There’s a perfectly good explanation. And its name is
Tiny Soapbox. A Tiny Soapbox is an at-a-glance view of an explanation. Producing an effective one is an art and a science. To make that happen, the
methodology follows these guiding principles:

1. Make it tangible. Good explanations shouldn’t look like ordinary sentences — that
   makes them too hard to find. Instead, they should be viewed as tangible objects that
   can be designed, combined, and searched.
2. Make a connection. This is the science part. People should have a systematic way
   of explaining: To show how they believe two or more things are related, and explain
   why using data, research, hands-on experience, and other evidence.
3. Build a better soapbox. This is where the art comes in. An explanation shouldn’t look
   like an ordinary sentence: Visual clues should indicate what’s being explained.
4. Be quick about it. This is the “tiny” part. People’s explanations should be condensed so
   their key points are emphasized.

You can implement the Tiny Soapbox methodology at four levels:

Level 1: Supply. (A/k/a “Allow me to explain.”) Use Tiny Soapbox to make your explanations more persuasive and easier to find. For instance: Make white papers pop (see examples).

Level 2: Demand. (“Can someone please explain?”) When getting explanations from others,
use Tiny Soapbox to capture what they say. Example: Ideas from employees or customers.

Level 3: Back-and-forth. (Or, “My explanation can beat up your explanation.”) Use Tiny Soapbox to carry on a conversation/debate/dialogue: Influence how people provide their explanations — and respond to yours. You’ll gather more useful evidence this way. Examples: Social CRM, public policy debate, strategic planning. (Find out about guided conversation.)

Level 4: Integration. This is where where explanations face reality. Connect what people are explaining with related information, data, analytics, research, and other evidence. Such as: Integrating Enterprise 2.0 with performance management or business intelligence (find out about the software design implications of Tiny Soapbox).

Get started now. We offer Tiny Soapbox seminars, advise executives on management strategy, and assist software executives with product strategy. To find out more, contact us at soapbox@uglyresearch.com or (303) 618-4479.