I discovered today that the German for this phrase is kurzgesagt, and is the name taken by a design agency with a hugely popular YouTube channel.

They produce animation explainer videos in a very particular design style, which you may or may not like, but its clear millions of people do. They focus on science and philosophy, making it accessible and intriguing. Or as they say: “Nothing in the universe is boring if you tell a good story.”

I would recommend having a nose around their YouTube Channel – it is easy to hop from one 10 minute video to another, some focussing on the factual, some perhaps challenging a more existential reflection, such as this one:

“In a nutshell” is a phrase we all use often – meaning to describe something in summary, to pick out the core parts and replay them to help understanding. Blogs, for example, do that well – their short format and informal style play to that easy way of learning, albeit by skimming the surface of a topic. As do the videos described above.

A different approach to the depth of academic learning and research we promote across our University perhaps, or a pleasing counter? A way to engage with and introduce topics, or simply feeding a millennial culture of shorter attention spans wanting top tips and immediate answers? We will all have our own perspective. For me, anything that enables learning at any level is positive in my book. It’s a short book though. Full of top tips 🙂

Juliet Flynn, Organisational and People Development