← All Jake’s Five Points
Jake’s Five PointsCreative thinking · 1 min read · Jake Coventry

Keep it simple without losing the substance.

Cybersecurity teams have plenty to explain. I’d work out what someone needs to understand first, then give the detail a useful place in the story.

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  1. Start with a situation your audience understands

    What is happening in their business that makes this relevant? Explain that in ordinary language before introducing the product detail.

  2. Decide what needs to land first

    Choose the main thing someone should understand at the start. In film, it shapes the opening seconds; in a campaign, it guides the first message.

  3. Give the detail somewhere useful to go

    Keep essential qualifications close to the claim. Use supporting material for deeper explanations, with a clear route for people who want more.

  4. Make the visual explanation do some work

    A diagram or sequence should make something easier to understand. I’d question anything that adds complexity, and involve the subject expert when simplifying it.

  5. Keep the next step easy to understand

    Tell people what they can do next. Check the destination too: it should follow naturally from the message that brought them there.

Have something complicated to explain?

Bring the material and tell me who it needs to reach. We can work through the story together.

Talk through your brief