1- Break up your explanation into lists or steps.

Separate your topic into step-by-step instructions or detailed examples. Breaking down your explanation into smaller bites can help your audience digest the information and remember it later. To help break your topic into smaller chunks, try using:

• Step-by-step instructions: To explain how to start a business, you say, “First, conduct market research. Second, write your business plan. Third, you’ll need to fund your business.”
• Role-playing: If you’re telling a friend how to respond to gaslighting, you might give them a few tips, then pretend to be a gaslighter to help them practice responding.
• Examples: If you’re telling a large audience how to stay healthy and active, you might give them multiple exercise examples, like running, swimming, biking, or weightlifting.

2- Rephrase and repeat your explanation.

Reword your explanation multiple times to increase understanding. Repetition can improve memory and learning recollection. Try to explain the problem, show or describe the steps to solve it, and then address the larger issue again in a different way to enhance learning. Instead of repeating your explanation over and over, try to explain your topic a little bit differently each time.

• If you’re explaining how to tie a shoe, you might show the other person how to do it, then give verbal instructions, and then ask them to do it by themselves.
• If you’re holding an office meeting, you might explain a new editing process by verbally giving the steps and breaking the meeting into teams so they can physically act out the process.

3- Use visual aids in your explanation.

Charts, graphs, and pictures are easy ways to expand on your topic. Visual aids can be an excellent way to help others learn about complex ideas and systems. They can also make your explanation more effective and credible. Try to incorporate these visual cues into your explanations:

• Use graphs to show numbers and common trends. For example, use a bar graph to compare the ages of respondents to whether they said “yes” or “no” to a survey question.
• Use charts to demonstrate a sequence of events. For example, use a flow chart to map out your company’s new recruitment process.
• Use maps to show specific locations and settings. If you're giving a presentation on Roman history, you may want to include a map showing all the cities you're talking about.
• When introducing visual aids to a large audience, give background for the aid and maintain eye contact while talking.

4- Let your passion for the topic shine through.

Talk about your topic with energy and enthusiasm. If you’re talking to a large group, pretend that you’re talking to your best friend—let your hand gestures and voice inflections take the stage. If you have time, talk about why this topic is important to you. Showing your passion can help keep your audience engaged.

• Try to vary the pitch and speed of your voice for emphasis, and instead of using filler words like “um” or “like,” try to pause before moving on to your next point.
• Point out the parts of the topic that interest you the most. For example, if you and your friend are looking at a painting together, you might tell them that you think it’s so cool that the artist just drew the landscape without looking at it in real life.

5- Check the audience’s understanding.

Ask the audience if they understand to make sure you’re on the same page. It can be important to meet your audience where they are and build up their knowledge so you can get your point across. If you’re not sure what your listener already knows, try asking questions like, “Do you already get this?” or “Is this making any sense?”

• If you’re talking to a large group, make your best guess based on what you think the knowledge level of the room is, or ask them to raise their hands.
• You can also always start at the basics—people generally don’t care if you talk about something they’ve already heard before, and it ensures that everyone is on the same level.
• If you’re starting from the very basics, try not to worry about telling the audience something they’ve heard before—most people don’t mind.