Better Decisions with Annie Duke (Persuasion Play Podcast 010)

Could you make better decisions?

I think we all could.

Do you have a hard time deciding what to order at a restaurant?

Do you ever make the “wrong” decision and, looking back, feel that you “knew” it would turn out bad?

Continue reading “Better Decisions with Annie Duke (Persuasion Play Podcast 010)”

Is it useful to bore your audience?

730am

Saint Paul

 

Hey there!

Yesterday we discussed the importance of your tone of voice, specifically how being monotone works against your ability to hold someone’s attention.

If your voice has no texture, basically, there’s nothing to hook your listeners’ ears.

"Brain" by wyinoue, Flickr, CC-By-2.0
Can we tap directly into someone’s brain? “Brain” by wyinoue, Flickr, CC-By-2.0

But… I mentioned that maybe you want to be boring and monotone, on occasion.

What might that occasion be? Continue reading “Is it useful to bore your audience?”

Can you measure Deep Thoughts?

5:52am

Saint Paul

 

Oy, what’s the good word?

I’m getting a late start today, and –I know– I missed emailing you on Saturday. No excuses.

On Saturday night we watched the film, Crazy Rich Asians. It was much better than most rom-coms out there. Going into it, the most I knew was about a single scene where some fancy watch was flown around the world for the filming.

Watches. What can I say, Google Now knows what I like.

(Actually it’s pretty bad — I get too many stories about Super Hero shows and movies! I can’t tell GNow often enough that I’m not interested in whatever super hero film of the week)

Anyway, during the Crazy Rich Asians movie, of course my kids wake up and call out for water and all that. While my lovely lady was helping them, I took the opportunity to record a video for you.

Continue reading “Can you measure Deep Thoughts?”

How your beautiful (type) face is hurting your message

6:38am

Saint Paul

 

Good day dear reader!

Are you snowed in yet?

It’s snowing again here in the midwest. We have the snowiest February on record, and there’s another week ahead of us.

I almost had a day at home with the kids —not really a break at all— and I was hoping to edit the podcast.

Alas, it didn’t pan out that way today. I’ll be in the office today, all good.

While in the office yesterday I got an email:

font_choices

I have some thoughts on that.

My grandfather was in the printing business. He taught me a few things about fonts typefaces that echo true today.

One thing I’ll always remember is that using all-capital blackletter typefaces (also known as Old English) is a cardinal sin in the printing world:

font_choices_blackletter

I most often see this all-caps choice as a sticker on the back window of pickup trucks. It’ll read GONZALEZ or MARTINEZ or something.

The illegible message always makes me think of Grandpa.

Anyway, I’d like to share a few additional thoughts about typefaces that might improve your written persuasion and marketing.

If you’re interested, read on.

The first thing I noticed in yesterday’s email is the difficulty of reading the text, especially at the small font size:

font_choices

The email uses a serif typeface, which is almost certainly a choice of the author.

Serif typefaces have those little swirls (or hooks, or serifs) at the ends of letters.

The serifs exist to lead your eyes across the letters. They’re meant to improve legibility… on the printed page.

Yes, serif typefaces are designed for printed text, or for larger sized headlines where clarity isn’t as much an issue.

Sans-Serif fonts, however, are designed for computer screens. Like emails and blogs.

Sans-serif means the font has no serifs. In smaller sizes, those lovely serifs muddy the screen. Sans-serifs remove those hooks to improve readability.

Here’s the same message in a sans-serif font:

font_choices_sans_serif_small

And here it is again, in a larger size to further improve readability:

font_choices_sans_serif

Daniel Kahneman wrote in Thinking, Fast and Slow about the brain’s ability to understand a written message.

Kahneman created experiments that had fuzzy letters or low-contrast type, and would measure people’s pupils while they read these texts.

As participants’ mental loads increased, their pupils measurably expand.

(You can test this by looking at your eyes in a mirror and count downward from 200 by sevens, for example. Pretty cool, isn’t it?)

When the brain has to work harder to understand a message, two things happen:

  1. The reader gives up sooner because it’s mentally taxing to continue, and
  2. The message is more memorable, because the brain needed to use more logical reasoning to understand what it’s reading.

In persuasion and marketing, you often don’t want the message to be seen. Being memorable isn’t necessarily the goal.

(By the way, my current website header intentionally uses difficult-to-read text against that bookcase, to be more memorable. Scroll up and check it out. I’ll still be down here.)

Anyway, you want the message’s intent to have an impact. You want a clear pane of glass to see the possibilities beyond.

In other words, your fuzzy, fancy font…

might be a distraction!

Eugene Schwartz said you want to speak to the gut, to the monkey brain.

You want your message to bypass logic and skepticism, to help the reader feel what’s possible.

Now, if someone reads your message and they’re looking at the design, and not the product on the other side of that message, you’re doing yourself and your market a disservice.

font_vignelli-canon-57

Famed designer Massimo Vignelli suggested that designers limit their typeface choices to some very basic, readable options.

Garamond, Bodini, Century, Futura, Times Roman, and Helvetica were his suggestions.

Many designers might disagree, saying that a typeface helps to brand your company.

If you’re more worried about your brand than about helping your clients, well, I don’t know what to tell you.

Ok back to it.

Jeffrey

A New Look at Prospect Theory

9:22pm

Saint Paul

 

Hey there. I was just thinking — PRL readers are the best.

This past weekend I emailed about Mindset and letting Reality flow—

“Don’t force a round peg into a square hole” kinda thing (actually it was exactly that).

Anyway, one Mr. Haris P. wrote back to agree:

Mindset is everything, you are right. When I get stressed I stop and think of the Prospect Theory that has been fascinating me since I first read it some years ago.  To make a long story short, we always judge situations comparing to something else (point of reference).


When I am stressful at work for example, I stop and think how is my life, what are the real things I value (family, friends and health basically). Suddenly all other issues seem unimportant and trivial. Everything has a solution (apart form health problems) so I should just carry on, find the strength and courage to face my hesitations and fears.


In a few words, I change the mindset and everything seems crystal clear.

Second off, I agree completely with Haris.

Perspective, framing, and contrast all help us to see the situation and get a handle on our emotions and mindset.

But backing up to First off… my immediate reaction was whoa. I hadn’t thought of Prospect Theory quite like that before. Continue reading “A New Look at Prospect Theory”

Living with Happiness

The Secret calls it Living in Bliss.

Tony Robins calls it Living in a Beautiful State.

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi calls it the Flow.

Lao Tzu wrote about Tao, the Way of the Universe, in the 4th century BCE.

Whatever name you give it, when you are happy your life is much better. Time disappears. Everything seems easier.

I have the Chinese character of Tao hanging on my wall among the photos that make me happy.
I have the Chinese character of Tao hanging on my wall among the photos that make me happy.

Imagine a pleasant summer morning. The world seems a bit lazier today. You hear the birds singing as you make your way to work. The sunlight warms your head. You hear your favorite song just before you arrive. Your smile is mirrored back to you by a coworker.

You know it’s going to be a great day. Confirmation bias will help to ensure it. Continue reading “Living with Happiness”