Cut it out! (Or, how the Konmari method helps with report writing)

Confession: my closet is a little crammed.

(Ok. That’s a lie.)

To be accurate, my closet is overflowing. Like, bring-a-headlamp-compass-and-machete-if-I-don’t-come-back-in-an-hour level of overflowing.

Clearly, I have an issue with editing my closet. It’s much easier for me to add things than take them away.

I LOVE shoes. And dresses. And suits. And purses. And scarfs. And earrings. And jackets. And definitely athleisurewear*. I can tell you how I acquired each item. Where I bought it. Its back story. And what makes it special.

But let's be real, there’s too much there. Even if I know it’ll never fit again. Or be useful again. Even if it’s a tad worn out like that Gap hoodie shirt from the ’80s that still has life in it. (No, you shut up. It’s awesome. Amiright, Duckie?)

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Before you ask...Yes, I’ve read Clear Your Clutter with Feng Shui. (Twice.) And Marie Kondo’s The Joy of Tiding Up. I’ve even watched her Netflix show. (And bonus points if you also remember BBC’s Life Laundry.)

It’s some kind of mental block, I’m sure.

But it’s also a physical block. I can’t get to the good stuff… because it’s trapped behind the nice-to-keep-but-don’t-need stuff. If I did do a serious closet clearing, then I’d have a much better, more functional wardrobe that works for who I am today.

Which is not unlike the issue some of us have with editing our presentations or reports.

As an advisor to marketers, I’ve come to realize that editing is one of THE most important things I do — whether that’s in writing research reports, strategy documents, creative briefs**, and even my fledgling email missives. I believe the key to a good idea is the editing: knowing what to cut, and knowing what to keep.

Sometimes we fall in love with what we heard in research. And we want a reportage of every nuance and detail. Because, because….data!!

But this is counterproductive. Why? Because:

The quality of a report should not be measured by its weight.

Most of the ‘raw material’ we hear in research is not worth reporting.***

When we avoid the act of ruthless editing it belies a darker truth: that we can’t make up our mind about what matters.

Most times when asked how to make something better, we add. But that’s easy because it allows us to avoid making choices, making decisions about what is truly important, what’s relevant…and what is not.

Working in the creative industries challenged my way of thinking, and for the better. It taught me to ask myself, “what can we take away” and “can it better”? A single, simple, compelling idea is much more powerful than a complex one.

"I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free."
-Michelangelo

Editing is harder than adding because it’s ultimately about choice-making. And it takes continual practice. I’m still working on it.

So, let’s take a page from our friend Marie…do this: Konmari your next creative strategy, marketing presentation, or report of findings.

Instead of asking if it brings you joy, ask if it serves the goal of getting to the best solution or POV. If not, then keep going. Continue to refine and edit until you have exactly what you need, and nothing more.

Hopefully, it will be easier for you to edit your presentation than it is for me to Konmari my closet.

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Thanks,
Emelia “does it spark joy” Rallapalli

PS: If you were a Pretty In Pink fan like me, you might enjoy this critique of Duckie’s character from a few years back. 

*Home office FTW!

**Creative briefs are called “briefs” for a reason. They are supposed to be short. 

***Do not get me wrong. I respect my clients’ audiences immensely. But if I’m honest, the ultimate value to my clients is the synthesis of the insights, not the data by itself.

Bollocks! (Or, What Testicle Talk Taught Me About Data)

When my son was younger I had a bee in my bonnet about teaching him “life skills.” You can never start too early right? He was out of diapers by 2 years 2 months. (But who’s counting?) Next on my list was for David and me to teach him how to fix the stove, do laundry, re-wire a lamp, and tame lions.

Even though I never learned how to set the table as a child*, things were going to be different with this generation. So, one evening when he was four years old, I asked him to help me set the table for dinner.

As I was simultaneously putting the finishing touches on the meal and fantasizing about my cover shoot for Parents Magazine, he came to the kitchen and said, “Mummy, wheh are da testicles?”

“Huh?" I responded articulately.

“Da testicles,” he said sweetly. “Wheh are deh?”

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On the outside, I smiled lovingly at him. But on the inside, I was all,

Oh my God. It is HAPPENING. It’s time for The Talk. Dammit! I didn’t do that research I was planning on!! Don’t be too detailed, but don’t candy coat it either! Use the correct terminology to name all the parts! None of this hoo-hoo and pee-pee talk!
….And for the love of Pete, where is David right now?! 

I gathered myself, took a deep breath, and attempted to recall the pages of the seminal book What’s Happening to Me?**.  

“Well sweetheart, while people’s bodies are mostly the same, boys' and girls' bodies have some differences. Boys have something called a pe…."

The more I talked, the more he looked like this.

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Finally, he’d had enough of my chatter. His arms started waving angrily. His feet stomped on the floor. “Mama! You not wissen-ing to me! TESTICLES!! Wheh are da testicles?!” Then, he resorted to charades, moving his hand up and down to his mouth. He spoke really slowly, "To….Eat….Wit!”

