A Storied Perspective – Bill Baker's Blog

If you were to compare the worst presentations you’ve sat through to the best, you would likely see some patterns emerge. The former is typically packed with too many slides filled with too much content that the presenter feels compelled to read to you, line-by-line, with a mind-numbing monotony that makes you wish you were anywhere else in the world at that moment (e.g. having a root canal, in traffic court, trapped in an elevator, etc.).

In contrast, great presentations are more about the presenter than the slides, and they make you feel like you are witnessing something special as someone shares their unique perspective, insight and expertise with the world. There are many traits that make great presentations great, but one common characteristic is how the presenter uses storytelling to infuse richer meaning and humanity into the key messages he or she is conveying. Well-selected stories well-placed can add colour and dimension to a presentation, making it a more memorable experience for the audience.

To help you infuse your next presentation with more stories, outlined below are five guidelines that you can follow:

Expand your thinking around what a story can be. We define story as “an exchange of meaning shared from one person to another,” and it can take many forms. For instance, it can be a more traditional narrative with a clear beginning, middle and end: a narrative that comes from your own history, from someone else’s history or simply from history. But it can also be as simple as a beautiful image, insightful quote, parable, metaphor, video clip, cartoon, infographic or newspaper headline. Once you think more broadly about the definition of story, you begin to recognize all the different “meaning exchanges” that can be peppered throughout a presentation to give it greater depth and diversity.

Be strategic in the selection of stories. When you use stories in your presentation, it’s important that you don’t just tell any story at any time; you need to tell the right story at the right time. Because it’s not just storytelling, it’s strategic storytelling, used to compel your audience to think and feel in specific way.

Use a story at the start of your presentation to personally connect with your audience and establish context. Often when you present, you are walking into a room full of strangers who are likely expecting yet another “ho-hum” presentation. Starting your presentation with a story helps you break through their cynicism, lower their defenses and get your audience to see you as a person, not just a presenter. In turn, this makes them more likely to connect with you, trust you and listen to you. In addition, if you’re really strategic about the story you tell upfront, you can set the stage for the core content of your presentation that is to follow, preemptively shaping the way your audience will think about it and, in the process, making them more receptive to it.

Use stories in the middle to exemplify and give meaning to key points you are making. Shorter and more concise stories used throughout your presentation (such as an arresting image, relevant quote or illuminating infographic) can effectively bring to life the core ideas you are putting forward. It’s like you’re lobbing out a compelling concept to the audience and then quickly tossing them a short story to make that concept more real and tangible. That said, when you place pithier “exchanges of meaning” throughout your presentation, be careful not to provide too much of a good thing. Even the most brilliant presentation will start to feel tedious if every single point is followed up with a story (“Oh God, here he goes again!”)

Use a story at the end to provide one last inspiring thought before you finish. Ending your presentation with a moving video clip, a poetic quote or another narrative can serve as the perfect cherry on top of the proverbial sundae. It’s your way of giving your audience one last moment of inspiration and understanding before you send them on their way: one final dose of meaning to connect back to and reinforce the key messages and ideas you have put forward.

So the next time you’re preparing a presentation, think about embedding some stories in it to make it more engaging, enlightening and meaningful. But also think about the purpose and intent of the stories you’re embedding, making certain there is a relevant point to each one. Your audience will connect with your presentation more, take more away from it and love you all the more for it.

Yahoo CEO Marisa Mayer’s decision to call all Yahoo employees back to the office will likely be studied for years to come not so much for what she did but for how she did it.

I can appreciate the need for Ms. Mayer to make a dramatic change to revive a flailing company; and clearly, this experienced executive understands the central role that employees play in helping her enact the change she envisions. After looking under the hood for several months, Ms. Mayer determined that a key issue holding the company back is the corporate culture that surrounds those employees: a culture that had become void of energy, innovation and inspired collaboration. And so, she set about to change that culture as quickly as possible. But it is in her haste, not her vision, that I think she erred.

Strong corporate cultures are developed or evolved over time, not overnight. They are seeded from the top down, as leaders determine and espouse a strategic vision and values for the company and (hopefully) create a working environment and operational framework that enable both. But they also grow from the bottom up, as employees not only see this strategic vision and values, but also see themselves in them, working together towards the vision and bringing the values to life each step of the way. Employees are the soil in which a corporate culture is cultivated, and the more nourished and involved that soil is, the more that culture will thrive.

