Michelle is one of the smartest people I know, and is equally at home on a sales call, in the boardroom, or in a book club. Her education and work experience makes her strategic and decisive, and her personal and family life built her consensus-building and nurturing skills.
Her professional growth has been impressive, in part because of her soft but clear voice, and her ability to listen carefully and respond thoughtfully. She can also analyze complex data, and help people visualize trends using PowerPoint slides. It doesn’t hurt that her big eyes and generous smile always make people feel welcome.
But for the last few months, the data and colorful graphics aren’t cutting it anymore. As she reads the room, she sees people glancing at their phones, and gazing into space. “This has always worked before,” she thinks. “Why aren’t people engaging with my presentation?”
Want to see how this all turns out?? Me too! Stories have an amazing ability to pull you in, and get you emotionally invested.
But you know what doesn’t? Slide decks, paragraphs of marketing text, charts and graphs. So why do so many people rely on these things to influence people?
Could it be that it’s far easier to present data than it is to craft a compelling story?
Stay tuned for our next installments where you’ll hear the exciting conclusion of our story, and learn some interesting reasons why stories are so compelling.
