Introduction
Have you ever sat in class, nodded along to everything the teacher said, and felt totally confident? You leave the room thinking, "I've got this." But then, three days later, a friend asks you to explain the topic, and your mind goes blank. You stammer, you say "um" and "like" a lot, and you realize you can't actually explain it at all.
It is a frustrating feeling. You feel like you know it, but the words just won't come out.
This isn't just you having a bad day. It is actually a very common trick your brain plays on you. The good news is that you can fix it. You don't need to be a genius to explain things clearly; you just need to change how you practice.
In this post, we will cover:
The "I Know It" Trap: Why your brain tricks you into thinking you are ready when you aren't.
The Feynman Technique: A famous method to turn complex ideas into simple words.
Active vs. Passive Learning: The difference between watching a sport and playing it.
How to Use AI to Practice: A simple way to test your skills before the real exam.
Let's dive in and turn that fuzzy idea in your head into a clear explanation everyone can understand.
[Suggested Image: A student looking confident in class, then confused when trying to explain to a friend. Alt Text: Student realizing they cannot explain a concept they thought they understood.]
The "I Know It" Trap
Psychologists have a fancy name for that feeling where you think you know something just because you've seen it before. They call it the Illusion of Competence.
Think of it like watching a professional basketball player shoot a three-pointer. It looks so smooth and easy that you think, "I could do that." But if you stepped onto the court, you probably couldn't make the shot. Why? Because watching isn't the same as doing.
When you read your textbook or listen to a lecture, you are just "watching" the information. Your brain recognizes the words, so it gives you a little feeling of familiarity. It says, "Oh yeah, I've seen this before." But recognizing something is very different from being able to explain it from scratch.
According to Coursera's guide on the Illusion of Competence, this happens because the information is stuck in your short-term memory. You haven't actually built the deep connections in your brain needed to pull that information out and use it. You are familiar with the material, but you haven't mastered it.
Why You Can't Find the Words
The main reason you get stuck when trying to explain something is that you likely practiced recognition instead of recall.
Recognition is when you see an answer and know it's correct (like a multiple-choice test).
Recall is when you have to pull the answer out of thin air without any help.
Real life requires recall. When you are writing an essay, giving a presentation, or just talking to a friend, there are no multiple-choice options floating in the air to help you.
If you want to get better at explaining, you have to stop reviewing your notes and start testing yourself without them. This forces your brain to work harder. It’s like lifting heavy weights at the gym instead of just lifting a pencil. It feels harder in the moment, but it makes you much stronger in the long run.
The Feynman Technique: The Ultimate Truth Detector
There was a famous scientist named Richard Feynman who was brilliant at physics. But he was even more famous for being able to explain impossible topics to people who knew nothing about science. He believed that if you couldn't explain something simply, you didn't understand it well enough.
He developed a method that students all over the world now use to clear up their thinking. It is called the Feynman Technique. You can read a deep dive on his life and method at Farnam Street's guide to the Feynman Technique, but we will break it down into simple steps you can use right now.
Step 1: Teach It to a Child
Imagine you are talking to a 10-year-old. They don't know the big vocabulary words you learned in class. They don't know the jargon.
Take a blank sheet of paper and write the name of the topic at the top. Now, try to write an explanation of that topic using only simple language.
Do not use the textbook definitions. If you are studying "photosynthesis," don't say "it is the process by which plants synthesize nutrients." A 10-year-old won't get that. Instead, say, "It's how plants eat sunlight to make their own food."
If you find yourself using big words because you can't think of a simple one, that is a red flag. It means you are hiding behind the vocabulary instead of understanding the idea.
Step 2: Find the Gaps
As you try to write your simple explanation, you will probably get stuck. You might explain the beginning part perfectly, but then you'll realize you don't actually know how the middle part works.
This is great! It means you found a Gap.
Most students ignore these gaps. They skim over the hard parts and hope it won't be on the test. You need to do the opposite. When you get stuck, go back to your source material—your notes, your textbook, or even a blog post like our guide on how to use AI to find what you don't understand.
Re-read only the part you got stuck on. Once you think you have it, go back to your paper and try to explain it simply again.
Step 3: Simplify and Analogize
Once you have a full explanation written down, look at it again. Is it boring? Is it confusing?
Try to create an analogy. An analogy is when you compare a hard idea to an easy one.
Hard Idea: Electrical voltage and current.
Analogy: Water flowing through a pipe. Voltage is the water pressure, and current is how much water is moving.
If you can create a good analogy, it proves you understand the "behavior" of the concept, not just the definition.
How to Test Yourself Before the Exam
You don't want to find out you can't explain the topic during the exam. You want to fail while you are at home, safe in your room, so you can fix it before it counts.
This is where Active Recall comes in.
Instead of re-reading your textbook for the fifth time (which, as we learned, creates that "Illusion of Competence"), close the book. Ask yourself a question, look away, and say the answer out loud.
Speaking out loud is crucial. When you answer in your head, you cheat. You skip words. You say, "Oh, I know the rest." When you speak out loud, you have to form full sentences. You will instantly hear if your explanation makes sense or if it sounds like nonsense.
You can learn more about overcoming the "illusion of learning" effectively at Psychology Compass. They explain that the struggle you feel when trying to remember is actually proof that you are learning.
Using AI to Practice Explaining
Sometimes, you don't have a friend nearby willing to listen to you. This is where AI tools can be incredibly helpful. You can treat the AI as your student.
However, not all AI prompts are created equal. If you just ask an AI to "explain this to me," you are back to passive learning, you are just reading again. You need to flip the script. You need to be the teacher, and the AI needs to be the student who checks your work.
We have built a specific tool for this in our library called the Active Listener.
Instead of lecturing you, this prompt acts like a curious student. You explain the topic to it, and it listens. Then, it points out where you were unclear or where you made a mistake. It helps you "debug" your explanation.
You can find this prompt here: Active Listener Prompt.
Here is how you can use it:
Open your favorite AI chat.
Use the Active Listener prompt.
Type: "I want to explain [Your Topic] to you. Stop me if I don't make sense."
Type out your explanation.
The AI will give you feedback like, "You explained the first part well, but I got confused when you mentioned X. Can you try explaining that part again?"
This mimics the real-world pressure of someone asking, "Wait, what do you mean?" It forces you to clarify your thoughts without the stress of a real classroom presentation.
What If You Still Get Stuck?
If you try the Feynman Technique and use the Active Listener prompt but still can't explain it, don't panic. It just means you need to go back to the basics.
Sometimes, we try to learn complex ideas without understanding the foundation. You can't do calculus if you don't know algebra. You can't understand a history essay if you don't know the timeline of events.
If you are stuck, ask yourself: "What is the one word in this paragraph I don't understand?" Often, it's just one or two vocabulary words that are blocking your whole understanding.
You can also check out our Prompts Library for other tools that can help break down complex texts into simpler summaries, giving you a better starting point. Once you have the summary, try the explanation process again.
Conclusion
It is scary to realize you don't know something as well as you thought. But that moment of realization is the most important part of learning.
When you understand but can't explain, it is a signal. It is your brain telling you, "I have the pieces, but I haven't put the puzzle together yet."
By using the Feynman Technique, practicing Active Recall, and utilizing tools like the Active Listener prompt, you can force those pieces to click together. You will move from "I think I know it" to "I can teach this to anyone."
Next time you are studying, don't just read until you feel good. Read until you can close the book and give a speech. That is when you know you are ready.
