Communicating the Complex: The Art of Abstraction
By Michael StelznerOften writers are asked to convey complex topics in easy to understand ways.
However, how do you take something complex–such as space–and communicate it in a manner your readers can comprehend?
The solution is abstraction.
Geoffrey J. S. Hart, a columnist for Intercom Magazine, recently discussed this art, “Abstraction progressively removes details so we can focus our limited supply of concentration on those that remain.”
There are a number of abstraction techniques, including:
- Simplified summaries of key details
- Approximate truths rather than fully accurate descriptions
- Analogies
The premise of abstraction is that if readers understand a simple description of something, it can serve as a foundation on which progressively more details can be revealed. The result is understanding.
As Hart explains:
To abstract reality using either words or images, we must start with two question near and dear to the technical communicator’s heart:
- What does our audience need to know? (Alternatively: What do we need to tell our audience?)
- What cognitive tools will the audience use to understand our message?
Here is a simple formula to abstraction:
- Clearly identify the reader and their existing topical knowledge
- Identify the critical aspects of the topic that are foundational
- Describe the idea in language that can be understood by the reader
- Test your description with an actual reader
The inspiration for this article came from a recent column by Hart, titled “Abstraction: Making the Complex Easier to Understand,” from the November edition of Intercom Magazine.
Your action: Describe the concept of space (see image above).
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