Don’t make them think
This is a topic that comes up again and again. I was writing recently on Jerry Weissman’s book, Presenting to Win; he talks about ‘Don’t Make Them Think’ when making presentations to audiences.
The title of Steve Krug’s book on building great websites is ‘Don’t Make Me Think’.
This phrase comes up again and again in any book that’s worth reading.
I’ve used the phrase for ages, and it’s a guiding principle of my presentations and sales proposals. When you make people think, you start to lose them. In a powerpoint presentation, if your audience is reading the screen behind you, you’re making them think, and they can’t listen to you at the same time. They don’t like it.
If your concept is difficult to follow, then you make your audience think; in the main, they don’t like it. They’re thinking to themselves, ‘why is this person making it so hard for me?’ You’ll have lost me; my mind will have already wandered off to something else.
Steve Krug is right when he says that, if your website is too difficult to navigate, then people move off to find someone easier to follow.
I use this principle throughout my proposal writing recommendations. Keep it simple and never make people think. I don’t think you can make it too simple. Those with a deep understanding of the subject won’t mind simplicity; the majority, who have minimal understanding, will love you for it.
I test every proposal I write with someone who knows nothing about the particular subject; usually my wife. If she finds it readable and easy to follow, then it’s suitable for a client. It’s a mistake to assume that the client is really knowledgeable. They usually aren’t; that’s why they’re considering engaging you.
Whichever way, knowledgeable or not, they’re busy people and don’t want to spend time re-reading a proposal to make sense of it. Keep it simple and don’t make them think. They’ll thank you for it.
Tags: Keep It Simple
