DR. MICHAEL GERHARZ
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Posts in Tag: profoundly simple

Trivial vs. Profoundly simple

They look similar but they are complete opposites.

One pretends things would *be* easy, while the other makes them *feel* easy.

One strips the subject of its nuance and depth, while the other invites you to explore it.

One is made for quick consumption, while the other stays with you for much longer.

One gives lightweight answers, while the other prefers profound questions.

One assumes the audience won’t understand more complex ideas, while the other compels them to explore the complexity.

It takes rigor and time to arrive at the nuance of a profoundly simple statement.

To me, that’s always worth the effort.

But, of course, there are good reasons to choose differently.

How do you choose? Why? And when?

Shortcuts

Great communication tends to be simple.
Not trivial, not simplistic, but profoundly simple.

Trivial messages take us nowhere.
Simplistic ones take us to the wrong places.
Profoundly simple ones light the path to unexpected places.

Both, trivial and simplistic, try to remove or replace the complexity. They pretend that things would be simpler than they actually are (which in the best case is mostly harmless, but in the worst case could be dangerous). They cut the conversation short and offer conclusions without the hassle of having to think it through.

Profoundly simple means something different.

It does not replace the complexity.
It makes it accessible.

It doesn’t aim to end the discussion but to spark the curiosity that allows the conversation to start and go deeper.

Can you tell your story in a profoundly simple way?

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