Crafting Strategic Visual Stories PLAYBOOK by streefland

Crafting Strategic Visual Stories™

PLAYBOOK

Storytelling is how we move business forward.

Learning the WHY, WHAT, and HOW of business storytelling Our brains are wired to remember stories. But weaving tales alone isn’t enough to spur your customer, prospect, or manager to take action. It’s the arc of a story combined with powerful data and visuals that infuse the right balance of logic and emotion to generate decision making. We understand that people learn best by doing – not by being lectured to. Regardless of how they’re delivered, TPC’s workshops are hands on and highly experiential, with interactive exercises, coaching, and instant feedback. Participants learn and reinforce new skills in the moment, either by transforming existing presentations or creating new stories during the workshop. Our three workshops are designed to work together, with each layering essential skills and storytelling techniques that address the most common business scenarios we face today, including virtual and hybrid meetings that have become the new normal. We believe with some simple guidance everyone can be a great business storyteller. We look forward to showing you how!

Crafting Strategic Visual Stories

Influencing with Visuals

With demonstration and hands on practice, we show you how to use storytelling to turn ideas into memorable and motivating narratives.

Take your storytelling to the next level by learning how to organize your ideas into visual messages that are memorable and easy to digest.

The brain science behind the power of storytelling

Developing a visual slide strategy

4 basic principles of design

Presenting Data Visually This workshop delivers powerful, easy to apply techniques that help teams transform their data analysis into insights that drive actionable recommendations. ü

Applying a data visualization strategy

Walking in your audience’s shoes

Learn how to connect the Why, What, and How of your story.

Displaying information visually

Enhanced tools, including a customized slide library

Using design elements (color, size, shape)

Minimizing clutter and “noise”

Developing your BIG Idea

Enhanced tools, including a customized slide library

Storytelling Learning Journey We recommend learners take CSVS first to provide a storytelling foundation to IWV and PDV. For those that take the journey out of sequence, we suggest taking CSVS and reading our book Everyday Business Storytelling within 3-6 months of the initial workshop.

Crafting Strategic Visual Stories™

Course at-a-glance In-Person Virtual On-Demand

Learning Best Practices Participant Expectations Timing, Scheduling, Follow-Ups

Learning Objectives Create a common storytelling language Your team will learn a simple, proven framework for crafting presentations, emails, one-pagers, and proposals that get people to say “yes”

Adapt to any business situation Participants will discover strategies for adjusting their narrative to any situation or scenarios, including mixed audiences and virtual meetings.

Develop BIG Ideas What do you want your audience to remember most? What do you want them to know, or do that drives decision making?

All participants of Everyday Business Storytelling who complete the workshop

receive a Certified Storyteller badge that can be shared on professional networking channels and social media.

Crafting Strategic Visual Stories™

COURSE AT-A-GLANCE

Crafting Strategic Visual Stories™

All workshop participants receive:

In-Person Live Instruction

Everyday Business Storytelling™ book Step-by-step workshop companion loaded with real-world examples to help participants create, simplify, and adapt a visual narrative for any audience.

StoryPlanner™ A simple-to-use interactive tool that helps team members develop out their business stories BEFORE they create a presentation to save time, formulate their ideas, and get everyone on the same page quickly.

StoryStarters™ Your team’s big presentation… or high-stakes email… or crucial proposal starts right here. Leverage the language prompts in our StoryStarters™ every time you want to organize ideas and construct a story-driven narrative.

StoryCheck™ Before a presentation, business update, one-pager, or even an email go out, use our StoryCheck™ tool to do a last-minute review to make sure your communication includes the storytelling signposts and BIG Idea designed to get ideas heard.

Conceptual Guide Workshop participants will use this booklet in class, along with TPC’s Story Planning tools, to transform their insights, data and recommendations into compelling, audience-centric stories.

Creating a Culture of Storytelling™ Protect your training investment with our Creating a Culture of Storytelling™ workbook that provides tips and best-practices for managers and peers to help instill TPC’s story development process into the team culture with success and long-lasting results!

