Big picture

Big picture

The English expression we’re talking about today is “big picture.” What does it mean to look at the big picture? Or to have a big picture idea? It means to have a wide or complete perspective. It’s the opposite of being obsessed with small details. You’re thinking about the big, strategic questions when you’re thinking about the big picture.

Let me give you an example. Zoom and Microsoft Teams are two different ways of holding an online meeting. A detail-oriented question might be, Which is better for organizing an online meeting, Zoom or Microsoft Teams? A big-picture question might be, “What can we do to improve the quality of our online meetings? Do we even need to have online meetings at all?” That’s a big-picture question.

Earlier in the lesson, I was talking about the way work might change. And I started with some tactical things—how an office might be designed. But then I pivoted to some big-picture questions. Do we need to work for just one employer at a time, or can we be free agents? The arrangement of the desks in the office is a detail-type question; asking, do we even need to be in an office is a big-picture question.

Have you ever been in a discussion and you think people are worrying too much about small, inconsequential things? Here’s something you can say in that situation: We need to be thinking about the big picture. Let’s think about the big picture here. I mentioned I’m redesigning the web site. Let’s pretend JR and I are together having a strategy session. I’m worried about the text on the top of the web site. What size is right? Should it go across the whole top of the page, or be on the side? Should you see a promotional video right when you load the new home page?

Then JR stops me. Let’s look at the big picture. What do people need to know right when they load Plain English for the first time? I was all worried about the size and positioning of the text and elements of the page. But JR is worried about the big picture: what is the page trying to accomplish? Let’s start with the big picture and worry about the details later. Good advice, JR!

One thing that worries me about the coronavirus pandemic and response is that we’ll re-arrange our whole society around the threat of a virus or a pandemic. We’ll put space between us. We’ll stop touching things. We’ll have to wear masks. We’ll stand six feet behind each other in line. But the fact is, all these things have a cost too. Can we think about the big picture? What is all this separation going to do to society? Is it going to make people lonelier? Is it going to make it harder to connect with others? These are big-picture questions and I’m worried they’re getting lost in our rush to re-arrange lines at take-out restaurants.

Sometimes people who say, “Let’s look at the big picture,” are providing valuable perspective. But other times, they’re avoiding the pesky details. Some people are more comfortable working in the details—they’re about operations and execution. Then they hear someone say, “I’m a big picture thinker” and all they do is express these grandiose ideas without ever having to do anything besides talk. Those people drive me nuts! The big-picture thinkers who can’t be bothered to think about details—ever! There’s a time to think about the big picture and a time to think about the details; that’s what I say.

JR’s song of the week

This is a long lesson already, so we’ll be quick here. The song of the week is “Head Full of Doubt/Road Full of Promise” by the Avett Brothers. It was featured in the TV show “Supernatural” and I picked it this week—JR was hard at work when the time came to pick a song, so I picked the last one I added to my Deezer playlist. I heard this song as I was waiting in line the other day and thought, I need to hear this again. So I added it—“Head Full of Doubt / Road Full of Promise” by The Avett Brothers.

See you next time!

That’s it for today. Congratulations on finishing another Plain English lesson! And as we count down toward the release of our new web site, you can sign up to receive a special preview, vote on new features, get a sneak preview of the new design and logo, and much more by visiting us at PlainEnglish.com/new .

We’ll see you right back here on Monday.