BBC presenter and journalist Ros Atkins is renowned for his exceptional communication skills. At the Curious Minds Festival this month, he will discuss his book The Art of Explanation, offering valuable insights and sharing the techniques he’s honed through experience in high-pressure newsroom environments. Here he gives us his perspective ahead of the festival.
Q. In your book The Art of Explanation you talk about the type of reporting that you pioneered, based on applying 10 attributes to an ‘explanation’. Why did you develop this? Is it a technique than anyone can use?
The idea of the book is to share approaches to communication and explanation that I use as a journalist and to, I hope, show how we can all use this in our everyday communication. While I hope the book is useful to journalists, it’s very much a book for everyone. Every day we all have to communicate and how well we do that can make a big difference.
Q. You are well known for your ‘Explainer videos’, the style of which you have described as ‘assertive impartiality’. How did they come about and why do they work so well?
In 2019, I started to think about why my programme at the time, Outside Source, wasn’t generating as many high impact videos as I’d hoped it would. I spent several months thinking about what I could do differently. I settled on an explainer format where I’d try to distil the essential information on a story or issue. I also wanted to be as direct as possible about what was true and what wasn’t true. We made the first one just before Christmas that year and they quite quickly became really popular. I think they were popular because, in just a few minutes, the viewer was able to get a lot of clear helpful information on the subject.
Q. You’ve been involved in high-pressure situations covering major stories like Brexit, COVID-19, and the war in Ukraine. How do the principles hold up in these live environments?
When you’re broadcasting live on a story of great consequence, it’s vital that you are clear on the information you’re passing on. You’re unlikely to communicate well if you’re not understanding the subject. I find it can be helpful to ask myself – what do I know for sure on this subject? What would I like to know? And can I express both as simply as possible? Those three questions are useful in lots of situations that we all encounter in our lives – from meetings to negotiations to a job interview.
I settled on an explainer format where I’d try to distil the essential information on a story or issue. I also wanted to be as direct as possible about what was true and what wasn’t true
Q. You have talked about the importance of communicating authentically, always asking the question, “Does this sound like me?” Does this principle apply to other forms of communication other than news reporting?
I think it applies to a lot of different forms of communication. Of course, there may be more formal types of communication where a particular style of writing is required. For me, though, in many of my day-to-day interactions, I want people to feel like it’s me who is talking or writing to them. In the case of public speaking, I also find it much easier to speak authoritatively, if the words I’m saying really feel like they’re my own. For better or worse, I think if you read The Art of Explanation and then listen to me speaking, you’ll be able to tell it’s the same person. I applied this question when I was writing the book!
Q. One of the chapters in your book is about writing emails. What are some of the key principles of email writing, and what advice do you have about how to make emails effective?
First and foremost, keep them short! And cut to the chase as quickly as you can. We all receive more emails than we can keep on top of. The easier you make it for someone to find the information you want to pass on or the request you want to make, the better the chance they’ll read it.
Q. How has social media complicated the clarity of the news we receive? Do you see it as a disruptive and even malign influence?
Social media has brought journalism lots of opportunities. We can easily and immediately hear from so many people, it’s easier to find people with expertise on a subject or an event, there’s a vast amount of potential content for us to reference and it also helps distribute our journalism. All of that is definitely a plus. But of course it also means a much more complex information environment for us all to navigate and it means we are all exposed to a huge amount of unreliable information. That’s a challenge for all of us. It is, though, also an opportunity for news organisations to play a role in helping their audiences to find trustworthy and accurate information.
Q. You are giving your Art of Explanation talk in a location at Bath Spa University. How can your communication techniques change the behaviour and fortunes of young adults about to embark on a career?
One thing I’ve really come to understand as I’ve gone through my career is that how we communicate can really impact some of the biggest moments. We might have just the right things to say to get a job or an opportunity, but if we don’t find an effective way of getting that information across, we risk that moment passing us by. I’ve learned this the hard way a few times! It’s sometimes easier to focus on what we want to say and less on how we say it. To students heading into the workplace, I’d only say that time spent on preparing and practising how you want to communicate is likely to be time very well spent. Make it as easy as possible for people to see what you’ve got to offer.
Q. You’ve become known for your signature blue outfits. Why is blue your choice?
I take no credit for this! It was the suggestion of a fantastic stylist I’ve worked with for years called Jane Field. I was looking to stop wearing a suit and tie every night on my TV programme at the time and Jane suggested I try a navy blue shirt and jacket. I’ve been wearing them ever since!
Ros Atkins is talking about his book The Art of Explanation on Tuesday 11 March at 7pm-8pm at Michael Tippett Centre at Bath Spa University, as part of the Curious Minds Festival. Tickets from £8; batharts.co.uk
The podcast and the book
Left: The Communicating with Ros Atkins BBC podcast series sees Ros and his guests revealing their advice to improve communication, and considering how simple changes to the way we interact can have a big impact. BBC Radio 4.
Right: The Art of Explanation: How to Communicate with Clarity and Confidence, by Ros Atkins, published by Wildfire, and available at all good bookshops £10.99.