{"id":23239,"date":"2020-02-22T12:41:57","date_gmt":"2020-02-22T16:41:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/?p=23239"},"modified":"2023-03-17T07:24:17","modified_gmt":"2023-03-17T11:24:17","slug":"concrete-images-in-writing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/2020\/02\/concrete-images-in-writing\/","title":{"rendered":"Concrete images in writing boost understanding"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>There\u2019s a 1:1 correlation between vivid descriptions and comprehension<\/h2>\n<p>Three professors from Texas A&amp;M University and the University of the Andes aimed to find out whether concrete images or abstract images were more understandable.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_23241\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-23241\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"23241\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/2020\/02\/concrete-images-in-writing\/concrete-images-in-writing-2\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/concrete-images-in-writing.png\" data-orig-size=\"600,300\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"concrete-images-in-writing\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Turn ideas into things&lt;\/strong&gt; Researchers found an almost one-to-one correlation between how concrete a passage was and how easy it was to understand. &lt;a href=&quot;https:\/\/www.istockphoto.com\/photo\/grade-a-on-blackboard-with-copy-space-gm1125332872-295781724&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Photo credit: harunhalici&lt;\/em&gt;&lt;\/a&gt;&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/concrete-images-in-writing-300x150.png\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/concrete-images-in-writing.png\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/concrete-images-in-writing.png\" alt=\"Concrete images in writing\" title=\"Concrete images in writing\" width=\"600\" height=\"300\" class=\"size-full wp-image-23241 lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/concrete-images-in-writing.png 600w, https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/concrete-images-in-writing-300x150.png 300w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 600px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 600\/300;\" \/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"23241\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/2020\/02\/concrete-images-in-writing\/concrete-images-in-writing-2\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/concrete-images-in-writing.png\" data-orig-size=\"600,300\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"concrete-images-in-writing\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Turn ideas into things&lt;\/strong&gt; Researchers found an almost one-to-one correlation between how concrete a passage was and how easy it was to understand. &lt;a href=&quot;https:\/\/www.istockphoto.com\/photo\/grade-a-on-blackboard-with-copy-space-gm1125332872-295781724&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Photo credit: harunhalici&lt;\/em&gt;&lt;\/a&gt;&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/concrete-images-in-writing-300x150.png\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/concrete-images-in-writing.png\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/concrete-images-in-writing.png\" alt=\"Concrete images in writing\" title=\"Concrete images in writing\" width=\"600\" height=\"300\" class=\"size-full wp-image-23241\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/concrete-images-in-writing.png 600w, https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/concrete-images-in-writing-300x150.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/noscript><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-23241\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><strong>Turn ideas into things<\/strong> Researchers found an almost one-to-one correlation between how concrete a passage was and how easy it was to understand. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.istockphoto.com\/photo\/grade-a-on-blackboard-with-copy-space-gm1125332872-295781724\"><em>Photo credit: harunhalici<\/em><\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>First, the professors (Sadoski, Goetz and Rodriguez, 2000) crafted a series of passages. Each passage was 56 words long and written at about the same level of readability.<\/p>\n<p>Half of the passages were abstract:<\/p>\n<div class=\"excerptbox\" style=\"border:1px solid black;\">Character cannot be summoned in a crisis if it has been squandered by years of compromise and excuses. The only testing ground for the heroic is the mundane. There is only one preparation for that great decision that can change a life. It is those\u00a0 hundreds of half conscious, self-defining, seemingly insignificant decisions made in private.<\/div>\n<p>The other half were concrete:<\/p>\n<div class=\"excerptbox\" style=\"border:1px solid black;\">Think twice before buying another \u201cconvenience.\u201d Grandmother\u2019s kitchen had a pan, spoon and a knife. It produced a Sunday dinner of roast chicken, potatoes, salad, vegetables and apple pie. The kitchen of the 1990s contains a food processor, blender, laser-cut knife system and a 20-piece cookware set that produces a Sunday dinner of microwave pizza.<\/div>\n<p>Then the researchers asked 40 graduate students to read the passages and rate them for how interesting and easy to understand they were.<\/p>\n<p>The students rated the concrete copy more interesting and understandable.<\/p>\n<h3>1. Concrete detail is easier to understand.