Get Rid of the Fuzz!
I’ve no idea if Seth Godin is a Christian; but he is one smart guy.
His observation in the short essay that follows is worthy of much thought; and there are many implications (admonitions) for any type of communicator – preacher/teacher/witnesser etc.
Here it is:
Digital typography always looks crisp. The words on our screen seem official, because they’re not the victim of sloppy or rushed handwriting.
But sometimes, we might be better off with a little less crispness.
Malka Older points out that polling data and predictions would probably be better understood if the graphs and charts were intentionally fuzzy. The less sure we are of the prediction, the fuzzier it ought to be.
For example:
The weather next Saturday is going to be crisp and clear, with no chance of rain.
becomes
And if it’s something we’re quite unsure about, better to set it like this:
The fact that we have to squint a little bit is far more effective than adding a disclaimer about our margin of error. If you’re not willing to make it fuzzy, it might be better to not say it.