Change is hard, but it’s also necessary, and it can be effective if managed properly. Storytelling can be a powerful tool to help corporate leaders soften the ground for change and engage and align employees around it. But to have the most positive impact on corporate culture, leaders have to use storytelling strategically in three ways:

First, envision a future story for the company and share it broadly, before you start making big changes. Tough workplace decisions are easier to understand and accept if there is some context first established for them: a bigger picture, a broader vision, a story that gives meaning to those decisions. CEO’s need to establish that context, and the best way to do so is by sharing a story of not only where the company has been and is today, but also where it must go in the future.

In looking at the company-wide memo that announced the end of working from home at Yahoo, it seemed that while they tried to connect that decision to other, previously-launched initiatives, there is still no broader story serving as a contextual backdrop for them. Maybe Ms. Mayer didn’t feel like she had the time to develop and share a bigger-picture, future-oriented story. But if she had before announcing the end of working from home, it would’ve made that bitter pill (and likely others) easier to swallow.

Second, invite employees into the conversation by asking them to share stories connected to the new vision for the company. Storytelling provides a way for corporate leaders to pull employees into a dialogue around a new strategic vision versus pushing tough decisions based on that vision down upon them. Granted, corporations are not democracies, and everyone doesn’t have an equal vote in how they’re run. But everyone does have a voice, and if they’re given a chance to express it through storytelling, they will be more open to the inevitable changes that are coming down the road. So while a new strategic vision for a company is typically crafted by its leaders, employees should be asked to contribute to that vision by sharing stories of how it is already coming to life in the trenches, where it isn’t coming to life and how it could better come to life in the future.

By connecting their own stories to a new corporate vision, employees are able make that vision real for them personally. And through the simple act of sharing those stories, they will often, on their own, draw conclusions similar to those the leaders of the company have already drawn. I’m certain that many employees already shared Ms. Mayer’s belief that working from home wasn’t working for Yahoo. I’m also certain many other employees would’ve reached that conclusion on their own if they were engaged in some StorySharing around the new vision and future story for the company.

And lastly, live by example by becoming the company’s Storyteller-in-Chief. When a CEO asks for new ways of thinking, talking and acting, employees will always look up the ladder to see if she is practicing what she preaches. CEO’s can do so by constantly sharing relevant stories of their strategic vision and future story coming to life and making a positive impact across the company.

I am eager to see if the changes at Yahoo will make a difference. I hope they do, because I hate to see great brands fall as the business behind them fails. I don’t begrudge Ms. Mayer making the decision she did, but the way she did it was like ripping off the cultural Band-Aid too quickly. I’m sure that, as a mother, she knew it would hurt and that employees would cry and complain. But she likely also thought that employees would eventually get over it and move on. For her sake and Yahoo’s, I hope they do.

It seems that every year, as soon as the Oscars are over, the public trashing begins. It’s like a blood sport. After reading the blogs, scanning through Twitter and listening to feedback from Facebook friends, I think I am the only person on this side of the universe who thought the Oscars show on Sunday night was, well, pretty good. I enjoyed it; there, I’ve said it.

I laughed during Seth MacFarlene’s commentary and smiled at the musical numbers. I cherished watching some true divas sing live, especially the ones I thought were dead (sorry Shirley Bassey). And I marveled at the fashion and hair choices of not so much the presenters, who looked predictably flawless, but more so the award winners, who did not. (On a side note, someone needs to more broadly distribute the memo stating that no man should have hair longer than Jennifer Aniston’s; and no self-respecting woman over ten should wear pink leggings to anything, much less the Academy Awards.)

Now that the glitter dust has settled and the reviews are in, the organizers of the Oscars are undoubtedly wringing their hands in existential angst wondering as they do every year where they went wrong and what they can possibly do in the future to right this ship. If I had somehow managed to sneak past security and into the room, I would offer the following piece of advice to these people.

Bring more genuine humanity to the show.

This may be a gross generalization, but I think many men and women who are passionate about the cinema (as I am) are such because they are fascinated with people and the human condition. We watch movies because we get to escape our own worlds for a moment and see others navigating through different ones, experiencing struggles and triumphs that are relevant though compellingly unfamiliar to us.

