"Its the story not the tech that is the bridge between whether an idea gets funded and gets to market ."
A fun conversation with Susan about the power of stories for the human brain. We delve into the eclectic journey that she travelled to link storytelling and innovation. The human need for connection is ever present, particularly in a digitally connected world. Human connection is about having empathy and understanding others’ situations – essential for innovation & effective collaboration, which requires behaviour change.
The role of stories in creating followers and convincing people is as old as time, and people don’t change much; the prophets moved the word around the world, making them the greatest viral marketers of all time. There is so much power in stories, especially the ones we tell ourselves, which are instrumental in helping or hindering both innovation and collaboration..
We discuss all this and lots more as Susan shares her insights, stories and experiences from working with people & leaders all around the globe .
The main insights you'll get from this episode are :
- The common trait for innovation is an insatiable curiosity – innovators are constantly asking questions, talking and telling stories with a desire to tell other people.
- The human need for connection is about having empathy and understanding others’ situations – essential for innovation, which requires behaviour change.
- The advent of the Internet made it clear that the story was the bridge between new tech/ideas and how to get people to change their behaviour around interacting with the technologies.
- A ‘tech translator’ needs to use plain language to tell a relatable story that matters to the readers, and CIOs need to take the same approach; they must become storytellers themselves to get the funding/recognition they deserve.
- The role of stories in creating followers and convincing people is as old as time, and people don’t change much; the prophets moved the word around the world, making them the greatest viral marketers of all time.
- How did they succeed in selling an idea that wasn’t visible to our human minds, and persuading us to continue sharing their stories long after their death?
1. They relied on a shared history and looked for common ground (orthodoxy vs. progressivism); evidenced by similar calendars/rituals across religions.
2. Their basis was in core values; behaviour change requires new, worthwhile values to replace old ones that are no longer sufficient.
3. Their message was memorable; an innovative message requires momentum for other people to adopt it - stories create both memory and momentum.
4. They got other people to tell it; identify early adopters who will absorb the message and amplify it, pre-programming others to share it.
5. The made good use of language; rallying cries ground people to the mission of change.
- There will always be doubt, even among early adopters, and impactful communication varies among national cultures – we must be clear about the cultural values in the tribe we are currently in.
- Empathy mapping...
