A few weeks ago, I was in a facilitation masterclass and heard something that really intrigued me—it’s a concept called cognitive ease.
Basically, if your brain finds something easy to process, you’re more likely to trust it. Fewer words on a social media post? Familiar fonts? Simple sentences? Well-known concepts? Yes, please.
Why?
Because our brains are selective. They must be! They do everything they can to save energy. So, we naturally gravitate toward anything that doesn’t feel like a mental marathon.
This concept made me think about how I design presentations. I always start with too many slides. Way wayyyyyyyy too many. What I do next is crucial: I chop them down.
There seems to be this idea in our world of financial services, that “more is better” in presentations. More details, more stats, more everything. But guess what? Your audience doesn’t want to work that hard. They want clarity, simplicity, and your unique take on how to solve their problem. If it’s not easy to follow, you’ve lost them faster than swiping left.
Another tip?
Always kick off your presentation with the why. Why should they care about what you’re sharing? Why will it be worth their attention? If you don’t nail that in the first minute, especially in a virtual presentation, they’ll be checking their emails before you click, “Next slide.”
Simplify to amplify.
Just got to be a guest on the MoneyScript Podcast with Yohance Harrison. We dove deep into behavioral finance concepts and ideas, including cognitive ease. My other favorite idea? self-efficacy.
Self-efficacy, is the ultimate unlock for when you’re feeling stuck or overwhelmed. Break tasks down into absurdly small steps. Building confidence and momentum is the key.
Thank you Yohance for the fun conversation! Here’s a link to The MoneyScript Podcast.
And just for fun, here’s an article about a few of these concepts I contributed to NAPA Net magazine almost 10 years ago. These concepts are still relevant!