Everyone Prefers Some Good Non-FRICTION
Friction is the Enemy of Communication
Your goal in communication is to make your message “go down easy” - not make it difficult to digest.
My friend Roger Dooley wrote an exceptional book called Friction in which he explains that the best customer experience is quick, easy, intuitive - with a minimum of “friction” points (think Amazon - making the shopping experience as frictionless as possible).
Well, that’s 1,000% true with our words. Every time we communicate, we’re either building a bridge… or laying down speed bumps.
When communication is unclear — stuffed with jargon, cluttered with too much information, or poorly structured — you’re asking people to work too hard. You’re defeating your purpose and frustrating your audience.
Here’s why:
1. Confusing communication creates mental friction.
When our messages aren’t clear, we’re forcing our audience to burn mental calories trying to decipher what we mean. That might mean rereading a sentence, decoding acronyms, or scanning a slide ten times to find the point. Instead of smoothing the way, we’ve made their brains do extra work — and that’s friction.
2. Mental effort turns people away.
Our brains are wired for efficiency. If something feels like too much work to understand, we naturally disengage. That’s why people tune out long-winded presentations, ignore dense emails, and scroll past jargon-filled posts. Confusion doesn’t just lose attention — it erodes trust. We’re there to make it easy to grasp our message, not daunting. If you can’t explain it clearly, why should they listen?
3. Clarity removes friction.
Clear communication is like a well-paved road — it guides people straight to the point. It respects your audience’s time, reduces cognitive load, and builds connection. Whether you’re writing an email, giving a talk, or pitching an idea, clarity makes your message go down easier — and stick longer.
In a noisy world, clarity isn’t just nice — it’s necessary. Because every barrier you remove brings your audience one step closer to action, understanding, and trust.
Clarity wins. Confusion loses. Don’t be a friction factory — be a guide. Make the message easy, and people will follow.
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