by Lee LeFever

It doesn’t matter how wonderful a product you’ve created, if you can’t simply explain it to someone, there is little chance it will ever be purchased. Into this dilemma steps author and “Chief Explainer” Lee LeFever with his book The Art of Explanation: Making Your Ideas, Products and Services Easier to Understand. LeFever provides one of the most original communication books to come along in recent memory. His book is now available for download in multiple digital formats as a Soundview Executive Book Summary.

LeFever is the co-founder of Common Craft, a company frequently mentioned as one of the originators of the video explanation industry. The Art of Explanation is the result of years of trial and error to find the core of what makes explanations simple, effective and (of greatest importance) memorable.

The Art of Explanation is densely packed with lessons for executives. In the same way in which books on presentations stress the importance of practice, LeFever reminds readers of the critical need for planning before attempting to craft an explanation. He provides five questions you should ask yourself to help make your explanation more effective.

While the book has obvious emphasis for marketers and sales professionals, there is a universal quality to the power of LeFever’s ideas. Leaders who are preparing to lead a change initiative, for example, can use a great explanation to help calm the initial tide of employee fears that often accompany a new direction.

As previously stated, many of the ideas that shape The Art of Explanation arose from LeFever’s work for Common Craft’s clients (including Intel, Google, Dropbox and Ford, among others). LeFever’s labors bear fruit for anyone who picks up his book. Getting this essential information without having to spend years of trial-and-error to develop it is a benefit that needs no explanation.

In lieu of today’s visit by Barak Obama to the K’NEX factory, we’re re-posting our blog with the hightlights of our interview with K’NEX CEO Michael Araten, for those that would like to know more about the company. You can also watch the interview on YouTube.

I was inspired by our recent interview with Michael Araten, CEO of K’NEX toy company, as part of our ongoing series of Executive Insights™ videos. So I decided to share with you some of the nuggets of wisdom from the interview.

Creativity – at K’NEX they have a process for creating new products and innovations that include consumer research with kids and their parents, a set of parameters for product development that looks at the marketplace and competitors, the inclusion of all disciplines within the company in the creative process, and a search program for new ideas among kids that includes scholarship awards.

Community – K’NEX connects with the community through three-tiers of communication. They connect with kids through a Kids Club, offer parents support through safety tips, age appropriate toy guidelines and opportunities to review their products, and have an education division to support teachers and schools in the use of their construction products with a tie-in to curriculum.

Environment – K’NEX’s manufacturing arm Rodon Group has worked hard to develop many environmentally sound practices including becoming landfill free (all waste is recycled or used for energy production), recycling water and plastic waste, and inspiring employees to reduce waste as well.

Made in America – Over the past 10 years K’NEX has brought manufacturing back to the U.S. to the point that 95% of the product is now produced here. Much of this was done by lowering labor costs, the one advantage that China has had in the past over U.S. companies. In the process, they have also helped start a consortium of local manufacturers to apply those principles to other companies.

Employee Development – K’NEX works with local technology schools to encourage students to enter the manufacturing workforce and provides an internship program that takes students from playing with toys to working to design them. Because Rodon’s manufacturing process is highly automated, the jobs they provide are higher-paying technical jobs rather than assembly-line jobs.

K’NEX is the kind of company that can serve as a model for other U.S. companies as to the right ways to do business. The principles they have developed provide educational products, local jobs, lower impact on the environment and they give back to the community in the process.

This interview is one of over 45 Executive Insights videos that are included in our library. If you’d  like to view more interviews with top executives, subscribe to Soundview’s Premium Subscription.

The pressure is on as we reach the end of 2012. Executives are feeling the crunch to get things done and deliver on the few remaining objectives of their stretch goals for 2012. To help you go beyond your goals, Soundview has three new summaries available in a variety of digital formats. The summaries include:

by L. David Marquet

Turn the Ship Around by L.David Marquet. From the vantage point of the commander of the USS Santa Fe, read how the crew completely turned the ship around, going from worst to first by questioning many of our basic leadership assumptions and shifting from take-control authority to give-control empowerment. Share the author’s insights as the crew gains unprecedented decision making authority, the risks of doing so, and the reward of an exponentially more effective and more resilient organization. Learn how to achieve astounding results by applying the author’s practical steps and see what it’s really like to operate a nuclear submarine.

by Wayne Brockbank, et. al.

HR from the Outside In by Wayne Brockbank, Dave Ulrich, Jon Younger, and Mike Ulrich. Can HR Deliver value to “the business”? Yes, it can, and it must. This book is filled with tips for guiding and empowering HR professionals — and entire departments — so that HR might bring benefits of a different kind to everyone in your organization. HR From the Outside In will teach you: the six key HR competencies; how to develop HR professionals to be high-performers; how to structure an HR department that delivers maximum value; and what it takes to stay competitive in the ever-growing world of HR professionals.

by Todd Henry

The Accidental Creative by Todd Henry. It isn’t enough to just do your job anymore. In order to thrive in today’s marketplace, all of us, regardless of our role, have to be ready to generate brilliant ideas on demand. The Accidental Creative teaches effective practices that support your creative process. You’ll discover how to: focus in on your most critical work and reclaim your attention; develop stimulating relationships that will lead to creative insights; effectively manage your energy so that you are always ready to engage; curate stimuli that help you stay mentally focused; and leverage your hours wisely and effectively to eliminate creativity drains.

Make the most of what’s left of 2012. Download your copies of these great summaries today!