Across many types of engagement in the green transition, we often fall into the trap of ‘more is better’. I suspect we’re like most other industries, believing that if we just cram one more message into the slide deck, the stakeholder in front of us will be convinced.
But I’ve been wrestling with something over the past few months: how would it look to radically change the way we communicate our message, given the complexity of the energy transition and the climate crisis? Do we need more data? More insights? Is there one perfect meta-statistic?
What would it look like to stop message overload and instead, pick up a razor?
In philosophy, a razor is a principle that allows you to eliminate (“shave off”) unlikely explanations for something or to avoid unnecessary actions. And one of the most famous razors in philosophy and science is known as Occam’s Razor, named for the 14th century English Franciscan philosopher, William of Ockham.
If you’re not familiar with it, Occam’s Razor tells us that, when facing competing explanations, the simpler one is most likely correct. Put another way, the best explanation for something is one that makes the fewest assumptions.
For example, in response to world events and former US President Donald Trump’s actions, a (frightening) number of people in the US believe that Trump is waging a secret war against a cabal of satanic cannibalistic pedophiles within Hollywood, the Democratic Party, and the so-called “deep state” within the US government, all stemming from a pizza restaurant in Washington, DC.
Or….it could just be that other people simply have a different worldview and political affiliation. Occam’s razor to the rescue.
An example closer to home may be what happens when you have a headache and start scrolling through WebMD.com for answers. I call it the ‘2:00am vortex of paranoia’: “You have a headache?”, “Oh no… you might have the Black Death!” Sure, it’s true that one of the symptoms of the Black Death is a headache but it’s more likely that you’re just dehydrated. Occam’s razor to the rescue.
It turns out Occam’s Razor is pretty useful in real life. While the simpler explanation is most often the correct one, there is also an embedded secret message here: the simpler explanation requires that you empirically know something. You know you’re dehydrated. It means you’re not guessing and coming up with wild “what-if” scenarios. Insights bring clarity. They bring simplicity. The razor “shaves off” the unnecessary, complicated guesswork and allows you to focus on what’s real.
So when it comes to, for example, big policy asks in the energy transition, how can you channel Occam’s razor for maximum benefit? Here are three ideas:
1. Find out two things about your audience: 1) their incentives and 2) their biggest fear. In the public affairs realm, if you know what incentivizes a particular policymaker, what really motivates them, and also what they are most afraid of, you have a chance to bring your message into alignment with those insights. Spend loads of time researching your most important political decision-makers – their decision-making history may be simpler than you think.
2. Wrap your next policy speech around one simple, concrete message. Open with it, repeat it, close with it. For example: “I am here today to give you one simple message, and it’s this: We will not meet climate goals unless we get 3x faster at building offshore wind farms. And here’s how we can get 3x faster…” As an industry, we need to stop general messaging such as, “We need to cut the red tape!” or “We need public/private partnerships!”. Those are true and important, but they don’t cut through. Get simple and very concrete, basing your message on the research you’ve already done.
3. Treat PowerPoint more like Instagram. We need to remember that, like engineers, policymakers are humans, too. Powerful images work. They’re governed by their emotions more than they even realize. Need to provide more documentation? Tell them you have a backup report that includes your notes and more information, and you’re happy to make that available. For inspiration, watch this iconic video of Steve Jobs introducing the iPhone to the world.
While Occam’s Razor is not a law, it is an incredibly useful philosophical and scientific heuristic. Distilling complexity should never be seen as elementary. Just as a tip of the iceberg, it's actually the crystallization of all your data, insights, research, and hard work under the surface. In the green transition, we need more of this - insights-based, singular messaging that cuts through. Occam’s razor to the rescue.
