If you want me to remember, tell me a story.
I was recently brainstorming with a client about how to create more engagement at their upcoming workshop. The sessions will consist of multiple presentations by folks sharing new data and information to get each other up to speed on their current state.
From past experience with these kinds of sessions in which all the participants are subject matter experts, there's a high probability that presenters will show a lot of slides with charts and numbers. We jokingly call this a formula for death by Powerpoint.
What we came up with instead is to have each presenter share a story about their most current and relevant project, followed by discussion time – a formula for success that I’ve seen work many times in meetings and workshops.
Listening to each other’s stories puts us in a state of possibility and sparks our imaginations. We can often see ourselves or someone we know in the story, which creates empathy. We build on each other’s stories with our own, finding similarities in shared experiences we wouldn’t otherwise know we had.
As a graphic recorder, I love co-creating with my clients in this way. Participants stay engaged and remember so much more. And the best part is they walk away with a visual record of their stories and all of the new ideas and insights those stories spark.
Visual stories like this have been successfully used by my clients to share with their board of directors, potential funders, and to get their teams aligned on a vision or path forward.
If you’re looking for a new way to create more engagement at your next event, let’s talk about the best visual tool to help tell your story.
