So, what is the problem with metaphors?
Well, actually there are two.
Thing number one, they are vague and informal.
They make your language less precise.
So you won't see many metaphors in reports,
and legal documents and instructional guides.
So if you're doing something really really serious avoid metaphors. Sad thing.
Although I once see an instructional guide for a tank which was like a battle tank,
which was full of metaphor and it was hilarious.
Scientists often say that well,
science is no place for a metaphor.
But I think they have all sorts of metaphors on their own.
OK. String theory might be an analogy but,The Big Bang Theory.
Come on, it's a metaphor.
It was no bang.
I think scientists just love this no association big bang.
Wow, and it's a way to make science more attractive.
So why use metaphors?
Yes. They make your language vivid and colorful but you sacrifice clarity.
And therefore it's a trade off.
Do you strive for clarity in this particular instance
or do you want more you know, excitement?
And if the latter is the case,
go ahead and use metaphors.
Metaphor is a transformation of a sort.
It's a way to transform the situation to however you look from a different viewpoint.
Metaphors have emotional impact.
They are poetic.
And of course, metaphors can become 'dead' metaphors from we overuse.
''Thinking out of the box'' at the moment is a dead metaphor.
It's not very creative to say,
''think out of the box.''
So if you allow me thinking out of the box is not very out of the box thinking.
Never use a metaphor,
simile or any other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print.
So go beyond the first page on google image search.
If you search for strategy you will see lots and lots of chess look for something else.
Chess is a poor metaphor for strategy precisely because it's so widely used.
So here are three core uses of metaphors.
Use them for an emotional impact,
to make your story more memorable.
Use them as a whole marketing packaging for
your presentation like in presentationzen or death by PowerPoint.
You may use metaphors for explaining,
conveying potentially abstract notion you know in
more concrete terms but I think analogies work much better for this.
And finally, use metaphors for reframing,
for changing your audience's frame of mind and how to do this,
we're going to talk in the next module.
So how do you find a good metaphor?
I don't know.
Aristotle used to think that the use of
metaphor can not be learned from anyone else. And I agree.
You see metaphorical thinking is the same as creative thinking.
You teleport your thinking from one frame of mind to another.
And how do you do this? Well I know.
If you try to make an algorithm out of this.
It's not creativity anymore.
It's algorithmic of thinking.
Therefore I think you have to try and do your own mistakes
and test your metaphors with your target audience.