Fun, Emotional and Simple
Telling people stories is fun. It is meant to be. Good stories are fun, visual, and emotional.
It does not have to be the that people think that stories about serious things like population growth, trade policy or natural resources are dull.
More often than not, it is the way that the stories are told that turn people are off. Let’s be honest, often the way supposedly complex issues are told are plain dull, incoherent and as exciting as watching paint dry.
Dull Is Easy and Very Ineffective
I know. I am have been responsible for a lot of very dull work.
Dull work is easier to do. Sometimes it is easier to get dull past dull committees, its quicker to do, and it lets you get home earlier. Many academics love making their work incomprehensible, the best don’t.
Good Works
There is a problem with dull – it also does not work too well. It does not persuade, involve and excite people, and it is a lot of hard work.
The history of the world over the last 200 years can be explained – you can watch Hans Rosling explains it here
Do you want to better understand the how Adam Smith’s Free Market works. Well, you should watch this powerful film about how smartphones are made. You can watch it here.
Do You Want to Win People Over
I think the question really is: “Do you really want to win people over, do you really want to win, really want to communicate your case in the best way, to the right people at the right time?”
Caveman Communication
I have learnt that most of the time the answer is no.
People often want to win on their terms. They want to force people to understand their position by forcing their jargon, values and beliefs on them. This is caveman communication at its best. Hit your victim (the person your trying to win over) over the head hard and long enough with your arguments, and your bound to win them over (or at least knock them out).
In practice it is does not work. It turns people off. It turns them against your case. It shuts them down.
Rosling and I, Smart Phone show you that that smart thinking can be fun, emotional, and simple.