metaphorMetaphors provide a pathway to better understand something that would be otherwise difficult to comprehend if explained more straightforwardly. They do this by painting a picture, instilling an image or creating a thought or a feeling that is more identifiable through the use of powerful analogy to clarify a concept and “bring it home.” Professionals of all stripes employ them routinely as part of their lexicon.

Metaphors aren’t actually true, so it takes confidence and self-assuredness to use them effectively and trust that they’ll serve their intended purpose. While the amateur deems them unacceptable because of their lack of truthfulness, the professional understands that when it comes to making a point, people will remember the metaphor and recall it far more easily than hard to understand facts or abstract ideas.

So, if you have a disconnect with something you’d like to better understand, or are attempting to explain something hard to grasp, create a metaphor to shape  the “true” notion into one more recognizable.