In 2012, the UK Government’s Behavioural Insights Team ran an experiment to increase tax compliance.
Instead of rewriting policies, they changed the message in the letters sent to taxpayers.
One version of the letter said: “Nine out of ten people pay their tax on time.”
That’s it.
This line worked. More people paid on time.
Why?
It delivered three things:
It told them something useful (most people do this) – what they needed to know. It created a subtle emotional nudge (social belonging, a bit of pressure) – what they needed to feel. And it led to action (pay the tax) — what they needed to do. That’s a useful model for your next presentation.
Organisational psychologist Adam Grant published Give and Take, a book that challenged a lot of assumptions about success.
One thing that stood out was his view on authenticity.
He pointed out that “be yourself” can be confusing or even counterproductive advice – especially when you’re trying to grow.
It’s a helpful reminder when we think about communication.
We often hear things like “be more confident” or “be authentic”. But those phrases focus on identity. They sound good, but they’re hard to act on.
Swimmer Michael Phelps won eight gold medals at the Beijing Olympics. But in the years leading up to it, one of his most important tools wasn’t in the pool – it was video review.
Phelps and his coach, Bob Bowman, often analysed footage of his races and training sessions. They looked for every detail: his start, his turns, his stroke timing.
Even when he was winning, they still asked, “Where’s the gap?”
Kenyan marathon runner Abel Kirui prepared for the Daegu World Championships in his own style. Rather than trying to outmatch competitors in a sprint finish, he focused on what he did best – maintaining a strong, steady pace and breaking away early.
He chose a quiet approach that aligned with how he worked.
He won gold, nearly a minute ahead of the next runner.
That story comes to mind when someone asks me if they should give a talk on a topic they don’t know well.
Dr Stephanie Evergreen has spent years helping researchers and nonprofits turn dense reports into engaging presentations.
Her work in public health and education often involves taking fifty- or eighty-slide decks filled with complex charts and text and transforming them into presentations people actually want to sit through.
Her method is simple: cut what isn’t essential, turn numbers into clean visuals and guide the audience’s attention to what matters. Replace cluttered graphs with one takeaway per slide. Use space to let the message breathe. And sometimes – add a black slide so the focus shifts back to the speaker.
Toyota faced a challenge when it launched the Prius. Most drivers weren’t sure what to make of hybrid cars. Many saw them as slow or too technical.
Toyota changed the conversation.
Instead of focusing only on engine specs or fuel savings, they presented the Prius as a choice that reflected the driver’s values. It was a car that represented a way to drive with purpose.
This shift made a difference. The Prius became a bestseller and a symbol of forward thinking.
In this episode, Riley McGhee shares a simple framework to build relationships that lead to real business opportunities. Learn how to start better conversations, communicate your offer with clarity, and turn everyday interactions into meaningful client connections.
“At the end of your life, all you really have are the relationships you’ve built – and the stories you can tell.”
When I was in university, I struggled to memorise lists of theories for one particular exam. No matter how many times I read them, they wouldn’t stick.
One afternoon, out of frustration, I started sketching them – rough shapes, arrows, symbols.
That’s when everything clicked.
I started to understand. And I remembered it much better.
Years later, I came across a Time Magazine article referencing a study in the Journal of Experimental Psychology.
