156. ...and also with you (Condition #5: information style)

I find it really interesting, strange even, that some people HATE sci-fi but LOVE fantasy, or vice versa. And lots of other people hate or love both. All this despite the fact that they are simply styles of worlds in which stories are set. I mean a magical hero *should* be just as compelling whether they’re flying a spaceship or a dragon, right? But that’s not how things work. Style matters. Bland and factual or hilarious and abstract? Long and descriptive or pithy and metaphorical? The fact is that there’s no perfect balance that will engage and inspire everyone. And that’s really the point I’m trying to make here. Some people in the room will be inspired by wizards, and others by Jedi, and there may be no middle ground. This is pretty closely tied to the information medium piece in episode 152. Even though the idea of learning styles like “visual learners” has been debunked, that doesn’t mean that different ways of presenting information won’t inspire different people in different ways. Remember in episode 129 when I said Thing Explainer by Randall Munroe might be the best management book ever? What I like about it isn’t just that it’s got really cool illustrations and simple language (although that’s a HUGE part of it). I also like that he takes very serious and complicated stuff and isn’t afraid to make it a bit silly. The silliness makes it more accessible to me. For others, it might be a turnoff, maybe because it feels patronizing. For me, though, it’s the Goldilocks zone – just right. I learn a lot and have fun at the same time. It’s too much to expect that the people sharing information with your board will be gifted storytellers, but I don’t think it’s unreasonable to step back and ask what the current style or vibe is, and whether trying something a little bit different might help to engage people’s attention and imagination.