Telling stories

I've been noticing a personal and professional trend over the last few years: I'm getting nerdier.

Sure, I've always been on the nerdy end of the spectrum. 3 years ago when we were buying a washer and dryer, I did lots of research and put everything into a spreadsheet. Probably overkill, but it helped me think more clearly about the various facets of the purchase.

I now have an Excel addiction.

But more than that, I find that I've become a bit of a snob about spreadsheets. Everyone has their own preferences, sure. But spending 5 minutes doing some minor formatting really makes a huge difference in getting your audience to understand your data.

The same can be said about presentations, and I'm becoming increasingly nerdy about those as well.

Why spend hours crafting a deck that no one will remember? It's a waste of time and money, and it sets a tone for your future pitches. Polishing things ever so slightly can turn a bad presentation into a decent one.

But why stop at decent? What really makes things stand out? What makes them memorable?

Sure, fonts and images go a long way there. But I'm talking about really crafting your message. Telling a story.

This goes for more than PowerPoint decks. I'd argue that telling stories is most of the battle. Drawing people in, getting them to understand the context, the tension, the climax and the resolution...this is what makes it interesting...what makes it memorable.

We've all been to bad presentations, attended bad meetings, or read bad emails. That's part of what makes work feel like work.

But it doesn't have to be that way. A post from the folks at Duarte reminded me of that today. The post is about hiring professionals, knowing when you're in over your head. Check it out: here

Now, let me say this: not everyone can hire professionals. Heck, I know there's no way that would fly in my corner of cubicle city. But just changing our mindset about what we want to communicate can really help get us on the right track.

I want people to look forward to communicating with me, whether that be over email, via spreadsheets, in staff meetings or at coffee shops.

If you're digging this line of thinking, you should also check out "Death By Meeting" by Patrick Lencioni. Good stuff there as well. Very readable business fiction that will get you thinking about changing things up a bit...

Good luck out there.