Monday Mastery: Field theory
On getting inside your reader's head -- and heart.
Welcome to Monday Mastery, a series designed to shift your perspective, teach you new techniques, and help you become a more effective writer, one tip at a time.
In psychology, there’s a theory of behavior called field theory.
Developed by Kurt Lewin in the middle of the twentieth century, field theory posits that all behavior is a function of a person and their environment.
In other words, people’s thoughts, feelings, and impulses emerge from the interaction between their brains, bodies, and surroundings.
What does this have to do with communicating with audiences?
Everything.
Your reader isn’t a static paper cutout in front of a computer screen.
Your reader is a busy dad, sitting in his car, waiting for his kid to come out of band practice.
Your reader is an executive with 13,765 unread emails.
Your reader is desperate to solve this IT problem that’s tanking her team’s productivity — and she’s only been given half the budget she needs to solve it.
If you’re not thinking about your reader’s mental, emotional and physical environment, you’re not going to be able to connect.
You’re not psychic, of course. Some of this will be an educated guess. But if you start by being crystal clear on the audience you’re trying to reach, you’ll get a lot of the environmental factors correct.
Think beyond your reader’s demographics and title.
Think about where they exist in space and time, and consider that it will affect how they’re reading your words.