This simple example highlights another important idea in this book: context matters. Our ideas may be useful, actionable, and informative, but without context, they are limited. If they exist without a foundation or connection to other ideas, they are isolated, and that isolation limits their potential.

Context—Context moves the points we have agreed upon into a specific place. It gives the audience a foundation for the explanation and lets them know why it should matter to them. For instance, you could say, “More of your hard earned income is going to pay for transportation.”

Context and Pain

By representing time or duration visually, we have the potential to increase understanding

Chapter 16 Visuals

Chapter 4 Planning Your Explanations

Where problems—challenges that relate to direction and how things fit together How problems—challenges that relate to how things influence one another Why problems—challenges that relate to seeing the big picture

In our work at Common Craft we often put this storyline in these terms: Meet Bob, he has a problem and feels pain He discovers a solution and tries it Now he feels happy Don't you want to feel like Bob? This framework for storytelling succeeds because it plays to basic human emotions. We all know the pain of wanting something we cannot have—whether

Where Problems—Challenges That Relate to Direction and How Things Fit Together