Obvious Vs. Non-Obvious Progress

Stating the obvious is a great way to make stepwise progress. 

“Oh, you want to unlock the door? Put the key in the lock, turn it like so, then – it’s open!”

Stating the non-obvious is a great way to make leaps of progress. 

“Oh, you want to get unlock the door but you don’t have the key? Let’s talk about the history of locks, how they work, and how you can open any one with the right logic.”

Obvious gives immediate, actionable steps. 

Non-obvious makes you think, and sometimes really hard. Non-obvious baits you to learn (if you’re willing to). 

When we’re presenting ideas to others, we have to ask if we’re trying to deliver stepwise progress or get people to take a leap. 

What we want to avoid is making people learn complicated logic when they already have a key and just want the door open already, OR handing people a simple formula when they really want to know the logic. 

Before you write, consider what the audience you’re after is looking for. 

h/t Snow Leopard