Abstract
It's easy to confuse knowing the words with understanding the idea. You recognise the terms and can repeat the definitions, and then a friend asks a simple question and you can't answer it. The Feynman Technique finds those gaps by having you explain the idea simply, as if to a twelve-year-old.
Wherever you reach for jargon or start waving your hands, you've found something you don't understand yet. Go back to the source, fill the gap, and try the explanation again.
Method
- 01
Name the concept
Write the idea you want to understand at the top of a blank page.
- 02
Explain it to a twelve-year-old
Use short sentences and everyday words. If you need a technical term, explain it straight away.
- 03
Find the gaps
Mark every place you got stuck, leaned on jargon or couldn't say why something is true.
- 04
Go back to the source
Read up on those gaps until you can explain each one plainly.
- 05
Simplify and add an analogy
Rewrite the explanation. Compare the idea to something familiar and cut any word that isn't needed.
When to use it
- You're learning something hard and want to know if it has actually sunk in.
- You have to explain a technical subject to people outside your field.
- Your writing is accurate but people say it's hard to follow.
Common pitfalls
- Simplifying until the explanation is wrong. It should still be true when it's plain.
- Skipping the gaps step because the first draft felt fine.
- Chasing a readability score. It only measures word and sentence length.
- Explaining to an imaginary expert instead of a curious beginner.
Origin and references
Attributed to Attributed to Richard Feynman.
- Feynman, R. P. (1985). Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! W. W. Norton.
- Gleick, J. (1992). Genius: The Life and Science of Richard Feynman. Pantheon Books.
- Flesch, R. (1948). A new readability yardstick. Journal of Applied Psychology, 32(3), 221 to 233.