Understanding the Ladder of Abstraction and its Application in Communication.

The Ladder of Abstraction is a theory created and presented by linguist S.I. Hayakawa in his 1939 book “Language in Action.” It describes how humans think and communicate at different levels of abstraction.

Professionals are called upon from time to time to present to audiences that may lack their technical expertise and persuade them to take a particular course of action. Understanding the concept of the Ladder of Abstraction is critical to making great presentations that ultimately connect with these audiences.

A ladder presents the perfect imagery for this concept. As the ladder rests on solid ground, the bottom of the ladder of abstraction represents concrete things or ideas. The Middle of the ladder represents things or ideas that are not entirely concrete, and yet not completely abstract, while the top of the ladder represents abstract ideas or concepts.

Public speakers must avoid what we call “dead level abstraction”: speaking at one level of abstraction and not oscillating between levels. Good speakers realise that audiences need both concrete details and abstract ideas to make a strong persuasive argument. Major Speeches like Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream”, Senator Barack Obama’s speech on race, and Steve Jobs' launch of the iPhone moved up and down the ladder, making audiences more receptive to their message.

Nancy Duarte, an authority on the Structure of great presentations, has done groundbreaking work articulating the structure of some of history’s greatest speeches, and her narrative suggests speakers avoid “dead level abstraction” and connect deeply with their audiences.

Conducting a comprehensive Audience Analysis as part of speech preparation helps speakers determine how to create a rhythm that balances across the ladder of abstraction and know where to begin and end their presentations.

You can find more information on the Ladder of Abstraction using the following links

Andrew Dlugan, “The Ladder of Abstraction and the Public Speaker.” September 15th 2013. Available on http://sixminutes.dlugan.com/ladder-abstraction/#more-8707

Nancy Duarte, “The Secret Structure of Great Talks.” November 2011, Available on http://www.ted.com/talks/nancy_duarte_the_secret_structure_of_great_talks

Hayakawa S.I. and Alan R. Hayakawa, Language in Thought and Action (Plymouth; McNeil, 1991), 85-95