11 Professional Ways to Say “Connect the Dots”

Are you trying to find a more formal way to say “connect the dots”?

Perhaps you’re concerned the phrase itself is informal or insincere.

Luckily, you’ve come to the right place to learn more about this.

After all, we will teach you how to say “connect the dots” in an email to ensure you meet the right tone requirements.

You can review this list of synonyms to learn more about what works:

• Put in context
• Make a connection
• Establish the correlation
• Understand the situation
• See the pattern
• Identify the connection
• Discern the relationship
• See the big picture
• Find out how they connect
• Recognize association
• Piece it together

Keep reading to learn another word for connecting things together. We’ll explain the synonyms from above to give you a clearer picture of how to include them.

1. Put in Context

One of the best synonyms to use as a professional way to say “connect the dots” is “put in context.”

It’s formal and clear, showing what your intentions are.

For the most part, this works best when asking employees for elaboration.

It shows that you’d like more information from them before you continue analyzing something.

You can review this sample email to learn a bit more about how it works:

Dear Sharon,

I’m sure it’ll make more sense when put in context.

It’ll help me to understand more about what you’re expecting to get from the project.

Best wishes,
Sam Ryder

2. Make a Connection

Next, we recommend using “make a connection.”

This is an excellent way to be formal and direct when you’re trying to establish a connection between two things.

For instance, you can use this when explaining your methods to a client.

It lets them know why you’re trying to do something, as you think it’ll be valuable for you to make a connection.

Generally, it’s a much more respectful way to show you’re trying to “connect the dots” in formal writing.

Check out this sample email if you still need help understanding it:

Dear Miss Jeffries,

I’m going to make a connection between these things to help you.

Let me know if you still require an explanation after this.

Yours,
Tyler Church

3. Establish the Correlation

Another way to say “connect the dots” is “establish the correlation.” This is a formal and direct alternative that works quite well in most email situations.

For instance, you can use this when writing to your employer.

It gives them an idea of what you’re trying to achieve when setting out to complete a new project.

Since “connecting the dots” refers to matching one idea to another, you can use this to show how two ideas might interfere with each other.

You can review this sample email if you still need help with it:

Dear Ms. Anderson,

I’m trying to establish the correlation between these two events.

I’m sure there’s an obvious connection here that we’ve missed so far.

All the best,
Rosie Chesterfield

4. Understand the Situation

Another way to say “connect the dots” is “understand the situation.”

This is a simple phrase that shows you’d like more information to help you understand something.

Generally, you can use this when contacting your employer.

It’s a respectful and formal phrase that shows you’d like more information about something. This might help your employer to explain a connection between two things to get you to understand it better.

Check out the following email example if you still need help with it:

Dear Ms. Staines,

I want to understand the situation more by figuring out how this all connects.

Please leave it with me while I figure out what to do.

Best wishes,
Sandy Lopez

5. See the Pattern

Next, you might want to use “see the pattern” as a formal alternative.

It’s direct and clear, showing that you’d like someone to pay attention to the connections between multiple things.

Generally, if a pattern develops, it means there’s an obvious connection that people might miss.

So, you can use this when contacting a student. It gives them a chance to explore a pattern more or connect some dots to help them do better with their work.

You can also review this example if you need more help understanding it:

Dear Rachel,

I want you to see the pattern to understand more about this assignment.

Keep looking through my original files to see what you learn.

Yours,
Daniel Hunt

6. Identify the Connection

There’s no reason why you can’t use “identify the connection” in your formal emails, either.

It’s professional and clear. So, it gets to the point quickly and lets someone know exactly what you expect to happen.

This could be a good choice when writing to coworkers. It’s ideal because it suggests that you have a plan or goal to achieve something, and you’d like their assistance with it.

You can also review the following email example if you need a bit more guidance:

Dear Natasha,

It would help if you could identify the connection between these things first.

Then, we can start working closely on the project at hand.

All the best,
Jonathan Swash

7. Discern the Relationship

For something a bit unique, try “discern the relationship.” It’s formal and clear, making it an excellent choice that shows you’re trying to figure out how to connect the dots.

Generally, this is a decent idiom to use in most business emails.

After all, it’s direct and open, giving the recipient a chance to explore some connections that others might not see.

Therefore, you can use this when encouraging employees to look into something further.

This sample email will also clear some things up:

Dear Abigail,

You’re going to be able to discern the relationship quite clearly.

I’m certain you’ll find a simple way to move on with this project.

All the best,
John Adams

8. See the Big Picture

A great idiom to use instead of “connect the dots” is “see the big picture.”

This is a common replacement for “connect the dots” that suggests you’re trying to make connections to get a better idea of something.

It’s formal and well-known, making it a clear choice to include in most business emails.

You could include it when writing to your teacher. It could give them a better idea of why you’re trying to do something, as you want to make appropriate connections.

Also, you can check out this example to learn a bit more:

Dear Ms. Cassey,

It’s important that I see the big picture before handing this in.

That’s why I’m taking my time to understand all the relevant connections.

Yours,
Tyler Conch

9. Find Out How They Connect

You can also instruct someone to connect the dots by using “find out how they connect.”

Of course, this is a more bossy phrase to use when you’re talking to someone who works for you.

Therefore, it’s useful when helping employees to understand more about their assignments.

It’s clear and shows that you want them to find a suitable way to move forward with something.

If you still don’t understand it, you may want to review this example:

Dear Russell,

I’d appreciate it if you could find out how they connect.

Then, we’ll understand our clients better before we move on.

Yours,
Ron Wesley

10. Recognize Association

Another great synonym to include in your writing is “recognize association.”

This is professional and sincere. It’s an effective way to speak to someone when you don’t know them well but still need to engage with them.

Therefore, this could work when contacting a new client. It shows that you’re trying to find the best ways to connect the dots in different projects.

The phrase itself is formal and respectful. But it also does a good job of avoiding overly friendly or familiar language.

Feel free to review this example if you still need a bit of help with it:

Dear Ms. Applegarth,

We are going to recognize association with these projects.

We’ll have more information to share with you once we know more.

Best regards,
Dan Evans

11. Piece It Together

Finally, you can write “piece it together” as a professional way to say “connect the dots.”

This shows that someone has been given all the ingredients to figure out a larger puzzle. It’s up to them to start piecing things together to see what they learn.

We recommend using this to be formal and helpful. It allows you to explain what you want someone to achieve before moving forward.

For example, this might be an effective choice when writing to a student.

You can give them a better idea of how to understand something before they have to hand an assignment in.

Also, it’s good to review this example if you want to understand a bit more about it:

Dear Adrienne,

You will need to piece it together with all the information you’ve received.

Please let me know if there’s anything more I can help you with.

Yours,
Luke Powell