Simplicity is the Key

“Most of the fundamental ideas of science are essentially simple, and may, as a rule, be expressed in a language comprehensible to everyone.”

Albert Einstein

There is a popular idiom in English language "when you hear hoofbeats think horses, not zebras". It refers to the principle that the most likely solution is the simplest one. This is not because simpler explanations are usually correct, but because you make fewer assumptions.

It is a popular explanation of a principle stated by the medieval Scholastic philosopher William of Ockham (1285–1347/49) that "plurality should not be posited without necessity".

A few months ago our company was hired by the Bulgarian subsidiary of a large international financial group to do series of trainings, in order to enhance the abilities to engage an audience of certain subject matter experts, by simplifying complexed concepts, which is essential in the process of learning.

Our own experience based on that and similar other projects as well, shows that although it might seem relatively easy to communicate in a simple and and yet comprehensive manner, it is actually a very tricky task to deliver the essence of a message, without overloading the short-term memory of the addressee.

According to Information Processing Theory(1956) by George A. Miller,?the short-term memory could only hold limited chunks of information (seven plus or minus two) where a chunk is any meaningful unit. A chunk could refer to digits, words, etc. The concept of chunking and the limited capacity of short-term memory is a fundamental part of the subsequent theories of memory since.

Let me give you an example.

When you have to remember ten digits for example, the most difficult approach for our short-term memory will be trying to memorize all of them separately:

2 6 5 8 4 3 5 9 1 7

It will be much easier to group them:

265 843 5917

This way, instead of memorizing ten digits separately, we have to remember two three-digit and one four-digit numbers.

Based on that concept, when we want our audience to comprehend and memorize the essence of?our message, it is crucial to practice simplifying as much as possible, without changing the meaning, of course. We are grouping the words in a sentence into short meaningful phrases. When we want to successfully deliver a complexed information simultaneously on a verbal, paraverbal and non-verbal level, there are a few basic rules to follow:

1.????Sentences, instead of paragraphs.

2.????Key expressions, instead of sentences.

3.????Key words, instead of key expressions.

For example, your audience has to remember the following text:

“Mehrabian actually made a study in the late 60-ies and the ratio is true in face to face?communication, but only when the speaker talks abut his feelings, likes or dislikes, or attitude.

In other words, the study is limited. It does not affect every aspect of the communication, therefore it cannot be applied to every situation in face to face communication.”

What you do, is simply verbalize it by chunk it to simpler sentences, like in Step 1:

Mehrabian made a study/ The ratio is true/ When speaker communicates feelings, likes, dislikes or attitude/ Study is limited/ Does not affect every situation/ Cannot be applied to every communication situations.

Or even more clear, in Step 2:

Mehrabian / study/ face to face?communication/ speaker talks abut his feelings / likes or dislikes / ?attitude / study is limited / cannot be applied to every situation.

And let your visual aid only contain key words, in Step 3:

Mehrabian

Study

Communication

Feelings

Likes/ dislikes

Attitude

Limited study

Not always applicable

Utilizing this method will help you make your messages simple and therefore much clearer and comprehensible for every audience, from non-experts to subject matter experts.

Otherwise, we might end up in a situation like in the old anecdote:

A couple in their nineties are both having problems remembering things. During a checkup, the doctor tells them that they're physically okay, but they might want to start writing things down to help them remember. Later that night, while watching TV, the old man gets up from his chair. "Want anything while I'm in the kitchen?" he asks. "Will you get me a bowl of ice cream?" "Sure.." "Don't you think you should write it down so you can remember it?" she asks. "No, I can remember it." "Well, I'd like some strawberries on top, too. Maybe you should write it down, so as not to forget it?" He says, "I can remember that. You want a bowl of ice cream with strawberries." "I'd also like whipped cream. I'm certain you'll forget that, write it down?" she asks. Irritated, he says, "I don't need to write it down, I can remember it! Ice cream with strawberries and whipped cream - I got it, for goodness sake!" Then he toddles into the kitchen. After about 20 minutes, The old man returns from the kitchen and hands his wife a plate of bacon and eggs.. She stares at the plate for a moment.

"Where's my toast?"

…

There are different strategies to communicate more effectively. And if we can simplify them to a single sentence, in my opinion it will be:

Strive for simplicity!

What is your opinion?

?

-Stoyan