Power of Good Analogies

I once had a client who hated analogies.

Especially in narrative content.

His rationale was that they are loopy and don’t get to the point right away.

He had a point…..when it came to bad analogies.

Good analogies help explain complex ideas much faster.

Recently on Huberman Lab, Andrew Huberman equated anxiety when starting meditation to muscle soreness from a new workout.

You know exactly what he’s talking about in one sentence.

A founder I met once described her startup in 5 words:

It’s Uber for boat rentals.

You get it instantly.

When Apple engineers explained the technology behind the Apple Pencil in an article, they said…

fitting all that technology inside was like “putting a ship in a bottle.”

You see it immediately.

Good analogies are succinct, singular in idea and get the point across in seconds.

Bad analogies are loopy, complex and get the audience more confused than before.

A good analogy is a direct flight.

A bad analogy is a layover so long, you forget the destination.