When someone tells you to “keep it simple,” it can feel limiting or make you doubt your abilities. However, their intention may not be negative. Here are some direct yet polite replies to consider:
“I appreciate the feedback. My aim is to share my full perspective while remaining clear.”
This reply acknowledges their input respectfully, while affirming your communication style. It may open up a constructive dialogue about differing preferences.
Now let’s explore the context around responses to “keep it simple” further. Many people have trouble grasping complex ideas or get distracted by too many details. Requests to simplify likely stem from their difficulty processing the information rather than a judgment of your skills.
When They Want Easier to Digest Information
“Sure, let me try breaking this down into the key points first.”
This response shows you are willing to adjust for their needs without compromising your effort. Summarize the main ideas before elaborating to ensure understanding.
Example Reply
“I’ll share the high-level overview first to make sure we’re on the same page, then get into more specifics.”
This demonstrates understanding while outlining your strategy to simplify. It enables both parties to follow along.
Often people make simplify suggestions because complex information overwhelms them initially. Starting with the big picture establishes common ground. You can still include details later once they grasp the core message.
Other options:
- “Let me share the main takeaways upfront to make this easier to digest.”
- “I’m happy to boil this down to the key points so it’s more accessible. I can elaborate further once we’re aligned there if helpful.”
- “I’ll try to balance depth with brevity by highlighting the most vital elements first.”
When They Want You to Avoid Jargon
“I apologize if the terminology I’m using is confusing. Let me try rephrasing these concepts in more straightforward language.”
This reply shows humility while offering to communicate concepts in relatable words. The specifics still get across once cloaked in simpler verbiage.
Example Reply
“I should not have used so much industry jargon without explaining those terms first. Let me translate that into plain English to ensure I’m being clear.”
This acknowledges their needs directly while affirming your willingness to clarify meanings. Using layman’s terms can prevent miscommunications.
Sometimes subject matter experts overestimate people’s familiarity with niche vocabulary. Offering to paraphrase specialized lingo with common tongue demonstrates awareness while keeping content intact.
Other options:
- “Thanks for the feedback – I will be more conscious about using fancy buzzwords without at least defining them first moving forward.”
- “You raise a fair point on avoiding field-specific language that may not click for all audiences. I’m happy to reword any confusing bits into generally understood concepts.”
- “I appreciate you calling out instances where my phrasing goes over people’s heads. I can definitely dial back the obscure terminology.”
When They Want Less Details At First
“I tend to err on the side of over-explaining when passionately discussing a topic. How about I share the basics first, then expand on details later if there’s interest?”
This reply displays self-awareness about your tendency to get lost in granularity when enthusiastic. Offering to stick with high notes upfront provides flexibility based on their appetite for depth.
Example Reply
“You’re right, I do sometimes dive too deep too quick when sharing ideas without checking if others are with me. Let me take a step back and cover just the essentials upfront. There’s time for the finer points later.”
This response acknowledges their feedback non-defensively, while proposing an adaptable way to simplify initially. It caters the depth to their needs.
When immersed in a subject, it’s easy to infodump everything known without checking for understanding. Being willing to throttle the intricacies demonstrates consideration of their capacity to absorb all the nuances in one go.
Other options:
- “I apologize for overloading you with a data dump without first knowing if you had the bandwidth for all those details. Going forward, I’ll be more conscious of checking in on how much depth works.”
- “Thanks for letting me know when I prematurely spew everything there is to know on a topic without taking your familiarity into account. I’m happy to tailor the level of detail to your comfort.”
- “Fair critique on me getting overzealous with relaying every facet before confirming you wanted that full deep dive. How about I stick with the SparkNotes so this stays manageable?”
When They Misunderstand Your Explanations
“I appreciate you informing me my explanations aren’t fully registering. Could you clarify which aspects lose you so I can improve my clarity on those?”
This reply invites feedback on where precisely communication breaks down without getting defensive. It also shows willingness to strengthen explanations for better comprehension.
Example Reply
“I want us to understand each other fully. Could you highlight which parts specifically feel confusing so I can rework my delivery of those?”
This response aims to pinpoint fuzzy areas non-judgmentally while offering to reframe messaging for transparency. It promotes alignment through specificity.
General “simplify” requests provide limited diagnostic insight on comprehension gaps. Gently probing for details on bewildering bits enables addressing those chunks directly.
