Something You Should Know

The Power of Making Things Simple & How Pockets Changed Everything - SYSK Choice

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Nov 15, 2025
Ben Guttmann, a marketing entrepreneur, explores the power of simplicity in communication, revealing how clear messages outperform complex ones. He shares techniques for making ideas easier to process and the importance of crafting messages that resonate with audiences. Hannah Carlson, a clothing historian, dives into the fascinating history of pockets, discussing their origins, gendered design issues, and how they reflect societal changes. Together, they uncover the vital roles both simplicity and pockets play in our everyday lives.
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INSIGHT

Fluency Drives Persuasion

  • Fluency describes how easy information is to absorb and drives trust, liking, and decisions.
  • Ben Guttmann explains that lower cognitive friction makes messages more persuasive and memorable.
ADVICE

Reduce Friction, Not Just Length

  • Optimize for the least friction in user experience, not just shortest text or slides.
  • Use extra slides or sentences if they reduce confusion and make the path clearer.
ADVICE

Lead With Benefits, Not Features

  • Focus messages on benefits, not features, to connect with what matters to receivers.
  • Ask successive "so what?" questions to trace features back to fundamental human needs.
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