Crafting Strategic Visual Stories™ Agenda for in-person live instruction Module 1: The Power of Storytelling 9:00 AM – 10:45 AM

Welcome and housekeeping Brain science behind storytelling Four signposts of a great story The WHY, WHAT, and HOW of storytelling Team activity and debrief: Storytelling in business Common ways to introduce characters in business stories Activity: Write down your BIG Idea

10:45 AM – 11:00 AM

Break (15 min)

Module 2: Walk in your audience’s shoes 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM

It’s not about YOU Get to know your audience How to adapt your story to meet audience needs Introducing the Visual Story Planner™ Activity: Walk in your audience’s shoes

12:00 PM – 1:00 PM

Lunch (1 hour)

1:00 PM – 1:30 PM

Debrief Activity (3-5 volunteers share their audience insights)

Module 3: Your BIG idea 1:30PM – 2:00 PM

Every great story has a BIG idea The core elements of a BIG Idea (WHAT/Benefit) Examples of BIG ideas in business presentations Activity: Refine your BIG Idea Debrief: Share your BIG Idea

2:00 PM – 2:15 PM

Break (15 min)

Module 4: Build your story 2:15 PM – 4:30 PM

Visualizing your story is a 3-step process (it doesn’t start in PowerPoint) Activity: Review a completed story planner (Bastion) Headings vs. story headlines Activity: Build your story headlines Peer coaching: Exchange feedback on your story headlines Report outs: Share your story headlines From story planner to storyboard 5 ways to display information Guidelines for visualizing your story’s WHY, WHAT and HOW

4:30 PM – 4:45 PM

Key takeaways & feedback survey (distributed electronically)

Program ends at or before 5:00 PM

Crafting Strategic Visual Stories™ Agenda for virtual live instruction Module 1 Storytelling fundamentals

Welcome and housekeeping Virtual whiteboard activity: What makes a great story? Brain science behind storytelling Four signposts of a great story The WHY, WHAT, and HOW of storytelling Storytelling in business Common ways to introduce characters in business stories Peer breakout activity: What’s your story?

Approx. 1.25 hours

Break (10 min)

Flex your story (part 1)

You've got 5 mins with an executive You need to influence over email You’re told “only 3 to 5 slides”

Walk in your audience’s shoes

It’s not about YOU How to adapt your story to meet different audience needs Introducing the Visual Story Planner™ Homework: Walk in your audience’s shoes

2.5 hours

Wrap up

Module 2 Your BIG idea

Welcome and module 1 review Peer breakout activity and debrief: Share your audience discoveries Every great story has a BIG idea Examples of BIG ideas in business Virtual chat and debrief activity: Share your BIG Idea

Approx. 1.25 hours

Break (10 min)

Flex your story (part 2)

You’re providing an update You must tell a story on one page Your audience is diverse… how can you please everyone?

Build your story

Visualizing your story is a 3-step process (it doesn’t start in PowerPoint) Video case study: Bastion story makeover Activity: Review a completed story planner (Bastion) Video: Headings vs. story headlines Homework: Build your story headlines

2.5 hours

Wrap up

Homework will take approximately :30 minutes. Participants will be workin g on their actual day-to-day presentations.

Crafting Strategic Visual Stories™ Agenda for virtual live instruction Module 3 Share your story headlines

Welcome and module 2 review Peer breakout activity: Share your story headlines Team report-outs: Exchange feedback on your story headlines

Approx. 1.25 hours

Break (10 min)

Visualize your story

Video: Story development process 5 ways to display information Guidelines for visualizing your story’s WHY, WHAT and HOW Extend the learning: Visualize your story and get peer feedback Your key takeaways from this training

2.5 hours

Wrap up and Feedback (survey distributed electronically)

Crafting Strategic Visual Stories™ Agenda for on-demand w/cohort instruction Use this cheat sheet for a Program Manager at your organization to successfully deploy TPC’s Crafting Strategic Visual Stories (CSVS) on-demand cohort course in the NovoEd platform. When?

What is the Program Manager doing?