Other options:
- “Please notify me any time my descriptions feel puzzling so I can take a different tact there.”
- “I’m still calibrating my ability to elucidate concepts effectively to all minds. I welcome any feedback on places where I lost you so I can improve my translations.”
- “If certain aspects don’t land logically, tell me so I can reapproach those spots differently until they click.”
When They Want Concise Bullet Points
“For maximum clarity, I’m happy to boil this down into concise bullet points covering just the crucial bits first.”
This reply demonstrates willingness to synthesize key ideas into scannable bite-sized bits upfront. Streamlining details into digestible bursts caters to different learning preferences.
Example Reply
“No problem, I can definitely tighten this into basic bullet points to simplify consumption of the main concepts first. That still allows room for elaboration as needed.”
This response shows you can readily adapt granular thoughts into concentrated snippets without losing core substance. Different packaging formats can enhance perception.
Bulleted lists enabling grasping essence quickly before diving into deeper layers. Leading with condensed kernels gets the gist across for easy intake. Subsequent detailing then builds intuitively on clarified baselines.
Other options:
- “For sure, let me boil down just the crucial elements into a quick bulleted list to increase skimmability.”
- “I hear you on condensing this into bite-sized pointers first to establish the fundamentals before elaborating. I can definitely translate big blocks into tight bullet points.”
- “Makes total sense on getting the basics down in scannable bullets before adding commentary. I can trim this into concise key phrases for simplified consumption.”
When They Think You Are Overcomplicating
“I apologize if my approach came across as overly convoluted. Allow me to streamline this process focused just on the necessary steps.”
This reply acknowledges their perception non-defensively. It also commits to simplifying the methodology to only critical components. This retains authenticity rather than over-genericizing.
Example Reply
“You raise a fair critique in my tendency to complicate things that don’t require so many layers. Let me peel this back to the bare essentials needed to get the job done without overengineering.”
This response validates their feedback politely while promising to scale back to basic requirements. Pareto’s Principle reminds us that 80% of outcomes often come from 20% of efforts. Streamlining serves most needs.
In an effort to be thorough, it’s easy to pad strategies with non-vital intricacies leading to paralysis by analysis. Willingness to scrap superfluous aspects demonstrates responding to their needs.
Other options:
- “Thanks for catching when my meticulousness drifts into overkill territory. I’m happy to cut out any gratuitous bits that don’t directly contribute.”
- “Fair critique when my solutions spiral into Rube Goldberg territory. Allow me to declutter this to the core factors essential for success without bells and whistles.”
- “Point taken on me complicated things beyond what’s necessary. Let me simplify this radically to basic building blocks.“
Replying to a Girl
When a girl requests you “keep it simple,” err on the side of being more direct and specific in your reply. For instance, “Sure, let me boil this down to just the key action steps” clarifies your intent to get straight to the point without fluff.
Follow by concisely summarizing must-have information. Then invite their feedback, as in “How’s that for keeping it simple while still covering the basics?” This shows you responded to their needs while checking if your simplification hit the mark.
Replying to a Guy
When a guy asks you to keep it simple, take a direct problem-solving stance in response. For example, “Got it, let me strip this down to mission-critical facts so we can make decisive moves.”
Guys tend towards valuing brevity and actionability. Cater to that by framing simplification as a vehicle for clarity on forward progress. Present essential data points then invite next step decisions. This positions simplicity as an enabler versus an end goal.
Key Takeaways
- Reframe simplify requests as help processing information rather than judgment of abilities
- Lead with high-level points before delving into details to align first
- Replace jargon with plain language analogous concepts
- Check for precision on what exactly loses them in explanations
- Synthesize concepts into concise bullet point bites
Keeping It Straightforward
When asked to keep things simple, avoiding knee-jerk defensiveness about our communication style paves the way for mutual understanding. Leaning into grace around differences in processing pace and detail orientation can unlock win-wins. With care towards clarifying while still validating complexity, interpersonal flow finds its natural rhythm.
I’m Sarah Koch, and I work as a Relationship Coach in Austin, Texas. I’ve been doing this job for more than 9 years. I studied Sociology and Counseling Psychology at the University of Texas at Austin. My main goal is to help people create strong and happy relationships. I also wrote a book called “Irresistible Texting” to share my ideas on how to have better relationships through texting.
