When I think about how fewer words have a greater impact, I immediately think of poetry. Poems are not strands of sentences loaded with information and directions telling you what to do or how to feel. Instead, they are specifically chosen, beautifully crafted words placed together in ways that give you room to breathe, room to feel, and room to place yourself between the spaces. That is the beauty of fewer, meaningful words: it allows you to make your own personal connections without anyone telling you to do so.
In the video “The Power of Words” (2010), the first sign the blind man creates tells everyone what the problem is and what to do about it: “I’m blind, please help.” However, no one does anything about it. Once the kind woman changes the blind man’s sign to “It’s a beautiful day and I can’t see it” it gives room for people to figure out the problem themselves and provides them the opportunity to be the solution. I think that’s the key. Just as the video from The Behavioral Science Guys (2015) suggests, if we want people to feel motivated, it’s not more information they need; they need a “safe environment to explore motivations they already have.”
For my innovation project, I aim to get people on board not by the overload of information, but by tugging at the heartstrings and reintroducing the values they already believe in!
Crucial Learning. (2015, Jan 5). How to Change People Who Don't Want to Change | The Behavioral Science Guys [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ACi-D5DI6A&t=58s
The Power of Words. (2010, February 23). The Power of Words [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hzgzim5m7oU&t=93s
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