DETAILS DETAILS

How to Think About the Details in Your Communication

As a professional, you work in a world of big-picture ideas and countless details. Understanding how to manage those details — and how they relate to your key message — can make all the difference in your communication clarity and effectiveness. In any presentation or conversation, it’s important to know when you’re making a point and when you’re elaborating on that point. Keeping those two distinct helps you deliver a message that’s both concise and powerful.

When you separate your main point from your supporting details, you make it easier for your audience to follow your logic. A clear structure — a point that’s made and then elaborated — builds confidence, authority, and understanding. But the key question becomes: where does the point go? Do you build up to it, or start with it and work down?

Two Ways to Structure Your Message

Think of it like this: grass grows upward toward the sky, while vines grow downward. That’s your metaphor for how ideas can develop in communication. The “grass up” approach starts from the ground — the details — and builds upward toward the point. You share the information, examples, and processes that lead your audience to your conclusion.

The “vines down” approach starts from the point — the big idea — and then works downward through the details that prove or illustrate that idea. Both approaches can work beautifully. What doesn’t work is the “weed mess,” where points and details are all mixed together, forcing your audience to play a mental sorting game. When that happens, listeners struggle to follow your logic, and your message loses impact.

Choosing the Right Direction for Your Audience

How do you decide whether to grow your message like grass or like vines? It depends on your audience. Conceptual thinkers — executives, CEOs, or visionary leaders — are typically “top-down” communicators. They respond best to the vines-down method, where you lead with the main idea or vision and then unpack the supporting details that prove it out.

Detail-oriented thinkers, on the other hand, appreciate the grass-up approach. Engineers, analysts, and process-focused professionals often want to understand the mechanics before hearing the conclusion. For them, starting from the details and working toward the key takeaway builds trust and engagement.

Then there are the relational audiences — the people-focused communicators who care about teams, dynamics, and collaboration. They’re also often detail-up thinkers, but their details are about people rather than process. For these audiences, starting from stories or human details and building up to the insight creates connection and clarity.

Bringing It All Together

Here’s the rule of thumb: if your audience is detail-oriented — whether about process or people — grow it up like grass. If your audience is results-oriented, visionary, or executive-level, grow it down like vines. Both methods work. What matters is using a clear structure that matches how your audience thinks.

By aligning your message with your audience’s natural communication style, you remove confusion, reduce cognitive load, and make your ideas easier to understand. Whether you’re speaking to a room of engineers, executives, or community partners, balancing point and proof — the what and the why — turns your information into understanding and your presence into impact.