Drew McLellan asked a compelling question over at Drew’s Marketing Minute…
Are you confident enough to be simple?
Drew suggests that people are “afraid the audience won’t get it." Then he added that this fear … “speaks volumes – but not about the audience.” Interestingly, fear adds cortisol that zaps confidence needed for simplicity.
To communicate simply, though, takes mental steps – that tend to come mainly to communicators who target clarity and interactive exchanges with participants.
So why is confidence involved?
Here are 5 areas where confidence segues into simplicity:
1. Replace jargon with words more familiar to a wider mix of people. I like to play with words in ways that people will have fun “trying on” new words from my topic … which is brain based business.
2. Don’t confuse simple with simplistic but instead use CS Lewis’ notion of simplicity beyond complexity. Benefits of the brain, for example, rooted in solid facts and observed research – are simply stated in accurate terms people understand.
3. See how simple for one can be complex for another. The brain helps people to convert a concept from complex to simple through: laughter, practical applications, teaching others at the same time we learn a thing, relating it to metaphors, engaging participants' multiple intelligences and sprinkling the session with carefully selected music.
4. Add zip through curiosity building - and simplicity will no longer get lost in boring talks, like a needle in a haystack.
5. Inspire people rather than impress people -- and simplicity becomes the vehicle of choice - to carry innovations into participants' lives where they’ll run with meaning.
It’s worth the confidence to stay simple in these 5 ways – and when serotonin helps me to remember to do so - transformation is evident at Brain Based Leadership circles!
Would you agree that simple tends to lie best beyond complexity for people who take it there? Are you confident enough to be simple?
Number 5 is my favorite! It works on so many levels!!
Posted by: ann michael | July 1, 2007 7:36 PM | Permalink to Comment