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Which of the following statements is more empowering?
“ADHD is a neurological disorder associated with a pattern of excessive inactivity in the frontal lobes of the brain. It is characterized by distractibility, hyperactivity, and impulsivity.”
“ADHD is like having a Ferrari engine for a brain with bicycle brakes. Strengthen the brakes and you have a champion. People with ADHD are the inventors and the innovators, the movers and the doers, the dreamers who built America.”
Both statements are equally true, but I think you’ll agree that a child or adult who might have the condition (or a parent who believes their child might have it) will see the condition far differently and be more inclined to treat it after hearing the second explanation, which is how a leading psychiatrist and a
Dr. Hallowell is a former faculty member of the Harvard Medical School and one of the foremost experts in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Hallowell’s approachable way of presenting the science behind ADHD has made him a media go-to expert. He has appeared on 60 minutes, Good Morning America, Oprah, Dr. Oz, among others. I caught up with Dr. Hallowell after this recent appearance on the Katie Couric show. I wanted to learn more about how he explains complex science for those of us who don’t have medical degrees. The lessons Hallowell has learned from more than 25 years of television interviews apply to anyone who must make complex subjects understandable and accessible to a general audience.
Use awesome analogies. Hallowell uses analogies extensively to bring clarity to complexity. The “Ferrari brain” analogy is one of his favorites because it’s “morally neutral.” It avoids labeling the condition as a ‘disorder,’ because ADHD is more of a trait than a disability. You wouldn't know that, of course, by reading the medical definition of ADHD. Hallowell extends the analogy by advising individuals with ADHD to strengthen their “brakes” as soon as possible.
“We need to use more analogies in this field,” Hallowell told me. “With ADD, a list of symptoms doesn't show the power of the traits these people have—they are creative and imaginative. We're the people who colonized this country. Who would get on a boat in the 1600s and come over here? You'd have to be a visionary, a pioneer, a dreamer, and a risk-taker. That's why our gene pool is loaded with ADD. I see it as the American edge.”
Grab their attention with offbeat stories. When Hallowell first appeared on the Today show a producer told him to remember that he’s competing for the viewer’s attention. How do you get viewers to pay attention when they are otherwise pre-occupied with children, chores, or computer work? Analogies help because they’re short, catchy, and memorable. “Telling someone with ADD to ‘try harder’ is like telling someone who’s nearsighted to squint harder,” Hallowell will tell a television audience.
Hallowell has also learned that nothing is as attention grabbing as revealing personal stories and experiences. Hallowell readily admits he has ADD and dyslexia in every conversation and doesn't wait to be asked. "I'm all about transparency and personalizing a discussion. You really grab people when you tell them about yourself, especially if it's something offbeat like ‘I have ADD.’ I tell stories to connect with my audience. When they leave my lecture I want them to take away the points, but I also want them to be hopeful and inspired. That happens through connection.”
Just say it. The problem with many scientific spokespeople is that their communication is filled with jargon, confusing phrases (“excessive inactivity”) and unnecessary words which strains to reach the point. "Spit it out,” Hallowell advises. He can answer even the most complex questions in under 30-seconds. “I get impatient listening to a long, laborious preamble. Tell me what the heck you want me to know. Give me the headline. Grab people…Most science wonks don't have it. They're really good at science, but not good communicators. It's almost as if the medical journals are trying to be unclear. God forbid they write a simple, declarative sentence. They're afraid to just spit it out." It helps that Dr. Hallowell took the unusual route (for doctors) of majoring in English at Harvard, followed by a medical degree at Tulane. He combines science with classic storytelling devices to find the magic formula.
Reinforce the key message with mind pictures. The human mind doesn't do well with abstractions. It must “see” vivid, concrete, and tangible examples. In addition to analogies, Hallowell paints pictures that one can see in the minds eye. For example, when Hallowell is speaking he’ll say, “It’s a myth that people with ADD and dyslexia can’t excel. I can fill this room with Nobel prize winners, Pulitzer prize winners, CEOs, highly successful entrepreneurs, and surgeons who pay attention in the operating room, but have trouble doing the paperwork after the operation.” Now, instead of trying to get my mind around a “disorder of excessive frontal lobe inactivity,” I can picture myself in the same room surrounded by successful people who have learned to harness the power of this condition.
Make your subject your calling. I've never met an inspiring communicator who isn’t abundantly passionate about their work. You simply cannot inspire unless you’re inspired yourself. Hallowell doesn't see his work as a job. He sees his work as a calling, a mission. Listen to the way he describes his career: "I feel incredibly blessed to have helped millions of people. It’s very rewarding. I use the gifts that I've been given to earn a living and to help people. I’ve spent a career loving my work because I've seen people’s lives dramatically changed for the better.”
One of the benefits of being a journalist and communication coach is the opportunity to immerse myself in the study of certain topics. When I was diagnosed with ADD as an adult it explained a lot. For example, it explains why I've been able to write and publish a book every 15 months since 2005. From studying ADHD, I've also seen how poor communication leads to myths, misunderstandings, and misinterpretations. If left untreated, ADHD often leads to disaster for the millions of people who have it. Communication matters because what you don’t understand can hurt you.
The next time you’re attempting to make the complex understandable, think about Hallowell’s advice and use vivid communication to replace abstractions and jargon. It might bring your topic into focus.
Carmine Gallo is a communication coach, keynote speaker and author of several books including the Wall Street Journal hits The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs, The