In turn, we enjoy the Oscars each year not only because it celebrates an art form we love, but also because it gives us a glimpse behind the silver screen at the talented people who appear on it and the equally talented people who put them there. But while I appreciate that the movies I love are momentary suspensions of reality, I don’t want the Oscars to be. Certainly there should be glitz and glamour, but this is the time when I want to see the shiny veneer of make-believe stripped away, exposing more of the genuine human nature of the people connected to the film industry, especially the actors and actresses. It’s interesting that one of the things people are talking about the most from the telecast is when Jennifer Lawrence tripped on her way up to the stage. We loved and could relate to that moment because it was genuinely human.

In the spirit of bringing more humanity to the Oscars, I would do these three things.

• Get rid of the red carpet interviews. The Oscars are likely losing viewers over time because no one with half a brain can stand to sit through more than ten minutes of the pre-show interviews. They are remarkably forced and unbelievably insincere, and everyone involved, especially the celebrities being interviewed, look like they are going through a root canal. It sets the Oscars off on the wrong foot before the show even starts.

• Make all nominees go through acceptance speech training. Appreciating that the acceptance speeches probably account for 20% of the total telecast, the producers of the event should do whatever they can to make them more memorable. Instead of thanking a long list of people we’ve never heard of, winners should take some of the valuable time they have to say something meaningful and share a part of themselves and their craft with the audience. I will remember Daniel Day Lewis’s acceptance speech, while I forgot Anne Hathaway’s before she even finished it.

• Showcase more raw talent. I think one of the key reasons I enjoyed this year’s event was because it reminded me how unbelievably talented many of these people are. Say what you will about Seth MacFarlane’s sense of humour (which I happen to love), but the man can sing and dance (as can Daniel Radcliffe and Joseph Gordon-Levitt); and that’s pretty impressive. Who knew Charlize Theron could dance so well? And while Adele and Jennifer Hudson still have it, you have to love and admire Barbra Steisand and Shirley Bassey for putting themselves out there, even if their voices aren’t what they used to be.

Part of being genuinely human is being yourself, proudly and unabashedly. The organizers of the Oscars should take note of that. I think one of the reasons the Oscars struggles is because it continually tries to be something it’s not and, in doing so, tries to be all things to all people. Quit it. It feels like you’re trying too hard: like you’re acting. And this is the one time of year where I don’t want to see that.

Travel, tourism, and hospitality organizations that position their brands by focusing on product features are likely selling their brands short in the long run. While features are more concrete, most can be easily imitated, taking the wind out of promotional sails as competitors quickly adopt those same features. True brand differentiation requires organizational leaders to reach up into higher levels of understanding and identify the broader experiences the brand creates for guests and customers.

Admittedly, this is a harder tact, and the waters are murkier to navigate; but the results are well worth the effort. To help light the way, outlined below are three ways to identify the experiences that will help your brand rise to the top.

ONE — Look first to your brand values and identify ways they can come to life for your guests. Well-defined brand values philosophically unite a workforce and help everyone understand the higher purpose driving their efforts. However, to realize the full potential of brand values, they must be brought to life in the operations of the business, the actions of the brand, and ultimately, in the experiences that operations and actions combined create for customers. In fact, brand values only become real to customers and guests when they are brought to life through those experiences.

For example, international hospitality association, Relais & Châteaux, has five Ideals of Spirit that unite its 525-plus members: ideals like Sense of Place, Harmony and Being. As unifying as these ideals are, they alone don’t differentiate the brand. Knowing this, Relais & Châteaux identified five Guest Experiences inspired by each ideal, such as A Taste of the Land, A Celebration of the Senses and Awakening to Art de Vivre.

All of these experiences are brought to life in every Relais & Châteaux establishment around the globe, but they are interpreted differently in each location, reflecting the unique personality of the property, its proprietor and its surrounding region. While the values of the brand are important, it is the experiences that well-paying, discerning guests care most about. After all experiences are what they’re ultimately buying, not values. (View a film celebrating Relais & Châteaux’s five Guest Experiences, here.)

Two — Don’t just develop activities; create thoughts, emotions and sensations. The richest experiences are ones that appeal to many different parts of us at once. Yes, they are rooted in activities; but they transcend those activities to elicit thoughts, stir emotions and fire the senses. When multiple facets of us come alive through an experience it creates a more powerful and lasting impact, making us remember more, motivating us to share more and compelling us to come back for repeat performances.

