The only thing that really matters, is change.
Our minds make maps of our world. These maps tell us that if we do certain things then we will get certain results. If I walk to the coffee shop, then I can sit down, order a latte, and write my book. My day can then go ahead as planned.
But every so often, we discover our maps are wrong.
I walk to the coffee shop, but there are no seats. No seats! What?! My plan is ruined.
Now, I must engage my whole mind and body to draw a new map. I must go and find a new coffee shop, where I can sit down, order a latte and write my book. In this moment, the redrawing of this map is the only thing that matters, all of my senses are engaged, my internal chatter shuts down, and my whole attention is focused on using my senses to find a new coffee shop.
My coffee shop adventures may be trivial, but they are driven by the instincts of my ancestors.
As a hunter gatherer, we may know which stream we can go to for water. We start our walk down that route, past the same trees, listening to the same bird songs, smelling the same flowers.
But then we hear something. A roar. Heavy footsteps. Birds screeching and flying away. Now the sight of something big by the stream. Something furry.
What is it?
The answer to this question is essential to our survival. Our routine trip to the stream has been disrupted by a change. If we ignored this change, we might become dinner. It is essential we notice change.
So essential, that evolution has gifted us with a physical change detection machine; the face. The face is made up of the eyes, ears, mouth, nose and so on. These are all used to detect change. Whenever something in the environment changes, our face positions itself to take in as much information about this change as possible. Our ears prick up, our eyes shoot sideways, our head rotates.
This change detection machine is constantly sending signals to our brain. The brain checks that these signals match the maps it currently has for the situation we’re in. As soon it finds a bug, it sends a signal to the senses that we need to update the map. Our senses engage to find the difference and send that critical information back to the brain. The brain then updates the map, and the mind can start working with this new version.
We have little control over our impulse to detect change. It’s an instinct. As far as our minds are concerned, change is all that matters.
Show the Change
When the mind detects change, then no matter how big or small the change, it’s always significant as far as the mind is concerned. And this brings me to the principle of contrast.
Contrast is simply the act of showing change.
Black text, on a white background, is one of the most predominant examples of contrast that we experience everyday. Because black is so different from white, it’s the only thing our attention is drawn to on the white screen. If we changed the text to light grey, or even worse, white, our senses would not be able to detect it.
In the business world, charts are the most common example of contrast. Last months figures were this high, this month’s figures are much higher, therefore I did a good job!
In the health and fitness world, those before and after photos are another example of contrast. Before this man was this fat, now he has a six pack.
In all of these examples, the mind is not interested in the colour black, or the height of the bars or that man’s six pack. The mind is only interested in change.
Try this experiment. Lean back, and cross your eyes slightly so the text blurs. Keep a few paragraphs still in sight. Try really, really hard to only pay attention to the white background. Notice how hard it is to ignore the different lengths of sentences and paragraphs. The white background is simply insignificant.
The mind is only interested in change.
And as it is only interested in change, it will deduce all meaning from where it detects change.
For example, according to my iPhone, last night I slept 6 hours and 30 minutes.
OK, so what exactly?
A figure on it’s own means absolutely nothing. We need to show the change.
On average I slept 7 hours and 30 minutes a night last week. So compared to last week’s average, I slept an hour less last night. Now there is a change, so there is a story. What happened last night? Why didn’t I sleep as much? The story is that I was on a business trip last week, on my own in a quiet hotel room, whereas I returned home yesterday to a 6 week old baby!
In the space that change creates, stories are born.
What’s Changed?
To apply the principle of contrast, always consider what has changed.
A new competitor entered the market. So what? Show the change.
Show how this new competitor caused our sales to drop by 30%. Show why this competitor changed things. What changes do they offer our clients? What changes do we need to make?
Last month you sold 151 units. So what? Show the change.
Show how the month before you sold only 12 units, and how this month you increased to 151. Show how you achieved that change, show how others can achieve a similar change.
Our staff want a training course on remote working. So what? Show the change.
Show how remote working has changed things and caused challenges. Show how this training would change things and bring solutions. Show how these changes impact the things your stakeholders care about.
If you want people to care, show the change. If you want people to understand, show the change. If you want people to pay attention, show the change.
If you have a story to tell, show the change.
