The Difference Between Giving Information and Explaining Information
Having useful information does not always mean you are creating useful content.
Sometimes, a creator gives the audience a piece of information, but the audience still does not understand what it really means.
That is where the difference between giving information and explaining information becomes important.
1. Giving Information
Giving information means simply telling people something they may not know.
For example:
"Audience retention is important for video performance."
This gives the viewer information.
But it does not explain what audience retention means, why it matters, or how the viewer can understand it in practice.
2. Explaining Information
Explaining information goes one step further.
Instead of only stating the fact, you help the audience understand the idea behind it.
For example:
"Audience retention shows how much of your video people continue watching. If viewers leave early, your video may lose the opportunity to reach more people."
Now the viewer gets more context.
They understand what the term means and why it matters.
3. Explanation Creates Understanding
A person can remember a fact without fully understanding it.
Good explanation connects the information to something familiar.
You can use:
- A simple example
- A comparison
- A reason
- A real situation
- A step-by-step explanation
These help turn information into understanding.
4. More Information Is Not Always Better
Creators sometimes try to make content more valuable by adding more facts.
But adding more information can make a topic harder to understand.
The goal should not always be to tell people more.
Sometimes the better approach is to take one useful idea and explain it well enough that people can actually use it.
My Perspective
I believe the difference between an informative creator and a good explainer is not simply how much they know.
It is how well they can turn what they know into something another person can understand.
Information tells people something. Explanation helps them understand it.
And when people understand your message, your content becomes much more useful.
What do you think makes an explanation easier to understand?
Note: Images are original infographic designs created by me using Canva. Text written by me.