I’ve recently completed the eatbigfish podcast, ‘Let’s Make This More Interesting’, hosted by Adam Morgan. I loved the diversity of the guests and the different perspectives they brought to the subject. Here are the five lessons I took out of it.
1 Dull is Costly
This refers to marketing effectiveness. In Episode One, Peter Field explains that it’s so much more expensive to show dull brand communications than it is to show creative, interesting advertising. Businesses have to spend so much to get their message noticed and understood.
We’ve known for a long time that the most creative adverts are the most effective. And that the biggest and best-resourced brands often produce the dullest communication. This only serves to reinforce that message. To learn more about which advertising works best and why, take a look at the analysis of System One. A definitive resource on the subject.
2 DULLNEss is Everywhere
What’s clear is that we’re surrounded by dullness. In everyday life, business folk sit through boring meetings, all vying to climb a corporate ladder. In Episode Two we learnt that people auditioning for reality TV shows often say the same things.
Very little stands out. Everything is copied. This fabulous article by Alex Murrell - ‘the age of average’, explores this in great detail. He concluded that everything - airports, cityscapes, cars, coffee bars, Instagram feeds - all looks the same.
3 being more interesting is an opportunity
Because of the omnipresence of dullness, being fresh and different offers an opportunity both commercially and personally. We should all celebrate our uniqueness. Everyone talked about this. To be a contestant on a reality show, you’ve got to stand out from the crowd. In Episode Eight, Helen Tupper and Sarah Ellis encouraged us to follow a squiggly, rather than linear career. Have the bravery to follow your own path.
4 EVERYThing has the potential to be interesting
What became apparent is that there’s no such thing as a boring subject or an interesting subject. Everything has the potential to be interesting. A couple of teachers appeared during the podcast, with near-impossible teaching challenges. For example, teaching science to reluctant pupils. Or in the case of Sesame Street, holding the attention of pre-school children. They did this by making the topic relatable, by breaking it into chunks by using humour and by boundless enthusiasm.
I remember when I first came across Maria Kondo’s book, ‘The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up’. It was amazing how she made such a dull subject - tidying up - incredibly engaging. For me at least. She’s since become a global phenomenon.
5 we can all learn to be more interesting
What’s clear is that becoming interesting is learnable skill. Asking engaging questions and listening diligently immediately makes you more interesting. There were lessons on how classical rhetoric makes you more persuasive. In a previous post - click here - I’ve also talked about Aristotle’s approach to creating great arguments.
A couple of guests spoke at length about great storytelling techniques. There was even a defence of the much-maligned use of Powerpoint. FYI - here are my five golden rules.
6 being more interesting is an opportunity
My final lesson is that being more interesting is an opportunity for all of us. In marketing, there’s huge scope for creating more interesting brands and communication. Most of it is dull, so you’ll inevitably stand out. If you work in a ‘boring’ category, there are ways to make it more interesting. If you’re a teacher, there are many ways to make your lessons more engaging. If you’re presenting, you can learn how to make a better connection with your audience. We can all learn to become better conversationalists, develop more distinctive career paths, and become much better storytellers.
Why be dull, when you can be more interesting?