Here’s the thing about the brain: it’s so incredibly complex that simple answers are hard to come by. Simple cause-and-effect – “if this, then that” – might still hold at the molecular level. If a signal reaching a neuron exceeds a threshold of 20 mV, it fires. That part is simple.
What happens in your head as you read this is indescribable. It has to do with the extraordinary connectedness of our neurons (people say there are more connections than atoms in the universe). Still, maybe because I once studied biology, I’ve spent years asking what is actually happening causally when I do my job: developing concepts, writing, generating ideas, and advocating for them.
These arguments have real merit and are grounded in years of experience. I am convinced it is objectively right to give texts clear structures so they can work on readers. I explain how storytelling works, what separates good from poor writing, etc. And my peers in the field agree; there is broad alignment at this level of experience.
The physical level, by contrast, is cut off and hard to access. My work takes effect in brains that produce subjective sensations in each person. Light hits the retina, the visual system recognizes letters, meaning is assigned, abstractions are mapped to concepts, and everything is placed in an individual context, and a feeling always arises as well. If you want to go down this rabbit hole, I recommend “Das lesende Gehirn” by Maryanne Wolf. There are many other neurophysiology books that increasingly explain how we think, feel, and act. When I read them, I often think: I knew it. The experiments confirm the intuition and experience that guide me in professional communication.
For example, when it comes to formats and content, I recommend “new wine in old skins.” A neurological reason for this appears in Stefan van der Stigchel’s book How Attention Works: Finding Your Way in a World Full of Distraction. Of course, you can capture the hard-fought resource of attention by showing or describing something drastic. However, companies and organizations also care about the effect, and that should be positive. Back to the new wine. Experimental psychologist Stigchel writes:
“Our attention system is constantly on the lookout for new information. It uses a mechanism that keeps track of those spots where our attention has already been focused but where no information of any importance was on offer. In other words, attention is a swift and impatient thing.”
-Stefan van der Stigchel, experimental psychologist
The old skins are structures and patterns the brain knows and can process easily, where it finds its bearings. Example: Disney films often use the same vessel, Campbell’s Hero’s Journey, continually filled with fresh story wine.
Thesis: the Brains is a relevance seeker. What counts as relevant varies from person to person. As soon as the input becomes uninteresting, it turns to other thoughts. I notice this reading children’s books; afterward I can hardly remember the story because my mind has quietly drifted off to think about the structure of the presentation I am giving tomorrow.
Attention can be compared to a stage spotlight. The difference is that we can steer it to some extent. “In other cases we are the victims of our own reflexes, and our attention is automatically drawn by irresistible information from the outside world,” writes van der Stigchel in his conclusion.
So the fascinating question is: what makes information irresistible? It depends on each brain and its momentary state, and at best we can get close. That is exactly why I find work in a brand and communications consultancy so engaging. Experience, successes and failures, and expertise lead to strategies and concepts that often come very close to the optimum, measured against the goals a given communication is meant to achieve in people’s minds.
The goal of this piece is to propose new connections (irresistible ones?) that invite further thought. As a side effect, I felt what Sandra Miriam Schneider describes in her book Achtsames Schreiben as “Schreibglück.” Thank you for that. And thank you for your attention.
Photos: pixabay.com (royalty-free)
