Embrace Simplicity to Reap Opportunities
It’s common to say that ‘we live in a complex world.’ In the face of fast-changing technology, technical international treaties, and major social problems that demand revision, we can confidently say that the issues we need to discuss deeply about are in no way easy to handle.
Yet, the same reasons that make this a complex place also give us endless possibilities for growth. Today more than ever, we have the means to communicate and build meaningful relationships with others that help us achieve our personal and professional goals. But to do so, we must find a way to make the most out of those opportunities.
A Challenge for Communication
You don’t have to look too far to find complexity in the world. Whether you are developing an ambitious personal project, trying to launch your career as a writer, or teaching people new skills, you are likely an expert on your own, engaging with complexity in your everyday life.
As such, you must find a method to tackle complex ideas and effectively convey them to others. But that’s not an easy job.
For one thing, the people you communicate with don’t share your context — they have their own professions, interests, and life experiences. Ignoring their needs and trying to reach them cold is a dead end, so you must address their concerns first before they can see why your ideas matter to their lives.
But how can you achieve it?
The Value of Simplicity
To increase your influence in people and engage in motivating discussions with them, you must start making your conversations simpler.
Simpler doesn’t mean superficial. Developing new ideas involves real difficulties that no magic formula can make disappear, and you want to be sure to respect that. But if you want to make your ideas accessible, you need to uphold clarity in the way you communicate with others.
Pushing for greater clarity and conciseness can be a real game-changer. Oftentimes, our success in persuading others depends in large part on how simple we can convey difficult subjects to those who don’t share our background.
Every entrepreneur knows that coming up with a revolutionary idea is only the first step to score a hit. Taking your ventures from a mere sketch to a reality involves finding financial backing to support your work. To hook investors, you must transmit to them the value of your work in simple, yet compelling terms.
Of course, this is better said than done. But there are two skills you can start building up which will greatly boost your caliber as a communicator.
Color Your Ideas
A business venture or a book idea are examples of what can be very abstract projects. What’s more, in the face of ambitious new ideas, people will have trouble even following your train of thought, not to mention recognizing the merits of your work.
This is why it is essential to color your conversations with compelling examples and stories people can easily relate with. You want to make an extra effort to illustrate how your ideas look in action, so others can see their full potential.
One useful way of coloring your discussions is to emphasize the real-life changes your idea can bring to others. For example, simply listing the parts and features of your new Italian coffee maker will hardly impress your prospects. But if you take the time to show them how your product will enable them to prepare the best homemade macchiato, that will spark their interest and motivate them to research further.
Finding the right examples in your presentations and discussions — whether they come from historical cases, personal stories, analogies, or thought experiments — is a process that takes skill. But If you master the method, your conversations will never be the same.
Aim for the Core
People have limited time and frankly, they are not willing to put up with every nonsense they hear. So, if you want to get the most out of your interactions with others, then you need to concentrate your efforts on not two, not three, but one core idea.
Focusing on a single point will help you best steer the conversations and avoid falling into never-ending mazes. This is a skill top-notch managers excel at when they give constructive feedback. Instead of reviewing every single misstep taken, they ask themselves “what key idea should this person leave with?” and then provide actionable takeaways to their peers.
Being on the lookout for the core premise can greatly enhance your life beyond the context of business. Imagine how more productive a discussion with your partner would be if you agreed that the best way to solve your problems is to quickly and calmly sort out the most important point to address at a time.
Getting to the core idea will not always be easy: in our complex world, everything needs to be discussed with care. But give it a try: focusing your powers to a core mindset will help you share your ideas at a deeper level. Why not invest your time and resources first in maximizing meaningful conversations?
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Complexity is a feature, not a bug of modern life. The intricate (often intractable) networks of people working together to produce breakthrough ideas are the source of our progress.
But if you want to influence others and cooperate with them, then you must be prepared bring your ideas to life, making them less abstract or confusing.
This is not an impossible task once you adopt the simplicity mindset. Pouring your energies on one central point and trying to color it with convincing examples are easy practical steps you can start taking today to upgrade the quality of your conversations.
You have nothing to lose and many, many opportunities to seize by becoming a core thinker. What other reasons do you need to maximize the value your day-to-day conversations?
By Ricardo Pinto
Ricardo is a Content Writer and Creator at Novel Philosophy Academy