Travel Alberta demonstrates this idea in the new brand story it launched a year ago. Alberta is a province with many incredible natural features—e.g. the stunning Canadian Rockies, the haunting Badlands and the majestic Eastern prairies. But rather than focus solely on those features and sell Alberta simply as a destination (as it had done in the past), Travel Alberta rose above them to position the province as a holistic experience: one that touches the head, the heart and all the senses. Internally, Travel Alberta encourages those working in the travel and tourism business to create “goosebump moments” for guests: those experiences that enrich our lives, give us something to brag about and are so mesmerizing that we must ‘Remember to Breathe,’ as brilliantly brought to life in this brand video.

Three — Don’t promise the experience; just deliver it. In this age of increasing consumer skepticism, we naturally start doubting a brand if it promises too much in its marketing communications. A brand can allude to an experience or show people in the midst of it. But experiences are much more meaningful when they are under-promised, over-delivered and allowed to unfold for guests in a genuine, surprising and unforced way.

To illustrate, a story. A couple of years ago when planning a trip to southern Africa, my partner and I cashed in just about every frequent flyer point we had to book two First Class tickets on Lufthansa. We’d flown their Business Class several times, but that section was all booked up so we decided to splurge on First. The overnight flight from Vancouver to Frankfurt was very nice, and we arrived in the morning refreshed and ready to tour around the city before our next overnight flight to Johannesburg. In Frankfurt, we met up with Daniel, a good friend who lived in Germany. After a nice lunch and walk around town, Daniel turned to us and said, “OK…you should get back to the airport now.”

“But our flight isn’t for another six hours,” we reminded him, a little hurt that he was done with us so soon.

“I know. I know. But listen to me, you need to get back and make full use of the First Class Lounge. It’s life changing.”

He wasn’t kidding. The moment we glided up the escalator past the elegantly inconspicuous sign, we knew we were entering into something special. The woman at the front desk took our boarding passes and said to come back precisely at 10:15 PM. “But our flight leaves at 10:25,” we remarked. She just smiled reassuringly and sent us on our way.

For the next several hours we proceeded to live like gypsies in the palace. We sampled some of dozen or so champagnes they serve by the glass. We took showers in the fully marbled, private bathrooms. We sampled more champagnes. We napped in the private bedrooms. We ate exactly 23 different things in the restaurant. We smoked cigars. We had ice cream sundaes. We got massages. And at 10:00 PM, sated, a little tipsy and convinced we would need more than ten minutes to catch our next flight, we walked back up to the front desk, where we were immediately and politely told to come back at 10:15.

As amazing as the First Class Lounge was, the best part was leaving it. At 10:15 we were taken down in an elevator to the tarmac where a black Mercedes with darkened windows stood at attention. We slipped into the back seat and were whisked away to a 747 that seemed to be (actually was) waiting just for us. As we pulled up to the plane, I couldn’t help but notice the faces staring out the windows at our car. Not being able to help myself, I reached into my bag and pulled out my sunglasses.

Walking towards another elevator, I felt certain I heard our fellow passengers wonder in several different languages, “Who’s that?” their voices somehow reaching through the fuselage and rising above the noise of the jet engines. We glided onto the plane, up the stairs and into our seats. And as the flight attendant handed us a glass of champagne (What’s one more?) and the plane pulled away from the gate, I leaned over to my partner and proclaimed, “I can’t ever go back.”

The product and service features associated with Lufthansa First Class are most certainly remarkable. But what is more remarkable and memorable is the ‘rock star’ experience those features create. I’m not sure if Lufthansa uses that term in their internal documentation, but it is certainly what the experience felt like as we were pampered, nourished and made to feel completely and utterly special. They promised little and delivered a lot, setting my expectations at a reasonable level and then allowing the experience itself to completely exceed them.

Rather than leaving satisfied, I left completely surprised, delighted and dying to share the story of this experience with anyone who would listen. More than anything, I left wanting to come back and experience the whole thing again, which I plan to do…as soon as I save up enough points.

This post was originally published on December 10, 2012 as the second part in a series of articles I am writing for UK-based travel and tourism site, EyeForTravel.