Gavin F. Hurley, author of The Playbook of Persuasive Reasoning; Twitter @Gavin_F_Hurley

When I was an 18-year-old philosophy major back in college, I wasn’t the best communicator. During those years, I refined my inward thinking—thanks to philosophy—but I fell short when outwardly conveying my ideas. Over time, however, my professional experience—essentially, as an instructional public speaker, classroom coach, and workshop facilitator—taught me a thing or two about cooperating with listeners and readers. Specifically, I recognized the power of grounded communication: how to package ideas within relatable containers. Soon I discovered that connecting one’s ideas to the Earth is absolutely vital. It can smartly assist clear and persuasive messaging.

Second/third century skeptic philosopher Sextus Empiricus states: “those who talk should do, and those that do should talk.” Now, this practical wisdom certainly has wider implications—as discussed by Nassim Nicholas Taleb in his 2018 book Skin in the Game—however, it also implies a crucial nuance about communication. In a way, Sextus Empiricus suggests that “talking” and “doing” should work together. And, presumably, when they cooperate, communication can be more effective. In other words, we can empower our “talking” by emphasizing “doing.” By linking our ideas to actionable reality, they become more relatable.  

We can do this in three general ways: (1.) how the ideas themselves behave or “do” in the world, (2.) how our personal “doing” informs our “talking,” and/or, (3.) how our “talking” can assist our audience’s “doing.”

Let’s look at these techniques specifically:

Evidence (Ideas that “do”)

If we want to discuss abstract concepts, we don’t need to dumb it down and abandon our ambition. Instead, we can merely add more content—specifically, add more detailed content by splicing material evidence into the discussion. Sure, we want to tell others about ideas, but we can also show our ideas in action with lively proof.

We see this approach used effectively throughout popular media. For instance, when the History Channel airs programs about Napoleon Bonaparte or George Washington, do they present a suit-and-tie expert speaking from a podium? No. They offer dramatizations: Napoleon boldly commanding his army at the Battle of Austerlitz—or George Washington proudly leading soldiers across the Delaware River. The History Channel evidences their claims through imaginative depictions, which show viewers the historical “doing” in action. The same type of approach can be applied every time we speak or write.

How does this look in professional contexts? If we are marketing the sale of a company to a potential buyer, we probably want to communicate that the company is successful—but we can also show the company’s success. We can present statistics, quantitative data, a relevant anecdote, or several relevant anecdotes. If we have more time, we may want to share more dramatic play-by-plays of particular successes using proper names and descriptive details—much like History Channel dramatizations. In this way, the ideas are linked to specific evidence, experience, and mental images. It engages the potential buyer’s imagination. And, it animates the potential sale with a pulse and brings it to life.

Credibility (Personal “doing”)

Conveying personal experience can show why we believe particular claims. In this way, listeners or readers know where we are coming from. This helps audiences understand the plausibility of our point-of-view. Even if audiences do not buy our idea, they know that we are at least somewhat justified in believing our claim because we have some personal experience to back it up. Sharing such experience can indicate that we are reasonable people and help establish credibility.

For example, a friend suggests that a particular politician is the best candidate for town mayor. The friend may discuss the candidate’s views on town policies and economic health—but they may also say, “I’ve worked on her campaign last year. I found that she’s really down-to-earth and sincere.” After this more intimate point, we have more insight into why and how their personal experience helped shape their belief. The personal understanding humanizes their argument. And, it can foster empathy. Ultimately, it spotlights the human experience of a speaker or writer. We can implement this tactic as well: transparently sharing relevant personal experience to help our claims feel more relatable.

Practicality (Our audience’s "doing")

Finally, we can connect our ideas to the world by prompting our audiences into action. As such, we can transform our listeners or readers into “doers.” By highlighting practicality, we can interest potential audiences through the application of ideas. This tactic can be persuasive because it propels audiences into hands-on “doing,” but it also provides the future tools to help them manage—and solve problems—in their own lives and in the lives of others.

A quick example. Perhaps we are discussing the importance of human dignity—that is, treating all human beings with respect—with a manager colleague. This general principle can be—and has been—justified through centuries of philosophical argumentation. However, to ground the discussion, we can highlight how it can apply to our colleague’s own circumstances. For instance, we may suggest that the principle of human dignity may help with team performance reviews—or work-from-home policies. We may also additionally highlight examples of applied human dignity in management—maybe show how well known C-level executives like Sheryl Sandberg or Richard Branson “do” human dignity. In this way, our colleague can understand the concept itself, how it has informed other leaders’ actions, and how it may inform their own actions.

In sum—

Grounding our communication is easier said than done. It can be tricky to balance the integrity of the ideas themselves with relatable communication. Accordingly, if we do not want to dumb down our ideas, we should supplement—not replace—our deeper ideas with the physical stuff of the world. In a way, we can choreograph a dance between abstract ideas and their concrete counterparts. When we enact such a dance, our communication becomes humbled. We escort the interaction back to the humus—the relatable and shared soil—while still preserving deep insights.

Therefore, to be persuasive communicators, we must be vigilant. When we sense that our discussion is floating too far into the stratosphere, we can catch hold of the string and bring it back down to Earth, so that our listeners and readers can meaningfully feel and follow our thinking. With their feet on the ground, our audiences may more fully engage the imagination, perceive the plausibility, and recognize the applied relevance of larger concepts. Our audiences will more effectively understand abstract ideas—and, perhaps more importantly, they will want to understand abstract ideas.