The single client resonance model: Beyond rigor and relevance

Abstract

Once a message meets the criteria of rigor and relevance, it may still fail to inform a client if it lacks resonance: the ability to impact client mental models. To achieve resonance with an individual client involves issues beyond the nature of the message itself. Filters that can interfere with resonance include informational, cognitive, risk/time preference, motivational, and visceral (e.g., emotions, moods). These are found to operate differently at different levels of structural complexity. As a consequence, the nature of the challenges faced when informing a single client can vary considerably depending upon the client's existing base of knowledge, psychological state, and the nature of the informing to be accomplished. The types of informing challenges likely to be encountered as a consequence of these filters-and how these challenges may be addressed-are examined with the goal of identifying what needs to be understood about the client in order to inform effectively.