<\/h3>\n<p>In fact, there was almost a one-to-one correlation between how concrete a passage was and how easy it was to understand, the researchers said.<\/p>\n<p>Next, the researchers wrote a series of abstract and concrete headlines for each of the 56-word passages. They included:<\/p>\n<table class=\"pinktable\" style=\"background-color: #ffffff; width: 70%\" border=\"1\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"3\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width:35%;\">\n<h6 style=\"font-weight:bold; margin: 0 25px 5px;\">Abstract headline<\/h6>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"width:35%;\">\n<h6 style=\"font-weight:bold; margin: 0 25px 5px;\">Concrete headline<\/h6>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr style=\"background-color: lightgrey;\">\n<td style=\"width:35%; text-align:center;\">Domestic Devices<\/td>\n<td style=\"width:35%; text-align:center;\">Countertop Gadgets<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width:35%; text-align:center;\">Preferred Items<\/td>\n<td style=\"width:35%; text-align:center;\">Favorite Junk<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr style=\"background-color: lightgrey;\">\n<td style=\"width:35%; text-align:center;\">The Laws of Lift<\/td>\n<td style=\"width:35%; text-align:center;\">How a Plane Flies<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width:35%; text-align:center;\">A Science Find<\/td>\n<td style=\"width:35%; text-align:center;\">Jungles in Ice<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr style=\"background-color: lightgrey;\">\n<td style=\"width:35%; text-align:center;\">Mortal Justice<\/td>\n<td style=\"width:35%; text-align:center;\">Death Penalty<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>Then they asked the graduate students to rate the headlines for how interesting and easy to understand they were.<\/p>\n<p>The students rated the concrete headlines much more understandable and interesting.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cUsing more concrete language and content,\u201d Sadoski, Goetz and Rodriguez write, \u201cshould have positive effects in making \u2026 text more comprehensible, interesting and memorable.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/revvingupreadership.com\/2020\/02\/using-details-in-writing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Concrete headlines are also more memorable<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3>2. Vivid descriptions boost learning.<\/h3>\n<p>We\u2019ve known this for years.<\/p>\n<p>In the early 19th century, German philosopher Johann Friedrich Herbart said that interest leads to understanding, learning and memory \u2014 and even inspires readers to learn more.<\/p>\n<p>For some 200 years, researchers, philosophers and communicators have found Herbart\u2019s link between interest and learning to be true.<\/p>\n<p>One of those researchers is Suzanne Hidi, associate member at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education\u2019s Centre for Applied Cognitive Science. She reviewed the research connecting interest with learning.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cInteresting copy,\u201d Hidi found, is:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/writing-tips\/how-to-write-creative-content\/concrete-details\/\"><strong>Concrete<\/strong><\/a>. Concrete images show instead of tell, turning ideas into things. They are also filled with action and images.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Emotional<\/strong>. Concrete imagery includes <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/writing-tips\/how-to-write-creative-content\/how-to-write-human-interest-stories\/\">human interest<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/writing-tips\/how-to-write-creative-content\/corporate-storytelling\/\">narrative action<\/a> and \u201clife themes\u201d readers can identify with.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Novel<\/strong>. Concrete detail is <a href=\"https:\/\/revvingupreadership.com\/2011\/05\/surprise-gets-attention\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">surprising<\/a> or unexpected.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Here, for instance, are some of the concrete, interesting sentences that researchers have studied:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>The huge gorilla smashed the bus with its fist<\/strong>. (Anderson, 1982)<\/li>\n<li><strong>When a Click Beetle is on its back, it flips itself into the air and lands right side up while it makes a clicking noise<\/strong>. (Garner et al., 1989)<\/li>\n<li><strong>When a fly moves its wings about 200 times in a second, you hear a buzzing sound<\/strong>. (Garner et al., 1989)<\/li>\n<li><strong>No advertising is allowed on Swedish television, and there are no commercial stations<\/strong>. (Hidi &amp; Baird, 1983)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Adult wolves carry food home in their stomachs and bring it up again or regurgitate it for the young cubs to eat. It\u2019s the wolf version of canned baby food<\/strong>. (Hidi &amp; Baird, 1983)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Thomas Edison became the most famous inventor of all time even though he left school when he was only 6 years old<\/strong>. (Hidi &amp; Baird, 1988)<\/li>\n<li><strong>A canary can also bluff by playing dead. A frightened canary may go limp in someone\u2019s hand<\/strong>. (Hidi &amp; Baird, 1983)<\/li>\n<li><strong>The Battle of Trafalgar was the greatest naval victory in British history, and it was the war for Great Britain<\/strong>. (Wade &amp; Adams, 1990)<\/li>\n<li><strong>[Lady Emma Hamilton] fell in love with the battered, one-eyed, one-armed naval hero and became his mistress<\/strong>. (Wade &amp; Adams, 1990)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Concrete imagery, according to Hidi\u2019s review of the literature:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Encourages reading<\/strong> (Hidi &amp; Baird, 1986).