The Art of Explanation

How to Communicate with Clarity and Confidence

By: Ros Atkins

Narrated by: Ros Atkins

A practical and accessible guide to getting across complex information clearly, by BBC presenter and journalist Ros Atkins, creator of the viral 'Ros Atkins on...' explainer videos.

Explanation - conveying meaning - is an art. And the BBC presenter and journalist Ros Atkins, creator of the viral 'Ros Atkins on...' explainer videos, is something of a master of the form. In this book, Ros shares the secrets he has learned from years of working in high-pressure newsrooms, identifying the ten elements of a good explanation and the seven steps you need to take to express yourself as persuasively and accurately as possible.

Whether you need to articulate your thoughts clearly for business, educational or social purposes, The Art of Explanation is a must-listen for anyone who wants to improve their communication skills.

©2023 Ros Atkins (P)2023 Headline Publishing Group Ltd

Critic reviews

Crisp common sense and beautifully written. Ros is a brilliant communicator and is able to make even the gnarliest subjects crystal clear. (Lorraine Kelly, ITV Presenter)

The shining light that guides us to understanding what on earth is going on in our complicated world! Ros Atkins has that rare quality of appealing to all generations - even teens who don't watch TV News find his explainers on their phones and follow his guidance to the thorny topics of the day. Now they can learn to do that for themselves. The book every parent wants to slide in their teens' direction to equip them for real life. (Sarah Brown, founder and president of Theirworld charity)

A brilliant guide to communication and explanation. This book will make your arguments stand out in the tsunami of information in our world. It's for all those who want their audiences to listen and understand when they write an essay, a presentation or even send a simple email. (Jeremy Bowen, BBC News)

Recomendado

Ofrece una guía clara para crear explicaciones eficientes y accesibles. El autor desglosa el proceso paso a paso, desde reunir información y hablar con expertos, hasta editar, practicar y formular preguntas. Estos principios se pueden aplicar tanto en presentaciones orales como escritas. Me gustó mucho, ya que el autor, con su experiencia como reportero, demuestra ser un experto en el tema. Recomendado para quienes buscan mejorar sus habilidades para explicar.

20 out of 10

The book itself is proof of the authors mastery of the subject. Never have I heard someone so masterfully explain the science behind explanations. Buy it. Read it. Apply it.

Helpful information for organizing communication

This book explains an analytical approach for different types of communication. I have heard many things that I am doing daily. It is important to understand that the ideas described in the book are coming to you only by practice and some of them are invisible before you practice your communication skills. The book explains the techniques that require a lot of preparation before communication and it has little about what to do when you have little time or whenever somebody confront your explanation.
I think it’s helpful book for understanding how to prepare and share different types of explanations, written or verbal.

So good. So actionable and relevant!

Excellent (wait for it...) explanations!! So relatable and delivered in a memorable, logical framework. Well done.

Lacks story details

Many of the stories and anecdotes used did not lead me to understanding his principles to explanation better, more prudently or experientially applying his points, and were slightly boring. This is due to the stories lacking necessary details. He fails to create an adequate mental model or picture.