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➡️ How to incorporate the Feynman Technique in work + life

💡learnshiv newsletter - October 30th, 2024

Author

Shivani Persad
October 30, 2024

Hi! Welcome to the 33rd edition of 💡learnshiv.

Here, we focus on climbing our own mountains of achievement, not corporate ladders. Thriving personally often requires succeeding at work, so I aim to help you move beyond survival mode and explore ways to flourish in your career and, by extension, your life.

1) Understand what the Feynman Technique really means

Explanation: The Feynman Technique, developed by Nobel Prize-winning physicist Richard Feynman, is a learning method based on explaining complex concepts in simple terms. If you can't explain something simply, you don't truly understand it.

What you can do:

  • Choose a concept you want to learn

  • Write an explanation as if teaching it to a 12-year-old

  • Identify gaps in your explanation where you struggle or use jargon

  • Go back to the source material to fill these gaps

  • Refine your explanation until it's clear and simple

I know you may be thinking, “Not everything is simple, though..” but actually - it is. Details are important, but generally, there’s always a core concept of something you’re trying to explain or understand. Often, positioning your learning from that place will help you understand the whole concept much better. I went through this with the newsletter; I couldn’t easily explain to people what it was about. This told me my idea wasn’t clear enough. So, I went through so many thought exercises and got down to my core idea and a simplified audience without losing my original intent (to share what I learn with mid-career professionals like me).

2) Apply the Feynman Technique at work to communicate more effectively with stakeholders

Explanation: We often hide behind complex terminology and jargon in professional settings. The Feynman Technique can help you communicate more effectively with stakeholders from different backgrounds and demonstrate true expertise.

What you can do:

  • Before your next presentation, write out your key points in the simplest terms possible

  • Practice explaining your project to someone outside your department

  • Note where they get confused or lose interest

  • Refine your explanation until a non-expert can understand and engage with your ideas

  • Use analogies and real-world examples to illustrate complex points

NOTE: This approach is particularly valuable when communicating with senior leadership, who need to quickly grasp the essence of your work without getting lost in technical details.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve had so many issues explaining marketing principles and projects to internal stakeholders. Bringing in analogies to simplify this has been so helpful. The most important part, though, is noting where they get confused. ACTUALLY TAKE NOTES and determine what you can do during those points to be extremely clear. This will help you in the long run because if they’re confused, others will be, too.

3) Use the Feynman Technique for personal development

Explanation: The technique isn't just for learning academic or professional concepts. It can be a powerful tool for clarifying your own thoughts, values, and career aspirations.

What you can do:

  • Write down your career goals and values as if explaining them to a friend

  • If you use vague terms like "success" or "fulfillment," challenge yourself to define them more specifically (example: what does success mean to you? say that!)

  • Identify areas where your explanation feels shallow or borrowed from others

  • Dig deeper into these areas through self-reflection and research

  • Revise your personal mission statement until it feels authentic and clearly understood

NOTE: This exercise often reveals that what we think we want is actually influenced by external expectations. The Feynman Technique can help you discover your true motivations and aspirations.

Can you honestly, simply explain what your career goals are? I couldn’t. And when I did this, it became clear: I wanted to do meaningful work as a content marketer while making decent money. Period. That’s it. Take out all the fluff, and that’s really what I want my career to be about. Sure, I could go into deep detail with the how and why, but being this simple and straightforward has helped me narrow down the types of companies I want to work at and the types of roles I want. For example, now I know I 100% don’t want to be a VP of Marketing. The stress isn’t worth it, and I can do meaningful work without crazy stress! Also, I want to work at companies that work on tech that will make a difference, whether to merchants or HR professionals; I want to work on something that makes people’s lives easier. Tada!

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Remember, the power of the Feynman Technique lies in its simplicity. If you can't explain something simply, you either don't understand it well enough or haven't thought it through clearly. Use this to deepen your understanding, improve your communication, and gain clarity in your professional and personal life.

Thanks for reading our 33rd newsletter. Find me on Instagram or LinkedIn where I post even more little tidbits about learning and my life.

Have a great week, and stay curious,

Shiv 💁🏽‍♀️