<\/li>\n<li><strong>Improves comprehension<\/strong> (Hidi &amp; Baird, 1986; Bernstein, 1955).<\/li>\n<li><strong>Boosts learning<\/strong> (Hidi &amp; Baird, 1986; Shirey and Reynolds, 1988).<\/li>\n<li><strong>Increases recall<\/strong> (Hidi &amp; Baird, 1988).<\/li>\n<li><strong>Helps people come up with bigger, better, more creative ideas<\/strong> (Bernstein, 1955).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Nearly 45 years of research proves it: Concrete details help readers understand; abstract images aren\u2019t so helpful. For instance:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The entire incoming first-year class of a college participated in a study where researchers rewrote passages from American history textbooks to make them more concrete. <strong>Students understood the revised, concrete passages much better<\/strong> than the original ones. They also rated the revised passages significantly more interesting (Wharton, 1980).<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/people.southwestern.edu\/~giuliant\/LOP_PDF\/Ssadoski2003.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Students understood and remembered concrete words<\/strong><\/a> (PDF) better than abstract language. Concrete words included <em>aisle, ceremony, scene<\/em> and <em>pile<\/em>. Abstract ones included <em>pride, theory, time<\/em> and <em>truth<\/em> (Sadoski, Goetz, Stricker and Burdenski, 2003).<\/li>\n<li>Students <strong>understood the plot and theme of a story better if the words painted a mental picture<\/strong> of a key event in the story. (Sadoski 1983, 1985).<\/li>\n<li><strong>Undergraduates understood history textbook passages better when the message was more concrete<\/strong> and full of images. They also found concrete passages much more interesting. (Wharton).<\/li>\n<li><strong>Abstract language is more vague, and that makes it harder to understand<\/strong> and remember, researchers have found. (B.J. O\u2019Neill and Allan Paivo).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>So how can you make your abstract ideas concrete?<\/p>\n<h3>3. Word pictures boost understanding by 43%.<\/h3>\n<p>Readers don\u2019t understand abstract words \u2014 those that refer to ideas \u2014 very well, according to a study by Prabu David and Jagdeep Kang. But, according to the study, if you:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Use concrete, visual words<\/strong> \u2014 words that paint pictures in readers\u2019 heads \u2014 you can increase understanding by 43%.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Add an actual picture to a word picture<\/strong>, you can increase understanding by 76%.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>For the study, researchers used an infographic and accompanying text from a <em>USA Today<\/em> article about the effects of nicotine on the body. They tested abstract copy and concrete copy and found that word pictures increased understanding dramatically.<\/p>\n<p>Why? Because concrete imagery \u2014 word pictures \u2014 paint pictures in your readers\u2019 minds.<\/p>\n<h3>Help readers see with concrete information.<\/h3>\n<p>That\u2019s no surprise. After all, we say \u201cI see\u201d to mean \u201cI understand.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img data-attachment-id=\"23242\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/2020\/02\/concrete-images-in-writing\/concrete-information\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/concrete-information.png\" data-orig-size=\"600,337\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"concrete-information\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/concrete-information-300x169.png\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/concrete-information.png\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\"data-src=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/concrete-information.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"337\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-23242 lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/concrete-information.png 600w, https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/concrete-information-300x169.png 300w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 600px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 600\/337;\" \/><noscript><img data-attachment-id=\"23242\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/2020\/02\/concrete-images-in-writing\/concrete-information\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/concrete-information.png\" data-orig-size=\"600,337\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"concrete-information\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/concrete-information-300x169.png\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/concrete-information.png\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" style=\"\"src=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/concrete-information.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"337\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-23242\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/concrete-information.png 600w, https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/concrete-information-300x169.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/noscript><\/p>\n<p>So help them see.