In Hollywood, if you can't describe your movie in one sentence, it doesn't get made. In Silicon Valley, if you can't describe your product in one sentence, it doesn't get funded. Complexity is the ene
In Hollywood, if you can't describe your movie in one sentence, it doesn't get made. In Silicon Valley, if you can't describe your product in one sentence, it doesn't get funded. Complexity is the enemy of communication. The most brilliant ideas are often the simplest to explain.
The Cognitive Load Test
Your audience has a limited amount of cognitive fuel. Every jargon word, every complex slide, burns that fuel. When the tank hits empty, they tune out. Great communicators respect their audience's brain power by doing the hard work of simplification for them.
Subject + Verb + Object
Steve Jobs didn't say 'The iPod is a portable digital media player with 5GB capacity.' He said, '1,000 songs in your pocket.' That is subject, verb, object. It is visual, emotional, and unforgettable. Before your next presentation, force yourself to write your main message on the back of a business card. If it doesn't fit, keep editing.
If you confuse them, you lose them.
