There is one thing common for success, whether it is an important business meeting or your college presentation, and that is effective communication. Often in these scenarios, we see people highlighting numbers, data, and facts. However, a missing puzzle piece that ties the whole thing together is the contextual background behind the big numbers.
Similarly, in any conversation or presentation, the facts alone do not represent the whole story. That is, facts alone are not enough for success. You can have all the information lined up, but without framing it with care, the message will not matter. That is where the bricks and mortar concept comes to life. It is the essential balance between numbers and their background.
In the concept of bricks and mortar, bricks are the facts, and mortar is the meaning that holds them together. So, one without the other is incomplete.
Facts provide structure and credibility. But facts by themselves rarely move people. They can feel distant, cold, or irrelevant if the listener doesn’t see how they apply to their own life. On the other hand, mortar gives context to those facts. It turns information into something meaningful. It makes people feel connected to what you’re saying.
So, when we apply this concept to our communication strategy, we add context, emotion, and relevance to our audiences and help them stick. Good communicators understand this balance. They don’t just list facts. They make people care by showing how those facts connect to real-life situations. They create interest and energy by focusing on what matters to the audience.
For example, telling someone to invest in a stock that may grow over five years might seem like good advice. But if the person needs that money for a home next year, the advice doesn’t fit. The fact remains the same, but the context changes how it should be received.
On the other hand, if the money is for a child’s college fund 15 years away, the same investment makes much more sense. The context transforms the decision. Another example is learning about second careers. Some may not care about this topic at all if they have no plans to work after retirement.
But for someone who wants to shift from physical work to something lighter, the topic becomes valuable. The information stays the same, but its usefulness changes depending on who hears it and what they need.
This is how context, or mortar, works. It doesn’t change the facts, but rather shifts the perception of how they are felt. By doing so, it creates relevance. It brings everything together in a way that feels complete and human.