How to Use Metaphors to Keep People Engaged and Focused
Whether you’re reaching out to a group of people at work or having a one-on-one conversation with a friend, you need to fight for their attention with their phone (and whatever’s on it). It also begs the question if they will actually keep what you told them.
So how can you communicate in a way that makes people want to pay attention? According to Dr. Eva Krokov, a decision-making psychologist at the University of Leicester, using metaphors can help. She touched on this topic in an article for Psychology Today . Here’s what you need to know.
Why metaphors can be so effective
While metaphors can add a bit of flavor to your everyday conversations, they are especially useful for conveying a more complex concept. Here’s Krokov to explain how and why it works:
Research shows that complex messages, containing technical language or requiring basic knowledge, often do not reach audiences with different backgrounds. Such complex messages can be enhanced by using metaphors that compare abstract objects with familiar objects or problems. Comparisons have been shown to make complex topics more accessible and interesting, thereby improving understanding and memorability of message content.
How to use metaphors as a communication tool
To explain the usefulness of metaphors, Krokov gives an example of a metaphor that Dr. Nirav Shah, director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, used on August 25, 2020 to describe the spread of COVID-19:
“We’re dealing with a giant tube of sequins. You open a tube of sparkles in the basement, and two weeks later you are in the attic, and all you find are sparkles, and you have no idea how they got there. “
If you are in the unfortunate position of being in regular contact with glitter, once you read (or hear) Shah’s description of the transmission of COVID, you will know exactly what he is talking about. And even if you don’t have a regular glitter exposure, you are familiar with their work. This gives people a script that they can easily visualize and immediately understand the connection to the message (in this case, how SARS-CoV-2 spreads).