Oh! Utensils! (Whew.)

You see, in that split second exchange with my son, I was only listening to what he said. Not what he meant. And especially not the context of what he was saying.

This episode reminded me of an important business lesson: That not all data is the same.

For me, it’s a lot like the difference between big data (analyzing large swaths of numeric information, quantitive studies, the big numbers, the algorithms) and what we call thick data (the rich data that cannot be quantified, but that is pregnant with meaning, context, and symbolism).

Because here’s the thing. Not all data is the same. And the same data can’t serve all the same purposes.

When it comes to insights, as in life, context is everything. As Tricia Wang says in this TEDx talk “Not everything valuable is measurable.”

And I agree. When it comes to business, if you’re not looking at thick data AND big data, there’s serious context loss. And serious competitive-advantage loss. And then you’re not getting the full picture to support your business decision making and planning.

Are you collecting thick data…. or just focusing on your big data and quant numbers? If you’re not gathering the rich, messy, wondrously human qualitative data… if you’re not getting to the layers of meaning behind what people are saying and doing, then you should be.

And if the inspiration hits you, let’s talk about how you can do that in 2019. Reach out and let me know if you want to chat.***

Thanks,

Emelia “diction matters” Rallapalli

*I still don’t know the proper way to set a table. But no matter. Internet for the win!

**Props to my mom who, when I was a young kid in the ’70s, bought me that book. As she handed me the paper bag it was wrapped in she said “I don’t mind if you read this book. It’s informative. But let’s not tell your friends you have it. Some of their parents won’t approve.”

***And I promise I won’t discuss private parts.

People don’t piss on gods (a surprising business lesson I learned)

Half my family lives in Chennai. Their neighbors have a house on the corner of their street, right at the intersection of their quiet little cul-de-sac, and the very busy main road.

Being that they live at that loud, chaotic intersection — they have a wall separating their property from the main road.

Today, I want to share a story my dad told me many years ago about that wall.

When they first moved in, the neighbors had (what I would consider) a pretty nasty problem. This wall was a magnet for bad behaviors. Guys peed on the wall. Passersby threw trash against it, or spit their paan on it leaving red and brown marks dripping down. Which only attracted more of the same treatment. Needless to say it was a foul situation.

The neighbors tried to solve it in a number of ways.

They put up signs, asking people to stop soiling the wall.

They yelled at the offenders, and tried to scare them off.

They dug a ditch in front of the wall.

They even installed the highest tech surveillance cameras available at that time.

Still the stench of piss, trash, and other unmentionables persisted. It was a hopeless situation.

Being a Hindu family, the neighbors left for a holiday. As part of that vacation, they visited a number of temples. At each place of worship, priests and other caretakers carefully cleaned and swept the grounds. Worshippers removed their shoes, and carefully walked through the sacred spaces to make their offerings, give prayers, and do poojas.

It was, compared to the wall back home, perfectly pristine. And it sparked a new idea for the neighbors.

Upon their return home, they cleaned up the wall — like, REALLY cleaned it. You could eat a dosa off it if you wanted. And they bejeweled it with intricate, colorful, exquisite tiles. On each tile was a detailed image of a religious symbol or god — Hindu gods, Buddhist, Islamic, Christian and Jewish symbols. (Might as well cover your bases, right?)

Can you guess what happened next? It all stopped.

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Yeah! No more piss. No more trash. No more paan spit.

The neighbors’ insight was simple, and not a new one: that people tend* to respect religious symbols and icons. Put even more simply: people don’t piss on gods.

Some might be thinking, “this insight is too negative.” I say it’s not negative. It’s real.

My dad loved this story because it’s an example of Indian ingenuity and problem-solving. And I love this story because it reminds me how quickly we – as marketers, as advertisers, as creatives – can fall out of touch with our audiences. How easily we can tune out from what people need, want, and care about…or not care about, in some cases.

This story isn’t about sacrilege. It’s about seeing people. Like, really, REALLY seeing people for who they are.

Here’s my point. Creativity demands that we meet people where THEY are, not where WE are. And especially not where we wish ‘them’ to be.

Which is why I love this talk Martin Weigel** gave to the Account Planning Group (APG) in London. In it, he explains why the truth of real people in the real world is the best way to create unconventional solutions.

Opening our eyes, our ears, and our hearts. Sometimes the most powerful insights are the simple, mundane ones. Not the fancy, complex, jargon-filled ones. And to discover them, you need to actually seek out the truths of your audience.

So, think about these things:

Do you have a tricky business problem that needs to be solved — and what are the ways you’re using research to crack it?

How are you and/or your team getting out of the ‘bubble’ and really hearing your customers?

Drop a comment below and let me know. I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Thanks,

Emelia “ should have been a Bollywood star" Rallapalli

*I don’t want to make this a political commentary, but I have to write “tend” based on disturbing current events in domestic and global news and politics as I write this missive.

** Martin just might be my new PPC (platonic planner crush)….Shhh. Don’t tell him. I’m shy.