Just Story It

A Polaroid camera is nothing more than bookshelf eye candy if you don't have the magical film to go with it. Which is why The Impossible Project pulle...

Admitting Failure is an open space for development organizations to admit and learn from failure for more effective aid.

Editor's Note: This fictionalized case study will appear in a forthcoming issue of Harvard Business Review, along with commentary from experts and readers.

Fiction Smiction -- I run across this scenario regularly in my story work. Particularly with companies with a strong aesthetic vision.

So the case study is very real. 

It's a great read. And a perfect example of using a storied case study (not all case studies are, BTW).

But to get back to the dilemma --

1. What would you do?
2. How would you handle this?
3. How would you leverage story to move beyond this impasse?

Can't wait to hear your responses :)

Read the full article here: http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2012/06/case_study_should_you_listen_t.html?awid=5160472941370235642-3271 

This review was written by Karen Dietz for her curated content on business storytelling at www.scoop.it/t/just-story-it 

Do you know why you make the products or offer the services you do? Too often I find that companies don't have a clear enough sense of why they do what they do.

Oh, this is so true! Let me explain first why I like this article. Then I'll explain how it fits into business storytelling.

I like this article because once again, we are being reminded that people buy the WHY not the 'what.'

The author does an excellent job in explaining how understanding the 'why' is extremely important in innovation -- and every business no matter how small or big, needs to be constantly scanning for the next incremental or major innovation to bring to its customers and the marketplace.

The best idea in this article comes from the notion of 'core insights' that are complementary (and essential) to 'core competence'.

Now here's the link to biz storytelling. Once you understand about 'core insights' by reading this article, your next question will be -- "So how do I get those core insights?!"

Voila -- through listening to your customer's stories in story gathering sessions. And through listening to your staff's stories that they share about the products/services you offer and their stories about customers.

This article doesn't make that link, but I hope that the concept of 'core insights' coupled with the technique of story listening/gathering will bring you plenty of material to keep you competitive! 

Stories have defined our world.

Even though this post is almost a year old, the great information it contains is evergreen.  Here Smashing Magazine author Francisco Inchauste shares the ins-and-outs of storytelling for designing software and applications.

Whoa, you say -- I'm not a geek!  Well, for all those non-techie biz people out there, here's terrific primer on how to use stories/narratives for understanding your customers, building your products/services to meet their needs, and designing your branding.

As this author says, "In this article we’ll explore how user experience professionals and designers are using storytelling to create compelling experiences that build human connections."

He then explores the story arc, how the brain processes an experience, discusess defining the user & user-centered goals, and then shares a process map that you can adapt to your specific business.

These are great insights and tips to get us all ready for our business innovations and customer connections in 2012.

To really know customers you must engage them face-to-face.

This is a handly little article reminding us all that data and "likes" can only take us so far. If we really want to know our customers to help guide for innovation, marketing, business relationships, and ultimately business growth, then face-to-face interactions are imperative.

OK -- now we've gotten that message, and we are in front of a customer, now what? How do you maximize your time together?

The practical answer is to ask for, and listen to, their stories! That is what this article does not say. Yet that is your path to success.

What stories do you ask for? Ask them to share with you their experiences of your product/service, your company, your marketing/branding, or whatever burning question you need an answer to.

Just remember, most people ask information questions where they get lots of description but little story. That's not so helpful. They will ask someone to describe what they like about their product. In return they will gets answers like, "I like the blue color, and how it fits in my hand." interesting, but not so helpful.

Ask for EXPIENCES instead: "Tell me about the first time you used our product and what that was like ..." In return, you will receive a story rich in material and meaning: "One day I was really struggling one day to open a jar. For some reason my arthritis was really bad that morning and I couldn't get the strength to open that jar. I didn't want to ask my daughter for help because i hate feeling dependent on someone just to open a jar! A friend had given me your handy opener as a gift but I hadn't even taken it out of its packaging yet. That morning I grabbed it but had a devil of a time getting it out of its plastic wrapping! I finally took a scissors to it, which means I probably have blunt scissors now [HINT for changing packaging]. But I finally got it opened and used it on that jar I was struggling with. Voila! It was so easy! I had that jar open in a jiffy. Your design made it very easy in my hands. I checked out your website to see if it came in other colors so I could give it as a gift to friends. Was kind of disappointed in the color selection but I'll make do. I'm sure they will appreciate its ease and cool design like I do."

You get the picture -- haven't customers share experiences is much more valuable. From the little story above you can now dig deeper into the story, or keep asking for later experiences.

Enjoy this process. Take your time -- no need to schedule 20 interviews to aquire tons of material. A handful will do to get you started. Remember you are going for quality, not quantity. You will learn as you go and interviews down the line will be richer and more complex because you will have gotten better at evoking stories from your customers.

I would love to hear about your experiences doing this activity!

This review was written by Karen Dietz for her curated content on business storytelling at www.scoop.it/t/just-story-it

As business leaders speak of the “Human Age” and claim that capitalism is being replaced by “talentism”--defined as access to talent as a key resource and differentiator--many companies have embarked on initiatives to “unleash their human...

Is your business a humanist business? Not sure? Then you'd better find out by reading this article.

Why did I curate this piece? Because if you are seriously working with stories with any depth, then you are connecting with the core of our humanity. There is both beauty there and ugliness.

So how do you get your head wrapped around this so you can continue to work with stories to connect, empower, survive, and thrive? Well, if you are operating from the principles given here, you will succeed:

1. Empathy -- a core ingredient and outcome of story work.
2. Community -- building a 'social mind' based on trust and collaboration
3. Morality -- walking your talk is the only sustainable position in today's business, says the author. This happens with actualized values, purpose, and character.
4. Creativity -- working with chaos, uncertainty, and dreaming -- which BTW is much more fun and produces better results than 'innovation'.
5. Aspiration -- the realms of the imagination and hope, and creating alignment between org aspiration and employee passions (and I think customer passions, too).

Like the author says, "As the new millennial workforce demands meaning over money, and prefers employers that are different by making a difference, humanist businesses shift their organizational rationale from productivity to impact, from excellence to significance."

Actually, these desires belong to more than just the millennial workforce, so don't limit yourself there.

More wonderful food for thought this week :)

This review was written by Karen Dietz for her curated content on business storytelling at www.scoop.it/t/just-story-it