This week in the world’s #1 newsletter on leadership communication:

How to Communicate a Truly Complex Idea
On the Show: How to Speak, Memorably
Book Recommendation: Give to Grow

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How to Communicate a Truly Complex Idea

"Wait, why are we talking about that now?" my then eight-year-old niece Lena whispered to me at a family coffee gathering.

The topics weren't hard – gardening, recipes, sports, gossip – but the conversation jumped around and felt random to her.

Neuroscience confirms this: our brains don't struggle with complexity nearly as much as we struggle with randomness.

That’s good news because sometimes you face moments when you need to explain something genuinely complex – a new business model, a technical innovation, a new category.

You already know how to KISS – Keep It Simple, Speaker. But sometimes simple isn't so simple. You can't "What? So what? Now what?" your way through it.

The complexity is real, but the answer isn’t to say more words. On the contrary.

To help leaders deal with complexity, I have developed the Name it, Frame it, Say it, Picture it framework that does the heavy lifting for you:

Name it – Labeling: what the thing is

Frame it – Framing: why it matters

Say it – Fluency: how easily it travels

Picture it – Metaphors: what it looks like in the mind

1/ Labeling Theory: Name It

The moment you name something, the brain files it into an existing category, and that category taps into something people already know.

Netflix called it "streaming" – instant, effortless, flowing – while Blockbuster called theirs "Blockbuster On Demand," which sounds like it was named by a committee.

"Change of direction" signals uncertainty and backtracking. Calling it a "pivot" signals agility and intent. And a leader who calls a change program "the reboot" will have people using that word in the corridor. One who calls it "the organizational transformation initiative" won't.

Naming isn't semantics – it's strategy.

2/ Framing Effect: Tell me how I should feel about it

Naming tells people what something is. Framing tells them how to feel about it. And the best communicators do both at once.

Netflix didn't just call it streaming – they framed it as freedom. No late fees, no queues, no schedules. Blockbuster framed theirs around access to their existing service. One felt like a liberation, the other like a loyalty card.

"Pivot" doesn't just name a change of direction – it frames the person making it as someone in control, reading the market, moving with intent. And "the reboot" doesn't just name a change program – it frames what came before as something worth updating, not something that failed.

3/ Fluency Principle: Easy to Say, Easy to Think

Labeling is about understanding the thing. Framing is to give it a value. Fluency is about reducing friction.

The brain has a shortcut: if something is easy to say, it assumes the idea behind it is sound. Psychologists call this the fluency principle. So fluency isn't dumbing down – it's respect for how the brain works.

A startup that describes itself as "the immune system for your inbox" lands faster than one explaining its "AI-powered email threat detection platform."

Easy to say means easy to think. And easy to think means it travels. The test is simple: say it out loud. If it trips on your tongue, it won't be remembered.

4/ Metaphors: Picture It

"The human species thinks in metaphors and learns through stories," said the American writer Mary Catherine Bateson. In an average conversation, we use around six metaphors per minute. Yet most of us reach for them on autopilot.

Metaphors don't explain a new idea so much as link it to something already understood.

The problem is most people use them badly. Mixed metaphors confuse. Clichés have been sandpapered smooth by overuse – nobody feels anything when you say "move the needle" or "shift the paradigm."

The best metaphors aren't generic – they're specific to the organisation, the team, the moment. A metaphor that lands in a hospital feels different from one that lands in a tech startup or a law firm. The more precisely it reflects the world your audience already lives in, the deeper it goes.

Back to Lena. What she needed that afternoon wasn't simpler ideas – she needed a thread.

Your audience is the same. When complexity is unavoidable, don't shrink from it. Name it. Frame it. Say it. Picture it.

(Get my cheat sheet on how to make the complex simple.)

So here is my question for you: What complex idea or concept do you find difficult to explain to others? Reply and tell me about it. I’d love to hear from you.

ON THE SHOW

How to Speak, Memorably

▶️ Episode 323 with Bill McGowan on YouTube, Spotify or Apple.

Staying on message is fine – if your goal is to blend in and play it safe. But it’s also pretty forgettable.

In this episode, we’re going to show you how to move beyond just being clear and become impossible to ignore.

I’m joined by Bill McGowan, author of Speak, Memorably and CEO of Clarity Media Group who has coached some of the world’s top executives on exactly this skill.

The episode is highly actionable: You’ll learn how to structure your message so it becomes 22 times more memorable, and specific techniques top communicators use – from how they open, to how they use their voice to how they hold attention in the moments that matter most.

Plus: Bill shares how he coached both Kim Kardashian and the Cookie Monster.

BOOK RECOMMENDATION

Give to Grow

“I wake up every morning looking to help my friends succeed, and some of them just happen to be clients.”

I love Mo Bunnell's philosophy. Mo is one of the world's leading experts on business development (and my podcast guest next week).

Give to Grow is both a mission statement and a blueprint to close more deals with less effort. How? By building strong and genuine relationships.

My key takeaways:

We all start out doing the work, but at some point we better transition to winning the work if we don’t want to stay a worker bee forever.

If you want to grow a business or career, winning the work needs to be a top priority. It is a learnable skill, but it requires a system.

The biggest predictor of success is relationships.

Your clients hate to be sold to, but they love to buy.

It's always your move, and there's always a way to be helpful.

I know from my own experience that you remove your mental roadblocks when you show up to give, not to get. And that makes selling so much more enjoyable.

Have an inspired weekend,

Oliver