Keep it simple…

If it were only that simple. So many videos and advocacy messages try to be all things to all people, mix in a million details or address the concerns of a committee of experts. Or all that.

But, really, explaining difficult concepts in a way that is easy to understand is tough. Even with the web’s ability to pile on video, photos, links, comments and more. As smart people (well, not me, just you) we tend to have all the details and want to use them.
PresentationZen has a nice little post about using simple tools - pen and paper in a digital video in this case - to help bring clarity to complicated topics.

In this case, the subject is video produced by the folks at CommonCraft. There is even one embedded lower down on ecommarama about RSS. The CommonCraft videos do a great job explaining complicated online tools in just a few minutes. The videos are mostly pen and paper drawings with a voice over. Sorta like back of the envelope sketches of an idea that have been taken to the next level. Well worth checking them out and thinking about how to hone a message to its simplest pieces. If you can’t explain it with stickfigures then its still too complicated?