One common problem when explaining ideas is that we often jump right into talking about the solution, and just assume prior knowledge of the problem we are talking about.<p>But since the audience probably doesn't know the problem as intimately as we do, this tends to make our explanation hard to understand - even if our solution is straightforward.<p>A simple trick I once learned is to structure the explanation into four parts, with one sentence for each part: (1) state the problem, (2) state the consequences of the problem, (3) state the solution, (4) state the consequences of the solution.<p>Since the explanation now automatically includes both the problem and the solution, it usually is both more compelling and easier to understand.