For anyone working with complex subject matter – think financial markets, legal rules or tech innovations – it can be tempting to fall back on jargon. But if you want your message to stick, metaphors are the better choice. They bring clarity without taking away from what you want to say.

Why do metaphors work so well?

Most people think in images, not in Excel sheets or legal formulas. When we hear a comparison, it activates something familiar in our brain. The unknown becomes connected to what we already understand.

❌ Tell a layperson that inflation erodes purchasing power, and they will nod politely.

✅ Compare inflation to a hole in a bucket that keeps it from ever filling up, and they instantly understand the concept.

That anchoring in the reader’s own world is what makes metaphors so powerful. They’re not decoration. They can stir emotions and therefore be more persuasive than mere facts.

Clear, but not simplistic

Still, it’s a tricky balance. Comparisons that oversimplify can do injustice to the complexity of your subject. A bad metaphor can even create misunderstandings.

Take the often-heard comparison that the brain ‘works like a computer’. It works to convey a basic idea, but is misleading at the same time : our brain has no hard drive or RAM, and decisions are rarely binary. The metaphor risks distorting a concept more than clarifying it.

The art lies in balancing both: metaphors need to be simple enough to capture the essence of an idea, and precise enough to preserve nuance.

Three rules for strong metaphors

1. Take the reader’s world as your starting point

An entrepreneur will more easily understand that liquidity is ‘the oil that greases a machine’ than that it ‘covers short-term obligations’. Evoke images that connect to everyday life.

2. Test for accuracy

Always ask yourself: does the comparison really hold? Could the metaphor be interpreted in a different way? A clumsy metaphor can damage your credibility.

3. Use them sparingly

A text overloaded with metaphors will read like a play with incessant smoke effects: spectacular, but the core message gets lost. A metaphor is a tool, not a circus act. Imagery should never steal the show — as it admittedly does at the top of this very paragraph 😉

Practical examples

➡️ Diversified portfolio

“A diversified investment portfolio is like a football team. You don’t put 11 strikers on the pitch, but a mix of players with different roles.”

➡️ Firewall

“Firewalls work like nightclub bouncers. They decide who gets in, turn away suspicious characters, but let regular guests through.”

➡️ Job interview

“A job interview is like a first date. You try to show your best side, but the real chemistry only becomes clear over time.”

➡️ Processing trauma

“Processing trauma is like clearing out an attic for the first time in a long time. You have to go through every box, relive memories that may be painful , but after everything has been sorted you have new space to live.”

➡️ Risk management

“Risk management is like choosing your outfit for the day. You check the weather forecast, bring an umbrella just in case, but you don’t wear a snowsuit in July.”

The pitfalls

Metaphors are tempting, but they can backfire:

• Too far-fetched: If it takes three paragraphs to explain your metaphor, you have lost your reader.
• Too cliché: Comparing something to a marriage or a journey quickly sounds trite . Look for fresher angles.
• Too dominant: Sometimes the metaphor takes over, and the reader remembers only the image, not the content.
• Too culture-specific: A metaphor that makes sense in your context may be incomprehensible in another.
• Too much framing: A metaphor can impose a conceptual framework . Framing a war as a chess game makes it seem strategic, while pushing its human toll to the background.
  

A good test: imagine reading your text out loud. If the image flows smoothly, it works. If you find yourself explaining why the metaphor doesn’t fully apply, scrap it.

How to get better at metaphors

A few simple methods:

• Write down difficult concepts you often need to explain, and come up with three possible images for each.
• Observe your surroundings: a sports match, a cooking show, a train ride. The best metaphors are often within easy reach. Don’t overcomplicate.
• Test them on a live audience: try your metaphor in conversation. If the other person nods or smiles, you know it works.
• Curate your own collection: note strong metaphors you come across. Build yourself a personal inspiration list.
  

More than a stylistic device

Metaphors aren’t just tricks to liven up your writing. They are bridge-builders. At a time when readers are flooded with information, a strong image helps your core message stick.

The art of metaphors is not just aesthetic, but strategic. You make your message accessible without making it any less compelling. And that’s precisely what communication should do: not necessarily simplify, but clarify.

Finally, not everything needs to be wrapped in a metaphor. Sometimes other rhetorical devices work better. Metaphors simply are part of a broader communication toolkit.