Simply Put

The message from marketing professor and consultant Ben Guttmann can be summed up in three words: keep it simple! Starting from the observation that we live in a world saturated with messages, the author identifies the characteristics of speeches that manage to stand out from the ambient noise. According to him, these simple speeches share five particularities: they focus primarily on the benefits for the recipient of the message (what’s “in it” for them?); they are synthetic; they play on contrast to attract attention; they express a form of empathy with the recipient; and finally, they are minimalist in form. Each of these principles is first deciphered, through the use of behavioral science, and then illustrated by well-known examples (Steve Jobs, John Fitzgerald Kennedy) or more offbeat ones (Star Trek). The author thus proposes an effective checklist for executives and managers seeking to optimize their communication in a context in which attention is solicited from all sides.