What’s your trademark?

A trademark image works faster and harder to communicate than hundreds of words. Some are iconic and well known – the Nike swoosh.  The Apple white earbuds.  But other images can do the work of hundreds of words and can be leveraged in everything from personal selling to corporate presentations. The visual imprints stereotypes on the wearer or the presenter that may or may not be true.  But they are all part of the story. 

Standing in a customs line in London the other day, I met a gentleman wearing cowboy boots and a t-shirt advertising a marathon recently completed (according to the dates).  In an instant, I knew he was U.S. based.  I also surmised from his soft drawl he was from the South (turned out to be Texas), disciplined (I can’t run a half marathon) and wealthy (custom boot details gave it away).  I immediately decided I was interested in talking to him, having inferred he was creative and confident, interesting and successful. If you want to communicate something in a flash, understand the stereotypes associated with a visual image and use it to your advantage. 

-Julie

Choosing Wisely

The stories we tell can either serve to clarify everything or confuse the listener.  Choosing the right story often seems tough, especially when you’re under stress or pressed for time.  It’s why we often suggest to clients they keep a video library of the best stories for folks to listen to before they try to use them.  Once your library gets big enough, folks can ask themselves two questions to sort and select the right story to use.

1. Does the hero of my story feel the way my listener does?
2. Does the hero in my story change over time in the way I’d like my listener to consider?

If you can answer yes to both these questions, chances are you’ve got a story your listener will relate to and remember.

-Julie

Elementary School Got It Right

I asked my 15 year old son what he thought of the ”Occupy Wall Street” movement at dinner tonight—it is happening roughly 20 miles away from us.  I was met with a blank stare and a “What?”  When I asked if he had read or heard anything about it, he replied “Mom, I don’t have time to read the news.  I go to school.”  Which begs the question – why do we go to school  if not to apply it to reality?

Education should be in the business of teaching young people the skills they need to succeed in the real world.   Research shows that you remember facts and data better if you understand the context in which they apply.  Brain science and neuro-imaging is showing us how stories serve to organize the “file cabinet” in our brain that holds information (if you want more information on this, read Storyproof by Kendall Haven.)

In schools, we learn quadratic equations, participles, the scientific method, the Reformation and thousands more concepts.  How often do teachers take time at the beginning of a class to explain how this information will apply to the world beyond the walls of academia?  If we can’t tell a story that shows how the information we are about to learn is relevant to the life we will lead, perhaps it’s not worth remembering.

Schools and teachers need to make time for “Storytime” at the beginning of each class.  Much like we did in elementary school.  They had something there.

-Julie