One thing that we are learning in this process of helping to develop curriculum for Walmart is the value of communicating a complex story in a way that is simple and easy to understand. This isn’t as easy as it sounds. There is a lot of thought and hard work put into keeping it simple.
You know you have done your job when you show a finished product and one of the responses is, well I could have done that. That means you have made your complex message so accessible and easy to understand that the message is obvious to the viewer.
Here are a couple of things to remember when you are feeling frustrated attempting to make the complex simple:
Creativity is Messy, Loud, and Sometimes Stubborn
Don’t get frustrated when it takes some time to get to a workable solution to a problem. Often we are given a complex problem to sort out. It is as if we were given a box of miscellaneous parts and a time limit to create something valuable. There will be a lot of trial and error. There will be a lot of time spent poring over the parts looking for some kind of order. It can seem unproductive.
Remember Progress, Not Perfection
The biggest opponent of creativity is the empty page. Solutions, even bad ones is better than a blank page. Start filling your page with something. Start making progress. Staring at an empty page rarely ends with that elusive eureka moment. Give your brain something to process. Eureka moments happen most when you bring order to disorder, so at least give your brain some disorder to process.
If It’s Confusing, You’re Not Done
If you have a hard time explaining it, break it down further.
Simple is Different for Different Audiences
Know your audience. Put yourself in their shoes. I know, I know that sounds like cliche, but that is because it is true. Something that is simple to a room of electrical engineers is different from what is simple to my daughter’s class of fourth graders. Know that simple is a sliding scale.
Overly Complex Messages Make You Look Like a Tool
If you want to prove that you are smart, go on Jeopardy. It is much more impressive keeping everyone in the room engaged and able to understand your message.
There is more to this, but hopefully, this is enough to get you thinking about the value of simplicity.
Great stuff. I’m becoming a fan of “simple,” but have definitely been feeling the difficulty of how hard that is.