The Feynman Technique: How Regulatory Writers Can Simplify Without Dumbing Down

Albert Einstein once said: “If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.” Einstein’s

words echo a principle at the heart of effective communication, especially in the sciences: true understanding manifests through simplicity. This is the essence of the Feynman Technique, a mental model developed by Nobel Prize-winning physicist Richard Feynman, who was famed for his clarity in teaching complex topics. 

In the world of regulatory medical writing, where legal jargon, dense data, and regulatory constraints abound, the Feynman Technique offers a pathway to clarity without compromise. It helps writers deepen their understanding and produce content that is accurate and accessible, an increasingly vital skill in both plain language summaries as well as regulatory documents. So, what is the Feynman technique? 

More Than a Tool for Regulatory Writers

The Feynman Technique is a four-step method to deeply understand and explain concepts clearly. It involves explaining a concept in simple terms to reveal gaps in understanding and reinforce learning.

Let’s trace its steps: 

1. Choose a Concept - Select the idea or process you need to understand.  

2. Teach It to a Child (or a Novice) - Write out or explain the concept in the simplest terms, as if to a curious layperson or child. Use simple language, break it down step-by-step, and explain every jargon or unknown term you use. This is the key, as simplicity reveals clarity. If you can’t explain it simply, you may not understand it as well as you think. 

3. Identify Gaps and Go Back to the Source - Look for areas where your explanation is shaky, for example where you used complex terms without being able to break them down, and return to the source material to fill those gaps. This step is where real learning happens by filling in your knowledge gaps. 

4. Simplify and Create Analogies - Refine your explanation using analogies, metaphors, or more intuitive phrasing and try comparing the idea to everyday things. Analogies make abstract ideas memorable and relatable.  

   
   

The Feynman Technique is more than a tool—it’s a mindset. In medical writing, where complexity is unavoidable, but clarity is essential, adopting this approach helps writers gain a deeper understanding of the topic, communicate the topic clearly to all stakeholders, and effectively comply with the national and international regulations. 

From Data to Dialogue to Regulatory Clarity 

Regulatory writers are tasked with transforming complex data into clear, actionable documents for regulators, healthcare professionals, sponsor companies, and patients. This high-stakes environment demands accuracy and readability; yet many documents are bogged down by overly technical language and ambiguity that obscure key messages, and in turn stall product development, delay approvals, or confuse critical stakeholders. Plain language summaries, for example, are a growing regulatory requirement (eg, under EU Clinical Trial Regulation 536/2014) aimed at making clinical trial results accessible to the public. Ironically, medical writers often struggle with these, despite being experts in the trial content. Why? Because it’s easier to stay in technical language rather than to translate complex ideas for a general audience.

Whether you are drafting a clinical study protocol, a briefing document, or a plain language summary, your ability to “Feynman” your way through the science without assuming the reader knows more than they do can make a difference between a successful approval and a costly confusion.  

Feynman in Action – Practical Application 

Case Report: Informed Consent Form 

An Informed Consent Form (ICF) is a document used in clinical research involving human participants. It is a cornerstone of ethical research practices that ensures a participant is given all the important information about a clinical study before they before they agree to participate. This information can be highly technical and difficult to explain in plain language, especially if you’re not an expert in the subject. The steps below describe how you can tackle this challenge using the Feynman technique:  

Step 1: Review the source documents provided by the study team: clinical study protocol, investigator’s brochure, literature, slide presentations, etc. Identify the key concepts that should be clearly summarized using language adapted to participant’s level of understanding of this topic.  

Step 2: Pretend you’re explaining the data to a non-expert like a friend or family member. Make sure to define any unfamiliar words or abbreviations and use analogies if helpful.  

Risks and discomforts is a particularly important section of the ICF that requires the participant to acknowledge that they understand and accept the potential side effects they may experience. For example, a statement such as this is likely not fully comprehended by a participant: “Participation in this study involves the use of an investigational medication that has not yet been approved by the FDA. Known side effects include fatigue, nausea, dizziness, and increased heart rate. In a small number of participants, more serious complications such as liver damage may occur. You will be monitored regularly, and any serious adverse events will be promptly addressed.” It should be simplified to something like: “In this study, you’ll take a medicine that doctors are still testing. It hasn’t been approved yet, so we’re still learning how it works and if it’s safe. Some people who took the medicine felt tired, dizzy, or sick to their stomachs. Some also had a fast heartbeat. A few people had more serious problems, like liver damage, but this doesn’t happen often. We’ll check on you regularly to make sure you’re okay. If anything serious happens, we’ll help you right away.” 

If you’re having trouble explaining a concept simply, you may not understand it fully, or it may not be clearly explained in the source material. 

Step 3: Read over your explanation and look for anything that sounds confusing or overly technical. Once you’ve identified gaps, go back to the source material or reach out to the study subject matter experts (SMEs) with questions. 

Step 4: Once you’ve clarified the information, rewrite your explanation again. When you feel confident that you understand the data, you can reintroduce the necessary technical language to preserve the accuracy of the information. 

This same technique can be used to explain numerous other complex concepts such as the mechanism of action of a drug, study design, and statistical analyses.  

Conclusions 

The Feynman technique is an active learning method that involves continuous cycles of review and analysis, making it more effective than rote memorization. Understanding the information they’re writing about helps medical writers ask better questions and incorporate SME feedback more effectively. It can also help with identifying inconsistencies in documents or gaps in the storytelling. 

When using this technique, medical writers should be careful to avoid oversimplifying too much or distorting the data with analogies. This can strip the text of the necessary technical nuance and lead to inaccuracies. When used correctly, the Feynman technique can be a powerful editing tool that allows writers to achieve both clarity and scientific rigor in their documents. 

For more information on how to simplify your science writing, read our blog post about writing for a lay audience: How to Write About Science for a Lay Audience - SYNTEREX