The Power of Storytelling - Reflection  Design Thinking for Innovation     Challenge   Back in 2012 I had the privilege of working as an intern for an energy consulting  company. One of our clients was the European energy corporation Capgemini  and they hired our firm to develop a plan which would enhance their brand  recognition. Our team was tasked with increasing brand awareness of Capgemini  from the teenage demographic, specifically ages 13-17.     Despite brainstorming and planning out many approaches to the problem, our  team was unable to implement our ideas into a single cohesive plan. We had  several problems to contend with – Capgemini is a massive conglomerate with  ties to all areas of the gas industry across Europe. Moreover as most parents  would attest to, teenagers are a difficult group to work with!    Selection  Since our group had to condense and synthesize big ideas into bite-sized chunks  for the average teenager to understand, I decided to use the Storytelling tool.  For our dilemma, the Storytelling tool provided ample solutions – it conveys an  emotional connection to the message, makes complicated strategy accessible,  and is an entertaining and engaging medium to work with.     Application  I applied the Storytelling tool by creating a narrative around just a single  Capgemini pipeline. Instead of bombarding the teenagers with numbers and  jargon about Capgemini’s extensive gas pipeline network, our group focused on  one route that snaked its away throughout Europe, starting in the cold plains of  Siberia, Russia and ending at the sunny beaches of Mallorca, Spain. We told the  teenagers about how this pipeline supplies natural gas to keep homes warm all  across the European peninsula. From rustic farmers’ houses to grand castles,  they were all being heated using Capgemini’s natural gas pipe network.     Insight  By using Storytelling, I found that the teenagers were much more receptive to  the message than how they would’ve been if a traditional medium such as a  PowerPoint presentation was used. They seemed more emotionally invested in  the story and were willing to engage in discussion and conversation  freely.

The teenagers also were able to connect with some of the themes in our story.  For example, one 14-year-old student told us about how she grew up on a mink  farm when she was younger. She remembered big orange Capgemini trucks  coming to deliver gas to the farm. By Storytelling, we were able to connect the  emotions of nostalgia and warmth to the Capgemini brand. To me, this was a  wonderful demonstration of the power of Design Thinking. By applying human- centric and unique tools to our problems, we came up with engaging solutions.  The ability to tell stories that solve problems through emotional intelligence is  an important skill in a Design Thinker’s toolbox.     Approach  Upon reflection, an alternate use of the Storytelling tool could have been to use  Capgemini’s sponsorship of the UEFA Champions League (the most elite football  club tournament in the world). Capgemini also had strong ties with the local  football team, Zenit St. Petersburg, and most of the teenagers in our group  would have better connected with football rather than a cross-country pipeline  adventure. What is marvellous about the Storytelling tool is its versatility. The  stories you spin help shape the experiences of the user.


The Power of Storytelling - Reflection Design Thinking for Innovation Challenge Back in 2012 I had the privilege of working as an intern for an energy consulting company . One of our clients was the European energy corporation Capgemini and they hired our firm to develop a plan which would enhance their brand recognition . Our team was tasked with increasing brand awareness of Capgemini from the teenage demographic , specifically ages 13 - 17 . Despite brainstorming and planning out many approaches to the problem , our team was unable to implement our ideas into a single cohesive plan . We had several problems to contend with – Capgemini is a massive conglomerate with ties to all areas of the gas industry across Europe . Moreover as most parents would attest to , teenagers are a difficult group to work with ! Selection Since our group had to condense and synthesize big ideas into bite - sized chunks for the average teenager to understand , I decided to use the Storytelling tool . For our dilemma , the Storytelling tool provided ample solutions – it conveys an emotional connection to the message , makes complicated strategy accessible , and is an entertaining and engaging medium to work with . Application I applied the Storytelling tool by creating a narrative around just a single Capgemini pipeline . Instead of bombarding the teenagers with numbers and jargon about Capgemini ’s extensive gas pipeline network , our group focused on one route that snaked its away throughout Europe , starting in the cold plains of Siberia , Russia and ending at the sunny beaches of Mallorca , Spain . We told the teenagers about how this pipeline supplies natural gas to keep homes warm all across the European peninsula . From rustic farmers ’ houses to grand castles , they were all being heated using Capgemini ’s natural gas pipe network . Insight By using Storytelling , I found that the teenagers were much more receptive to the message than how they would ’ve been if a traditional medium such as a PowerPoint presentation was used . They seemed more emotionally invested in the story and were willing to engage in discussion and conversation freely . The teenagers also were able to connect with some of the themes in our story . For example , one 14 - year - old student told us about how she grew up on a mink farm when she was younger . She remembered big orange Capgemini trucks coming to deliver gas to the farm . By Storytelling , we were able to connect the emotions of nostalgia and warmth to the Capgemini brand . To me , this was a wonderful demonstration of the power of Design Thinking . By applying human- centric and unique tools to our problems , we came up with engaging solutions . The ability to tell stories that solve problems through emotional intelligence is an important skill in a Design Thinker ’s toolbox . Approach Upon reflection , an alternate use of the Storytelling tool could have been to use Capgemini ’s sponsorship of the UEFA Champions League ( the most elite football club tournament in the world ) . Capgemini also had strong ties with the local football team , Zenit St. Petersburg , and most of the teenagers in our group would have better connected with football rather than a cross - country pipeline adventure . What is marvellous about the Storytelling tool is its versatility . The stories you spin help shape the experiences of the user .