Please have a point of view.

The paradox of choice is real.

There is a quirk in the human psyche: the more choices we have, the more we question our decisions. Barry Schwartz shared this in The Paradox of Choice. We experience it in our daily lives and our clients experience it when working with us.

Put another way, clients value recommendations over options. Teams, however, often favor presenting options over providing firm recommendations. The general premise is that if multiple options are presented, each has its own merits. It’s up to the client to pick the right one. But what’s the recommendation? Where’s the expertise? 

Providing multiple options is effective in presenting the range of possibilities and allowing clients to evaluate the strengths of one option through the perceived weaknesses of another. It’s critical though that the options are distinct. A clear point of view for each option will establish the needed clarity.

Back at the dawn of the world wide web, futurist Paul Saffo posited, “In a world of hyper-abundant content, point of view will become the scarcest of resources…” This sentiment rings as true now as when it was written.

Establish a point of view

A point of view is essential in guiding clients to effective solutions. And it’s as simple as providing an informed recommendation–one that meets project goals and responds to available research.

• Develop a concept statement
  A concise concept statement can quickly establish a point of view and in turn a starting point to discuss what’s right and what might be wrong with each option presented. If a distinct concept statement is hard to define for each option, too many options are being presented.

• Ground your recommendation
  A point of view should be reinforced by discovery and research activities, as well as your experience with similar challenges. A few inputs to consider:

  • Project Goals – How are defined goals met?

  • Audience – How are audience insights leveraged?

  • Data – How does data that’s been collected inform the recommendation?

  • Landscape​ – How does the recommendation fit within the landscape?

• Avoid endless options
  Too many options place an undue burden on our clients, overwhelming their ability to keep track and crashing their cognitive load. 

The greatest value we provide as communications practitioners is in our ability to translate disparate information into strategic recommendations. It’s up to us, the subject matter experts to provide clarity and direction.

The paradox of choice is real. Please have a point of view.