terms of writing a book about explaining. It requires him to "explain" what is explanation. That is a hell of a job.

KUDOS to the author. He nailed it.

At the end of the book, i was completely blown away. I came away knowing a lot hell more about the importance of good explanations.

Get this book if you are an Educator or Coach. Heck, It would apply regardless of any field you are in.

Get this book, if you want to know how to get across to your target audience.

Get this book if you want to know about making things easier to understand.

Or simply get this book if you want to see how you yourself gets blown away by how the author "explains" the art of explanation.
5 people found this helpful
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Chris
3.0 out of 5 stars It has great content
Reviewed in the United States on January 25, 2019
Verified Purchase
I liked the content. I highlighted a lot of the first 1/3 of the book. I found the writing style became tiring in a way - repetitive and pulling in two directions.
If you are hoping to learn about the craft of explaining I’d say the book gives you the highlights but it lacks the kind of specifics that would help practitioners deliver great explanation. You can use the system he developed but coming up with clever copy and outstanding visuals will be up to you to figure out.
I would recommend reading this book just to learn his philosophy.
4 people found this helpful
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Burnt Out
5.0 out of 5 stars Good examples and style
Reviewed in the United States on May 15, 2016
Verified Purchase
I was worried when I started reading this book that it would focus too much on relaying ideas for video and not crossover into other media like writing and speaking but I was wrong. This book really helped me explain things better and gives very clear instructions and examples.
They also approach it by using really simple tools and technology. You can make a video with iMovie and pieces of paper, which they have done extremely well. The examples although sometimes corny got the point across.
My one issue is that I felt they were stretching the material, especially near the end of the book. It could of been a little shorter and tighter.
I'd get this book again though, it's easily one the best books on explaining and it's well written and fun to get through.
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Tony Chu
4.0 out of 5 stars Practical and Sensible
Reviewed in the United States on August 13, 2013
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I found this to be a very useful primer on how to explain something to an audience and get them to a) understand and b) buy in. I found the suggestions to be practical, and realistic, and reasonable (i.e., they made sense).

The only minor drawback I found was that some of the principles were repeated a bit too often - but that is also something you have to do if you really want people to get what you are saying.

I have this on my Kindle and I found I was saving all sorts of little passages for future reference or as reminders. Being able to explain something effectively, in a way that really connects with people, is a dying art - and a very valuable one. I recommend this book.
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Top reviews from other countries

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Melodie Moore
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing book, helps you tp understand how you are ...
Reviewed in Canada on January 28, 2018
Verified Purchase
Amazing book, helps you tp understand how you are explaining things. A few others have been written that are based off of iths one.
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Manuccio
5.0 out of 5 stars Come spiegare cose difficili e non (in riunione, nelle mail e dovunque)
Reviewed in Italy on October 27, 2019
Verified Purchase
Capita spesso di avere la sensazione di non riuscire a spiegarsi al meglio. Lo intuisci dalle facce perplesse dei tuoi interlocutori, oppure mentre spieghi, ti prende quella sensazione di sconforto e ti dici: "non mi sto spiegando bene."

Capita anche quando devi spiegare un nuovo progetto o un tuo prodotto. Ed è qui che questo libro entra in gioco. Fornisce un modello utile e semplice da utilizzare quando devi spiegare qualsiasi cosa, dalla più semplice alla più complessa.

Lavorando con le presentazioni e i public speaking l'ho trovato utilissimo, ma da tenere presente anche nelle riunioni a lavoro o nella scrittura di una mail o di un documento.. Non si può mai essere sicuri di essersi spiegati bene, questo libro ti togli alcuni dubbi a riguardo e ti fa essere un comunicatore migliore.
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Paul Williams
5.0 out of 5 stars This book can make your message relevant to just about anybody!
Reviewed in Australia on August 9, 2018
Verified Purchase
Lee’s concepts for creating clear explanations are outstanding. Framing the audience or reader on the “explanation scale” before putting pen to paper fixes the need to think about relevant context before hitting the details. I recommend this book to anyone writing a how-to book. In fact The Art of Explanation is a model how-to book. Wish I had it years ago.
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Paul Williams
5.0 out of 5 stars This book can make your message relevant to just about anybody!
Reviewed in Australia on August 9, 2018
Lee’s concepts for creating clear explanations are outstanding. Framing the audience or reader on the “explanation scale” before putting pen to paper fixes the need to think about relevant context before hitting the details. I recommend this book to anyone writing a how-to book. In fact The Art of Explanation is a model how-to book. Wish I had it years ago.
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Sreramkumar
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in India on November 30, 2015
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Excellent book. A must for all
One person found this helpful
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jumani
5.0 out of 5 stars simple, elegant and brilliant!
Reviewed in France on December 9, 2014
Verified Purchase
This book is easy to read and provides excellent tools and techniques to think differently about how to explain various subjects. Whether you apply these techniques with your kids, your friends or in your professional life, The impact will be instantaneous.
Some examples might seem a repeat of the overall explanation, and could have been shortened. But they nonetheless illustrate the points made by the author, and help clarifying the whole "art of explanation".
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