"To master the process of exposition is to become a clear thinker. 'I know, when

you do not ask me,'[13] replied a gentleman upon being requested to define a

highly complex idea. Now some large concepts defy explicit definition; but no

mind should take refuge behind such exceptions, for where definition fails,

other forms succeed. Sometimes we feel confident that we have perfect mastery of

an idea, but when the time comes to express it, the clearness becomes a haze.

Exposition, then, is the test of clear understanding. To speak effectively you

must be able to see your subject clearly and comprehensively, and to make your

audience see it as you do."[14]

 

There are pitfalls on both sides of this path. To explain too little will leave

your audience in doubt as to what you mean. It is useless to argue a question if

it is not perfectly clear just what is meant by the question. Have you never

come to a blind lane in conversation by finding that you were talking of one

aspect of a matter while your friend was thinking of another? If two do not

agree in their definitions of a Musician, it is useless to dispute over a

certain man's right to claim the title.

 

On the other side of the path lies the abyss of tediously explaining too much.

That offends because it impresses the hearers that you either do not respect

their intelligence or are trying to blow a breeze into a tornado. Carefully

estimate the probable knowledge of your audience, both in general and of the

particular point you are explaining. In trying to simplify, it is fatal to

"sillify." To explain more than is needed for the purposes of your argument or