Feynman Technique - Using The Method of 'The Great Explainer'

24/11/2022 13:05 Feynman Technique: Using the Method of 'The Great Explainer'
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How To Study: Using the

Method of 'The Great
Explainer'
STUDYING
“The first principle is that you must not fool yourself and you
are the easiest person to fool” Richard Feynman
When we’re studying, it can be easy to think that we have a

grasp of a subject, especially if we feel confident that we’ve
learnt our notes and we feel that we can adequately answer
questions. However, how often have you stopped to try and
explain a concept rather than simply convinced yourself that
you’ve learnt it and moved on?
There is a difference between knowing the name of something

and understanding it – a key difference that we often overlook
https://aliabdaal.com/feynman-technique/#:~:text=This method was named after,nickname %27The Great Explainer%27.&text=So how do you us… 1/6
in our studies. I’m sure we’ve all fallen into that trap at some
point. This is where the Feynman Technique can help.
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The method is based around the idea that one of the most
effective techniques to enhance your understanding of a topic
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is to imagine that you are teaching the material that you have
learnt to someone who has absolutely no idea about the topic
that you’ve just learnt – for instance a small child.
This method was named after Nobel prize-winning physicist

Richard Feynman, who was known for being able to explain
complex scientific material in simplified terms and diagrams
that people could understand, affording him the nickname ‘The
Great Explainer’.
Richard "The Great Explainer" Feynman

So how do you use it? There are four steps to follow:
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Choose a topic you have recently studied and/or a topic for

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which you’d like to test your knowledge and understanding.
Explain the concept using simple language. Pretend you are

teaching and explaining it to a small child or someone who
has never come across the topic before. The key here is
simplicity – explain the concept using simple language.
Don’t simply define the concept but, if it is a mathematical
concept for instance, work through examples to show how
the concept works in practice.
Identify the areas you found particularly problematic and/or

the gaps in your explanation and return to your notes,
lectures, textbook until your understanding of these areas
has improved. Pinpoint the parts where you had to resort to
using technical terms and challenge yourself to break down
those terms into simpler terminology. Ask yourself, would a
small child understand what you were explaining, or would
they ask ‘why does that work’ or ‘why is that the case’ or
‘what does that mean’. The key is not only to identify
complex areas of your own explanations but also to
challenge and identify where you have made assumptions
based on what you already understand intuitively.
Review and simplify further; ask yourself the question –

could you explain this to a five-year old? If the answer is no,
go back and repeat the process and your understanding so
that you could.
The technique enables you to quickly overview a concept,

identify areas that are weaker and, critically, requires active
learning – you are forced to move beyond passively rereading
or highlighting and actively think about how you would explain

a particular concept in simple terms.
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Although it appears to be a simple technique, it’s highly
effective. Explaining concepts in this way enables you to
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reconstruct the core ideas and topics in your own words which
helps reinforce understanding and comprehension.
Personally, I found myself using a version of this technique to

great effect when I became stuck with my dissertation. I was
struggling to see the wood for the trees with my research and I
couldn’t work out which way to take my project or an
appropriate structure. During the Christmas break, I decided to
cut everything back and asked my parents to act as my
‘students’ and I tried to present my findings and explain my
research as simply as possible to them.
This was not a quick ten-minute overview, I tried to talk

through everything that I had done up to that point so, in that
sense, it perhaps didn’t entirely adhere to the Feynman
process, but it was incredibly effective. My parents asked
questions for clarification which forced me to explain concepts
that I had previously taken for granted and this really helped to
clarify the research in my own mind. They weren’t there to
offer help or advice – I wanted to leverage the process of
simply explaining my project to identify where I had made
assumptions and where I could improve.
After doing this, my dissertation suddenly regained its clarity

and I could see a way to appropriately structure my research.
From that point onwards, I actually came to enjoy writing it and
it ended up being the best piece of work that I completed
during my time at university.
If you can, leverage Feynman’s technique of explanation and

add it to your armoury of revision tools which should all help to
enhance understanding, increase productivity and improve

performance.
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24/11/2022 13:05 Feynman Technique: Using the Method of 'The Great Explainer'

Weekly productivity tips delivered straight to your inbox, for free. ✕

How To Study: Using the

When we’re studying, it can be easy to think that we have a

There is a difference between knowing the name of something

This method was named after Nobel prize-winning physicist

Richard "The Great Explainer" Feynman

Choose a topic you have recently studied and/or a topic for

Explain the concept using simple language. Pretend you are

Identify the areas you found particularly problematic and/or

Review and simplify further; ask yourself the question –

The technique enables you to quickly overview a concept,

or highlighting and actively think about how you would explain

Personally, I found myself using a version of this technique to

This was not a quick ten-minute overview, I tried to talk

After doing this, my dissertation suddenly regained its clarity

If you can, leverage Feynman’s technique of explanation and

enhance understanding, increase productivity and improve

Join 157,912 friendly subscribers getting Sunday Snippets every

M ↓ MARKDOWN ADD COMMENT

💌 Subscribe to Sunday Snippets

"Your emails always warm the cockles of my heart"

© Ali Abdaal 2022. Built and hosted with Ghost.

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