Storytelling

Challenge and selection: I worked on a research project where I accumulated a large amount of data and need to present it to  the business/stakeholders.  This part of the business struggles to attract more customers as the levels of satisfaction are low.  And the data from my research project highlights some of the reasons for  this, as well as suggests what can be changed to improve the proposition.

I believe that storytelling tool could help me present these findings to the team in a way that will be  relatable and provide a clear message.  It will allow me to deliver the large amount of data I’ve  collected in a simple but also passionate way, so that the stakeholders get engaged and see the clear  message iand what changes are needed to happen.  By using the storytelling tool, I won’t just be  listing the findings and possible solutions, but I’ll bring this connection between customers and the  business to the room, so that the stakeholders can clearly relate to the problems in the product.

Application: In my case, where I work with large amounts of data, it can be tricky to get a short and concise  presentation.  But by using the storytelling tool, I can summarise the data so that it’s clear and  doesn’t require me to share all the small details.  Besides large numbers of quantitative data, I also  have some comments from the customers about what they like and don’t like about the product.  So  to bring my story to life and make it more engaging, I’ll start with a story from a customer.  I can  picture an average customer who is less happy with the service, read a comment from them as well  as tell what exactly goes wrong for them (website is confusing, or couldn’t complete an order).

By talking also to some stakeholders prior to the final presentation, I can gather information on the  business side of the situation and add to my story some steps that business has been applying to try  and solve this problem.  However, as I’ve discovered, some areas are not being covered by the  current strategy and they seem to be key to customers.  So, by bringing the customer’s story to live  in my presentation, it’ll make the team understand how to amend the current plan and start  introducing solutions that will really make the difference to the customers.

Insight and approach: This tool works great in my job where I have to work with large data sets and limited time that the  business has to listen to my findings.   By delivering key findings in a relatable, simple way of a  story, I could gain stakeholders’ attention as well as deliver key messages without overloading them with details.  This method causes great discussions in the room with people trying the situations on  to themselves and coming up with possible solutions to the problem.

I still use visuals when I use storytelling technique to make sure that everyone follows. And in some cases I add a little more detail to the story as I am aware that some stakeholders are much more  detail oriented than the others.  I’ve had a situation where by just telling a concise story I then  would get questions around the proof for one or the other statement.  So usually, I’d either have a  handout/appendix with more details, or add some numbers to the main story if appropriate for the  audience.

