Yassas!
In the past I used to sigh each time I had to repeat myself on what we do, feeling that I’ve explained it a million of times and somehow, it looks I speak alien language that no one understands.
The problem was me.
This is probably one of the main reasons startups don’t grow. This and product-market fit. When you have a clearly defined problem you’re solving, it’s easier to prioritise, pick things that get you closer to your goal and attract the right type of audience. Now, each time I get questions like that, I see it as a great opportunity to refine the answers and simplify them even further.
But it’s not only startups. It applies to any situation when you’re trying to influence somebody to accept your idea or buy something.
Speak my language
The intrinsic value of what you’re offering may be attractive, but if you can’t articulate it in a way that hooks your audience (i.e. tailoring your message to their background, interests, and level of technical knowledge), they will just ignore it. Don’t let them think. Use analogies and metaphors that your audience will understand. Bring case studies that they can relate to and most of all – avoid jargon of all costs.
Nobody cares about finding links between silos and unstructured data. Or the fact that you’re enterprise ready, patent-pending. Or that you work in agile methodology. Nobody gives a shit.
At least, not at the early stage.
Geeks, it’s not our fault that we get excited about technology and the opportunity it presents, but remember that other people (those decision makers) want to know what’s in it for them. How does it make their life or work easier?
Tech is just a tool. It matters what you do with it.
Don’t assume they know
When you live in your own bubble and breathe that stuff daily, you don’t realise that others may not know what you think it’s ‘obvious’. As a result, you can lose their interest fast, if you don’t explain the value you bring clearly.
Don’t vomit information onto somebody
Credit: Jason Komosa
If you send a cold email that looks like an essay with more than one ask, don’t be surprised if you don’t get answer.
It renders true to any form of communication. You need to be very precise with the outcome you’re hoping to get and the value you’re giving in return. If it’s an email – end with just one ask. If it’s a talk – what’s one, most important take away you want your audience to remember? If it’s an early stage prospecting – what will happen next? You get the idea.
People suffer from something called data / or information paralysis. In today’s workplace (and outside of it), we’re bombarded with more data than ever before. It’s supposed to make us more efficient, but for many, it’s having the opposite effect. Instead of empowering us, it’s overwhelming us.
If you’re trying to make a decision but are buried under a mountain of emails, spreadsheets, reports, and analytics, you’ll likely leave it till the last moment or pretend that it’s not there (if there are no consequences for you as an individual, because the task is a group responsibility). The result? Stressed-out employees, delayed decisions, and missed opportunities.
Operate from this perspective and make it easy for others to understand what you want from them. Help others swim in this sea of data, not sink in it.
While data daze may be less familiar than analysis paralysis or data distrust, you’re likely to have already experienced it personally or seen other people overwhelmed by it. Essentially, data daze is a form of information overload when someone is attempting to consume too many metrics/dimensions, charts, reports and so on at the same time. When an audience’s eyes glaze over during a data-intensive presentation or as they review a complex dashboard, you’re often seeing the effects of data daze.
The human brain can only consume so much information before becoming overloaded.
In 1956, psychologist George A. Miller found that most people can only handle 7 chunks of information (+/- 2) at a time. In 2004, psychologist Barry Schwartz introduced the Paradox of Choice where having more options to choose from actually increases our anxiety and interferes with our ability to make decisions as consumers.
If less is more, we’re certainly our own worst enemies when it comes to data sharing and consumption.
Guide them to your preferred choice
When I was a teenager I read this brilliant book about persuasion called Influence by Robert Cialdini. I guess I wanted to persuade my mom to let me stay out longer or use dial-in internet more often 🙂 Anyway. I learned about phenomenon called “Decoy Effect” or “Asymmetric Dominance Effect, and then I started seeing it everywhere. In essence, it’s a cognitive bias in which the presence of a third, less attractive option (the “decoy”) changes people’s preferences between two other options. It was originally demonstrated by behavioural economists Joel Huber, John Payne, and Christopher Puto in 1982 and this is how it typically works:
- Option A is good in some ways.
- Option B is good in other ways.
- Option C (the decoy) is similar to B but clearly inferior.
The presence of Option C makes Option B look much more attractive, even though the relationship between A and B hasn’t changed.
If you’ve ever bought a coffee, upgraded a meal at McDonald or a chose a subscription service, you’ve been manipulated to choose an option, that is most profitable for that said company.
Are we there yet?
Onions have layers. Ogres have layers.
Shrek
People and technology are complex, just like Ogres, from the famous movie Shrek. The point is to ‘peel’ the complexity as needed, starting from the very generic, easy to grasp information to a deep-dive depending on who is interested in what (CFO director will care about different aspects than an Enterprise Architect).
Teach while you learn
The best way to simplify and improve your communication is to teach others what you’re learning in an area you want to provide value. This way it’s not invasive, you’re providing value and you’re establishing yourself as an expert in “x”.
Tech feels equally exciting as scary, often paralysing. And to certain extend, AI is helping to accelerate those changes at previously unseen pace. I personally want to prepare people for what’s coming next. And I want to learn myself, from those much smarter than me, asking many questions. Be the most stupid person in the room to keep growing. Or change that room, when not.
Through our work at Untrite and my personal projects including;
– My podcast Are You Human (if you haven’t yet – subscribe!)
– The live.laugh.build #hankka newsletter (that you’re reading now)
– Speaking engagements etc,
I want to bring back the human part, help others make more money taking advantage of technology and achieve our true potential. Help build and create.
Of course, nobody knows how it will unravel, but it’s important that we have those conversations and build with safety and applicability in mind.
Opa!🍽️
📸: Santorini
