{"id":2360,"date":"2024-12-21T07:12:21","date_gmt":"2024-12-21T12:12:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/paulsyng.com\/blog\/?p=2360"},"modified":"2024-12-21T07:13:32","modified_gmt":"2024-12-21T12:13:32","slug":"the-hairy-arm-technique-for-designers-and-writers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/paulsyng.com\/blog\/the-hairy-arm-technique-for-designers-and-writers\/","title":{"rendered":"The Hairy Arm Technique: For designers and writers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Ever been asked to present three options to a client? You know, because that\u2019s just how things are done? Early in my career, running an agency and working with Fortune 500 companies, I learned one thing fast: clients always pick the wrong option.

Enter ‘The Hairy Arm Technique.’

(Thanks, <\/a>James Barnard<\/a>, for reminding me of this.)

Legend has it that a designer once slipped a hairy arm into a meticulously crafted print layout to see if the client was paying attention. Naturally, the client spotted the mistake, demanded its removal, and left everything else intact.

I realized this technique could work for presenting creative options, too.

Here\u2019s the playbook:
1. The Star:
The design you believe in. Bold. Beautiful. The one you hope they\u2019ll choose.

2. The Safe Option:
Conservative, a fallback that won\u2019t excite anyone.

3. The Hairy Arm:
The intentionally bad option\u2014cluttered layout, cringe-worthy typography, or an off-brand concept.

Clients would almost always reject the Hairy Arm, feel good about their decision-making, and choose the star design.

Win-win.

These days, I\u2019m writing and engaging on LinkedIn, where content often feels like shouting into a void. You spend hours crafting a thoughtful post, and\u2014poof\u2014it vanishes into digital Narnia.

That\u2019s when I started applying the Hairy Arm to my writing.

Why?

Humans love to feel smart\u2014and they REALLY love proving others wrong.

Now, when I write, I ask myself:
– Will this make someone mad enough to respond?
– Will it provoke curiosity?
– Will it invite corrections or counterarguments?

Take my recent post<\/a> about CEOs.

I threw in a bold statement: the 4Ps are outdated. Was I serious? Partly. But I knew it would spark debate. Sure enough, my comment section lit up with arguments, counterpoints, and engagement.

As <\/a>Nick Huber<\/a> wisely said, \u201cNuance doesn\u2019t get engagement.\u201d Sometimes, boldness is the key to starting meaningful conversations.

The Hairy Arm Technique isn\u2019t about trolling or shock value.

It\u2019s about using contrast to guide decisions or spark discussion.

Here\u2019s how to do it right:
1. Be Intentional:
Don\u2019t add something bad for the sake of it. Your \u201cHairy Arm\u201d must serve a purpose.

2. Know Your Audience:
Push boundaries without alienating.

3. Be Ready to Engage:
Treat pushback as a chance to deepen the conversation.

Here\u2019s the magic: the Hairy Arm doesn\u2019t just guide decisions\u2014it creates energy. Whether it\u2019s in a design review or a LinkedIn post, people want to feel involved.

The key is crafting the conversation as thoughtfully as you\u2019d craft the work itself.

So, the next time you\u2019re stuck\u2014whether pitching a design or writing content\u2014ask yourself: What\u2019s my Hairy Arm? Use it wisely, and you\u2019ll guide choices, spark debates, and maybe even keep your best ideas intact.

You’re welcome.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ever been asked to present three options to a client? You know, because that\u2019s just how things are done? Early in my career, running an agency and working with Fortune 500 companies, I learned one thing fast: clients always pick the wrong option. Enter ‘The Hairy Arm Technique.’ (Thanks, James Barnard, for reminding me of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2361,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[75],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2360","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-feature"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/paulsyng.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2360","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/paulsyng.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/paulsyng.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paulsyng.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paulsyng.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2360"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/paulsyng.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2360\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2363,"href":"https:\/\/paulsyng.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2360\/revisions\/2363"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paulsyng.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2361"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/paulsyng.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2360"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paulsyng.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2360"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paulsyng.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2360"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}