<\/p>\n<p>Turn ideas into things: Make your message more vivid and visual with concrete information, and people will literally see what you mean.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:center; font-weight:bold;\">Are you turning ideas into things? Or are you hoping to gain understanding with abstractions?<\/p>\n<p>____<\/p>\n<p>Sources: <\/p>\n<p>Suzanne Hidi, \u201cInterest and Its Contribution as a Mental Resource for Learning,\u201d <em>Review of Educational Research,<\/em> Winter 1990, Vol. 60, No. 4, pp. 549-571<\/p>\n<p>Prabu David and Jagdeep Kang, \u201cPictures, High-Imagery News Language and News Recall,\u201d <em>Newspaper Research Journal,<\/em> Summer 1998<\/p>\n<p>Mark Sadoski, Ernest T. Goetz and Maximo Rodriguez, \u201cEngaging Texts: Effects of Concreteness on Comprehensibility, Interest, and Recall in Four Text Types.\u201d Journal of Educational Psychology 92, 2000, pp. 85-95<\/p>\n<div id='MC-CD' class='widgets_on_page wop_tiny1  wop_small1  wop_medium1  wop_large1  wop_wide1'>\n\t\t\t<ul><li id=\"custom_html-39\" class=\"widget_text widget widget_custom_html\"><div class=\"textwidget custom-html-widget\"><a title=\"Master the Art of Storytelling - Ann Wylie's creative-content workshop\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/corporate-communications-training\/writing-classes\/business-storytelling-training\/\" target=\"\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/storytelling-workshop.png\" alt=\"Master the Art of Storytelling - Ann Wylie's creative-content workshop\" title=\"Master the Art of Storytelling - Ann Wylie's creative-content workshop\" width=\"auto\" height=\"auto\" border=\"0\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 250px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 250\/250;float:left; text-align:left; margin: 0 auto; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 5px; margin-bottom: 5px; background-color: #ffffff; font-size: 18x; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px; color: #FFFFFF; max-width:100%; max-height:100%;\" class=\"img-max lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/storytelling-workshop.png\" alt=\"Master the Art of Storytelling - Ann Wylie's creative-content workshop\" title=\"Master the Art of Storytelling - Ann Wylie's creative-content workshop\" width=\"auto\" height=\"auto\" border=\"0\" style=\"float:left; text-align:left; margin: 0 auto; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 5px; margin-bottom: 5px; background-color: #ffffff; font-size: 18x; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px; color: #FFFFFF; max-width:100%; max-height:100%;\" class=\"img-max\"><\/noscript><\/a><h3>How can you make tedious topics interesting?<\/h3>\r\n<p>Fun facts and juicy details might seem like the Cheez Doodles and Cronuts of communication: tempting, for sure, but a little childish and not particularly good for you.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>Not so. Concrete details are more like salad dressing and aioli \u2014 the secret sauces it takes to get the nutritious stuff down.<\/p>\r\n\t\r\n<p>Now you can learn to use concrete details to change people's minds \u2014 and behavior \u2014 at <a title=\"Master the Art of Storytelling - Ann Wylie's creative-content workshop\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/corporate-communications-training\/writing-classes\/business-storytelling-training\/\" target=\"\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Master the Art of Storytelling<\/strong><\/a>, our creative-writing workshop.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>There, you\u2019ll learn six quick ways to add color to your message and how to help readers understand big ideas through specific details.<\/p>\r\n\t\r\n<div class=\"btn btn--depth\" style=\"text-align: center;  margin: 10px 0 20px; width:100%;\"><a id=\"btnTT\" style=\"\" title=\"BOOK NOW\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/corporate-communications-training\/writing-classes\/business-storytelling-training\/\" target=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-width=\"91\">BOOK NOW<\/a>\r\n<!-- [if mso]>\r\n<p style=\"line-height:0;margin:0;\"><v:roundrect xmlns:v=\"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/corporate-communications-training\/writing-classes\/business-storytelling-training\/\" style=\"width:153px\" arcsize=\"8%\" strokecolor=\"#D96237\" filled=\"t\"><v:fill type=\"gradient\" angle=\"180\" color=\"#f16522\" color2=\"#f16522\"><\/v:fill><v:textbox style=\"mso-fit-shape-to-text:t\" inset=\"0px,11px,0px,11px\"><center style=\"font-size:16px;line-height:24px;color:#FFFFFF;font-family:sans-serif;font-weight:bold;mso-line-height-rule:exactly;mso-text-raise:4px\">BOOK NOW<\/center><\/v:textbox><\/v:roundrect><\/p>\r\n<![endif]--><\/div>\r\n<\/div><\/li><\/ul><\/div><!-- widgets_on_page -->\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>There\u2019s a 1:1 correlation between vivid descriptions and comprehension<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":23241,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[251],"tags":[12158,12157,12156],"class_list":{"0":"post-23239","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-concrete-details","8":"tag-comprehension","9":"tag-concrete-images","10":"tag-descriptions","11":"entry"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v23.4 (Yoast SEO v23.6) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Concrete images in writing<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Concrete images in writing: Concrete imagery communicates better than abstract language. 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