Don't Talk About the Peas PB&J

One part of effective communication involves removal. If you're going to guide me towards information you want me to have, pay close care that you don't side track me down a road you don't really want me to take. There's a processing experience our brains do that can be so detrimental to actually absorbing the important point.

The Thread Problem

Every time you communicate, you open a thread of thought. The whole point of clear interactions is to keep those threads to a minimum. That's where it gets as messy as a peas and peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

If you say something, it's another thread. The more you talk about, the more threads of thought you OPEN. Now, the problem comes when you don't close a thread.

By this, I mean, if you say something, our brains are going to try and follow the thread to see where it goes. If YOU don't finish a thought for us, we'll use up some of our mental energy trying to guess how that thread will end.

That first graphic is a peas and pb&j sandwich. (Absurd, right?) Then, I mentioned it again. At this point, you must at least a little bit be thinking, "Why the heck did Brogan make me think of something so stupid?"

Because many people do this all the time. They open a thread about something they don't want you to think about, and eat up some of your brain doing so.

Kill Your Darlings

There's a term writers throw around and it's "kill your darlings." (Now, to be frank, the real saying was "kill your babies," but that's less palatable.) The idea is simple: even if you love something, if it's not contributing to the primary goal, chuck it out.

In presenting, in communicating, in conveying an idea, the more things you stuff into the presentation, the worse it will likely be retained, restored, heard, absorbed, and most importantly: used.

There's a time for wide open ideas, and there's a time to just stick to the bare bones and as few details as it takes to get to the part that matters. Slay all the bits that don't matter. Be ruthless. Take away everything but the most important parts.

This changes everything. I promise.

Point A to B and then C

Always move towards an obvious end goal in presenting information to people. You're not writing a mystery thriller. If you mention the peas pb&j in the room, people will feel the threads opening out and not closing. Our wee little brains will be stretched so thin!

Get from where you started to where you're headed as crisp and as clean as you can.

Good? Fair?

Chris...