The World Bank's "Since You Asked" is a video series that tackles the complexities of global development and the inner workings of the World Bank Group to make them accessible for everyone. Each video is designed to answer common questions we receive from our stakeholders and provide a concise overview of key topics related to the World Bank's work.
We gather a range of topics and ask a variety of guest speakers, staff members, and experts to help break down the subject into easily digestible talking points. By stripping away jargon and acronyms, the series ensures that complex issues are simple to understand. Our goal is to demystify global development and provide clear, engaging answers to the questions people are asking.
This project all started with a simple idea: answering the questions people actually have. We wanted to create a video series that could take the really complex stuff about global development and the World Bank and make it accessible to anyone.
Our plan was to listen first. We gathered all the common questions we get from our teams and partners, then picked the most important topics. For each one, we'd sit down with different experts—our own staff, partners, specialists—to break it down. The main thing was to keep it simple. We made a conscious effort to strip away all the jargon and acronyms, which, as you can imagine, was a huge challenge. But by focusing on short, digestible videos, we were able to get right to the point.
The biggest hurdle was figuring out how to explain these highly technical, data-heavy topics without losing their accuracy. Our solution was a "less is more" approach. We focused on delivering just one clear message per video and used simple visuals to help explain the more complex ideas. It's a discipline we're proud of, because it means anyone can watch our videos and immediately get it.
We consider the "Since You Asked" series a success because it's done exactly what we set out to do: make complex global topics understandable for a wide audience. The thousands of views we've seen on social media prove that we're effectively reaching people with clear, engaging content.
But what we're most proud of is how the series has become a valuable, trusted resource. Our own teams and external partners are using the videos in presentations and meetings to help stakeholders quickly grasp key ideas. We didn't just create content to be watched; we created a tool that educates and informs. It's truly a testament to the series' value that it's now being actively used to present our ideas and spark important conversations.
