Richard Feynman was a theoretical physicist who received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1965.
A brilliant thinker, without a doubt.
His true genius, however, was his ability to convey complex ideas in simple, elegant ways, as described by Sahil Bloom writes in his book The 5 Types of Wealth: A Transformative Guide to Design Your Dream Life.
“He observed that complexity and jargon,” Sahil notes, “are often used to mask a lack of deep understanding.”
Richard developed a learning model, Sahil writes, that “leverages teaching and prioritizes simplicity to help us develop a deep understanding of any topic.”
It’s now called the “Feynman Technique” and is described as “a powerful framework for learning anything.”
This tool helps us clarify any topic and communicate it easily to others.
The Feynman Technique consists of four steps:
1: Set the stage.
2: Teach.
3: Assess and study
4: Organize, convey, and review
Step One: Set the Stage:
We begin by taking out a blank piece of paper and writing the topic we want to learn about at the top.
Next, we jot down everything we know about it.
We then research the topic and learn as much as we can. We start broad and then go deep. Options include listening to lectures, reading, watching videos, discussing with others, and/or practicing.
We capture all these learnings on our paper.
Step Two: Teach:
Next, we “attempt to teach the topic to someone without a base understanding of it,” Sahil notes.
We can choose a friend, partner, colleague, or classmate — the only rule is that it must be someone who is not knowledgeable about the topic.
Teaching forces us to focus on and share the most important and relevant points. To be effective, teachers must use simple, understandable language and avoid jargon and acronyms.
“It’s easy to overcomplicate and intimidate,” Sahil observes. “We all know people who do this. But don’t be fooled; complexity and jargon are often used to mask a lack of deep understanding.”
If we can’t find someone to teach, we can also take out another blank page and “pretend we are explaining it to a child,” he notes.
Step Three: Assess and Study:
After teaching the topic, we ask for candid feedback from our student.
We also reflect on what went well and where we fell short. We ask: How well did I explain the topic to an uninitiated person? What questions did the person ask? Where did we get frustrated? Where did we rely on jargon?
“Our answers to these questions will highlight the gaps in our understanding,” Sahil writes.
We then return to step one and seek to fill in everything that was missing.
Step Four: Organize, Convey, and Review
The final step involves organizing our understanding of the topic “into a clear, compelling story or narrative,” Sahil observes.
“Convey it to a few others, then repeat and refine accordingly,” he suggests. “Review our new, deep understanding of the topic.”
What have we accomplished? We’ve mastered our chosen topic and can now share it with anyone.
More tomorrow!
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Reflection: What topic in my life or work would most benefit from slowing down, simplifying, and “teaching it to a child” so I truly understand it?
Action: Choose one concept I want to master this week, work through the four steps of the Feynman Technique on a blank page, and then actually teach it to someone else to expose and close my knowledge gaps.
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