The Funnel Principle: Guiding Growth through Increasing Challenge

I have for you today a golden principal, one that can be applied in multifarious ways. Roll up, roll up! This principal can be used in the creation of stories, workshops, software, games, pedagogy, and other areas besides. This principle lies just underneath the surface of life; you may have spotted it already without naming it or guessing at all its uses.

I know of no standardized term for this, so let’s call it the Funnel Principle. We start at the narrow end, and then expand.

In Games

Let's start with a video game example. Games usually start off simply, giving players the chance to learn the controls and get a feel for the world. These challenges are scaled so that meeting and overcoming them gives the player a sense of confidence.The greater expanse of the game lies, for the time being, outside of their reach. Then, gradually, the game increases in difficulty, and also in giving freedom to the player.

If the game goes on with narrow options and easy challenges, the player would become bored. If it was too hard at the beginning, they may become discouraged. This funnels starts narrow, then expands.

In Stories

You can also find this principle in storytelling. Writers consider is when crafting the beginning of the novel. So much needs to be introduced: the story world, the characters, key considerations of the plot—but it must be done in a way that's not overwhelming. An intriguing hint of who these characters are, at the larger world which they’ll explore throughout the story, and at the challenges that are to come. As a reader goes into a novel, they’ll gradually learn more about all of these.

Imagine reading a novel from the middle. Where does this guy even come from? Why are they doing that? Why is this lady earning this eclectic subject? What motivated her? The groundwork for all that is laid at the novel's outset.

In Workshops

In workshops, a good warm-up exercise will be easy, confidence-building, and will tune participants into the themes and exercises that are to come. In a singing workshop, at the beginning people might introduce themselves, then everyone will sing each other’s names. There's no right or wrong way, no in or out of tune with each other. As they go, they might learn various harmonies and melodic progressions, gradually adding complexity.

If complexity comes too quickly, a person will be overwhelmed. If the complexity comes too slowly, they’ll will be bored.

In Pedagogy

This Funnel Principle is present in education of all kinds. For pedagogy that is patterned in grades, a student can give themselves fully to the lessons of the first grade, overcome those challenges, feel satisfied, and then use the lessons they learned to go on to the second grade, where those same subjects are explored more fully. The challenges are harder, though not harder relative to the student’s ability; they’ve progressed.

It it’s all tuned to their ability and progress, the student will gain more confidence, moving on to the third grade in this expanding funnel.