Pre-course activity 6 to 8 weeks • Generate “buzz” to recruit before learners by sending out a course ‘welcome message’ with link begins to a short welcome video and course syllabus so learners can self-educate and sign up if interested • Note: To save time, TPC has created a sample ‘welcome message’ and welcome video that you can leverage and personalize to enhance your promotional efforts • You can use your preferred communication channel to reach your audience (email, internal LMS, groups, etc.) • We recommend sending promotions to an audience roughly twice the cohort size e.g. for a cohort of 30, advertise to ~ 60 people)

4 weeks before course begins

• If a custom executive sponsor video has been agreed in advance to be incorporated into the learning journey, send .mp4 video file to TPC

10 days before course begins

• Share the roster (names and email addresses) with your TPC main contact

2 days before course (Thur)

• Adjust roster with any last- minute additions or changes and share with TPC • Note: After the course begins, learners may not be substituted

What is TPC’s Learning Community Manager doing?

What auto-generated messages are going out from the NovoEd tool?

• Receive a ‘welcome message’ from the program manager and watch a short welcome video • Check their schedules against the course start and end dates, review expectations of the course via the syllabus to determine if they are available and can set aside time to complete the course over the 10 day active learning journey (35 hours on average) • Sign up for the course (via internal LMS) if interested

n/a

• Upload custom executive sponsor video into the NovoEd course with customized messaging on the course lecture page

n/a

What are learners doing?

• Get ready and blocking their schedules for an amazing learning experience!

• Send “what to expect” email via Outlook to welcome the cohort and share how to get the most from the course (including planning their time and key “to- do’s” via the course syllabus)

Crafting Strategic Visual Stories™ Agenda for on-demand w/cohort instruction

When?

What is the Program Manager doing?

Live-course activity Day 1 (Mon)

n/a

Day 2 (Tues)

n/a

Day 3 (Wed)

n/a

What are learners doing?

• Receive log in information from NovoEd • •

•

Day 4 (Thur)

Day 5 (Fri) Weekend

Day 6 (Mon)

• •

• Import roster into NovoEd • Welcome learners in the in discussions (Introductions, Set up their profile in NovoEd Characters and Pivot) Download Everyday • Respond to individual emails Business Storytelling as needed (continue eBook throughout course) Introduce themselves in Chat • Send “nudge” email through Begin Assignment #1 Outlook to get inactive Begin learners to login Assignment #2 • Continues to welcome (possible but learners in discussions unlikely)

• Optional: Encourage inactive learners to get started and log in to the course

• Watch videos and consuming the class

n/a

• Optional: Watch videos and consume the class on a weekend while they can squeeze it in • Last day for “stragglers” to login, set up profile, introduce themselves in Chat

n/a

What is TPC’s Learning Community Manager doing?

What auto-generated messages are going out from the NovoEd tool? • Doors are open!

(triggered when roster is imported into course – NovoEd automatically assigns unique passwords to new learners and allows the password to be updated)

Way to go! And come back to coach your peers! *goes to anyone who has 700 points, likely day 3 or after)

• Continue to moderate discussions and assignments

n/a

• Your storytelling journey continues this week! (goes to everyone Sunday before week 2 begins)

• Continue to moderate in discussions and assignments

n/a

• Unenroll inactive users • Continue to moderate discussions and assignments

• You’re almost at the finish line!

• Continue to moderate discussions and assignments

n/a Heads up! Friday is your last day to earn your storytelling certificate

• Contribute to discussions (about Characters and Pivot)

Day 7 (Tues)

Day 8 (Wed)

n/a

Day 9 (Thurs) n/a

• Begin Assignment #1 • Begin Assignment #2 (possible) • Give and receive peer feedback in Assignment #1 • Begin Assignment #2 (possible) • Begin Assignment #2 • Give and receive peer feedback in Assignment #2

(goes to anyone who hasn’t earned 700 pts)

The Presentation Company helps talented businesspeople at all levels, bring clarity and meaning to their ideas and influence decisions through storytelling.