Concrete communication explains in terms of human actions and senses

How do we make our ideas clear?

We must explain our ideas in terms of human actions, in terms of sensory information. This is where so much business communication goes awry. Mission statements, synergies, strategies, visions are often ambiguous to the point of being meaningless. Naturally sticky ideas are **full of concrete images**—ice-filled bathtubs, apples with razors—because our brains are wired to remember concrete data. In proverbs, abstract truths are often encoded in concrete language: “A bird in hand is worth two in the bush.” Speaking concretely is the only way to ensure that our idea will mean the same thing to everyone in our audience.

Good communication helps people understand and remember (write like a fable, concretize abstractions, provide context, put people into the story, add hooks to the story), then coordinate action (find common ground, set common goals, make it real, make it possible for people to apply their knowledge).

#communication