As my one of my brilliant teachers Toby Hecht used to say, “Birds fly, fish swim and human beings tell stories.” Resonance starts with a powerful story. Not any story. But a story about the relevant use of your product in ways that will create an aha-moment in the minds of your audience. Let me… Continue reading
“24 Shot Espresso for James” the lady at the Starbucks called out. I was waiting for someone and I thought I must have heard it wrong and continued reading a book. A few minutes passed by. “24 Shot Espresso for James” the lady at the Starbucks called out again. This time I was sure about… Continue reading
The easiest advice you can give to a first-time entrepreneur is to ask him or her to make their pitch better. Why? Two reasons to start with: 1. That advice (unintentionally) implies that everything else about the business is quite all right and all it requires is a pitch upgrade. 2. If you are that… Continue reading
In storytelling, this is generally called an exposition, a space where you share the lay of the land. In a world where everything moves in a breathtaking speed, it is not uncommon to skip the context and get RIGHT TO THE POINT. You might have been tempted to do it yourself time and again. Your… Continue reading
Last evening, I had an opportunity to hear Sarah Lacy’s story about starting Pando Daily. During her fascinating talk, Sarah mentioned about how they come up with so many good stories. One thing that caught my attention was that the writers don’t have access to analytics and their stories are judged by merit and not… Continue reading
Whether you are doing something or nothing, you are always carrying a few messages with you. These messages include but not limited to: 1. A Promise: You always make a promise to the world. The latest buzzword for that promise is that you always have a personal brand – whether you want it or not…. Continue reading
This mini saga was adapted by a story I read in the Introduction of “the Element” by Sir. Ken Robinson. Although the story is about a young girl, it has an important message for all of us adults. Mini Saga #118 – Confidence Samantha was deeply focused on her drawing. The teacher had to call… Continue reading
You require a really fine balance when it comes to paying attention to criticism when you are on the receiving end. If you ignore criticism completely, you may be missing some good feedback. If you take every criticism at face value, you may be tempted to act on erroneous feedback. More often than not, people… Continue reading
The same offer can be transformed into a killer offer with the power of a story. Here is one example ( for the inspiration to this mini saga, please read: This Car Wash is Free – The Power of the Narrative) Mini Saga #71 – Offer Bob hated deals and discounts but this car wash deal… Continue reading
When I was in India last time, Kiruba Shankar shared this wonderful story with me. A king and his troops were going through a forest. The King saw an old man cutting trees. Taking pity on him, he asked the Minister to give that old man an acre of sandalwood trees. The Minister took care… Continue reading