Explaining Why: How Comparing Your Readers to Children Can Improve Your Writing

If you’ve spent much time around a child, you’ve probably been asked continually, “But why?” While you may sometimes feel otherwise, children aren’t usually asking this question to be obnoxious or silly. They’re asking because they’re still learning about the world. They genuinely want to understand why things are the way they are. Explaining things to them is a full-time job.

Just as children try to learn about the world around them, your readers want to learn about the topic or term they’re searching. This is why it’s important to go beyond the “what” or the “how” in your articles. You must explain the “why” to your readers. Your goal is to give the reader enough of an explanation that they no longer have to keep asking, “But why?” In other words, your goal is to keep them from needing to go to another source for more information.

So how does comparing your readers to children help you write better articles? Let’s examine a few examples:

Explaining why they should do something

We teach children that when we’re outside we look both ways before we cross the street. For the child to really understand why, you have to tell them that you’re checking for cars.

Another example might be when you’re trying to talk a kid into eating vegetables on their plate. They’re much more likely to give it a try if you explain to them that it will keep them healthy. It’s even more effective if you explain that it will help them grow and get strong. When they understand what this food will do for them, they understand why they should be willing to give it a try.

For example

Say you’re writing an article about keeping fleas and other pests away from your carpet. You tell your reader: “Take a spray bottle of water and add 15 drops of orange oil, 10 drops of eucalyptus oil, and 5 drops of tea tree oil. Screw on the nozzle and shake vigorously for a minute to fully disperse the oils.”

This provides us with both a good and bad example. Your reader will understand why they need to shake the bottle; you’ve told them it disperses the oils. However, you don’t tell the reader why they’re using those oils in those amounts. Thus, they’re still left with questions. Are all of the oils repulsive to the pests, or are some of them just there for a fresh smell? What if the reader doesn’t like the smell of oranges? Can they replace it with lemon oil or something else?

If you don’t provide enough information to answer these questions, your reader will likely look elsewhere.

Explaining why they should avoid other things

When you teach a child that they’re not supposed to touch the stove, you also explain to them that it could burn them. When a child understands the harmful consequences of something, they’re more likely to avoid it.

Another example might be when a child is asking you why they can’t eat all of their Halloween candy in one sitting. You explain to them that when you eat too much candy at a time, it makes you feel sick. You may even remind them of a time when it happened in the past so that they can make a stronger connection.

For example

In an article about collecting gold coins, you may say: “When searching for a 1926-S American Buffalo nickel for your collection, avoid any coin that exhibits flow lines or appears as though it may have been cut at one time. Look for coins that show a consistent level of wear throughout the piece.“

While this may be enough information to keep the reader from making this mistake, they won’t understand why this is an issue. Is this a sign that the coin is fake? If so, they might know not to trust that dealer again. However, if it’s just something that makes the coin slightly less valuable, the may feel like the coin is still worth buying if they can negotiate a lower price for it.

Again, if your reader needs a more in-depth explanation than you provide, they’re going to look for it elsewhere.

Keeping age, purpose, and experience in mind

If a 3-year-old and a 10-year-old both asked where babies come from, would you give them the same answer? Probably not. The 3-year-old might get the response, “from mommy’s belly,” but the year 10-year-old might be old enough for a more detailed explanation. You might give even more information to a 15-year-old who asked the same thing. This can also be applied to your readers, and it’s an important part of being aware of who your audience is.

The level of specificity you use in your article is directly related to how much experience they have with the subject of your article. The more experienced your audience, the more detail you provide.

For example

Say you write an article about cleaning with various products. If you wrote it for a general audience and just present tips for cleaning, you may mention that one drawback of commercial products might be the chemicals and toxins left behind.

But if you direct your article toward readers who want to go “green,” you probably include detailed information about exactly what chemicals and toxins are often found in cleaners. If the audience is even narrower, such as a parent whose child has asthma or allergies, it’s a good idea to include even more details about how and why those specific chemicals exacerbate the condition.

Keep the “age” of your audience or article in mind throughout the writing process. If your level of specificity and detail is high in one section, make sure you keep that same level in the other sections. Just as a 15-year-old isn’t going to suddenly turn into a 3-year-old in the middle of a conversation, your audience’s experiences won’t change.

Your articles should never be condescending or make your readers feel childish. But it can still be useful to compare your readers to children. It helps you recognize places in your article where more details or further explaining can keep your reader from having to ask, “But why?”. When you answer all of their questions, they will trust your authority and won’t need to seek out other sources.