Are you a confident remote storyteller? Regardless of your professional discipline, our messaging, information and stories need to become robust. No matter where, and when, we have opportunities to communicate with each other.
Now, remote virtual communication is hardly a novel concept in today’s digitally-connected workplace. However, plenty of businesses remain ill-equipped to have anything other than in-person, face-to-face conversations. Either because of employee habits and comfort levels or budget- and location-limited digital capacity.
Then, consider the number of rescheduled or cancelled weekly meetings. Due to the plethora of moving parts which represent a business at any given point in time. That’s without any extraordinary situations impacting the feasibility of getting everyone together around the business table.
Also, factor in the moving parts you have in your own personal and professional life these days. How might they impact your availability, and ability, to clearly and confidently communicate your compelling story? To colleagues, partners and clients.
Today, I offer three tips to become a confident remote storyteller. So everyone gets to where they need to go. Together. One millimeter at a time.
Tip 1: Take a critical look at how you currently communicate your information, presentations and stories.
I frequently review clients’ presentations, including how these are spoken as well as how these are graphically presented. Often, the format is old-school: the first third of the presentation is spent talking about the company history which underscores qualification to make the presentation in the first place. Blah-blah-blah. Is this information really what clients want to hear in their first 15 minutes or so with you? If their needs are not addressed first and foremost, how will that play out, long-term?
Tip 2: Have a Plan B backup presentation format for your presentational storytelling.
Still loving that in-person PowerPoint presentation, plus handouts? Dependent on this process for STEM and business storytelling? What happens when that in-person meeting, or conference, is cancelled at the last minute? Your Plan B backup is to jump on a virtual platform, honor the original presentation timeline, and keep the ball rolling forward. And “virtual” equates with anything from an audio-only / phone conversation all the way to sophisticated two-way video platforms with polling. The scenario you regard as completely not ideal, today, may, in fact, be absolutely perfect.
Tip 3: Shorten the conversation and punch it up with your personality.
I can feel the STEM and left-brain professionals reading this sentence absolutely cringe. Seriously, while I feel I am an absolute laugh-riot at times, my business colleagues always think I sound like what I am: a card-carrying STEM professional and left brain thinker. Yet, my STEM colleagues think I sound like a laugh-riot business person. So be true to who you are, without remaining a slave to the professional habits and biases which can stereotype you.
Becoming a confident, remote storyteller involves ingenuity, creativity and yes, moving one millimeter beyond what is professionally comfortable. And here’s your bonus outcome.
Building your confidence as a remote, virtual storyteller rewires your brain and your habits when communicating in-person! As you read this post and think about this option, you actually start to change your conversation strategy. Even if you are change-averse.
Enjoy reading this post? Then take the next steps!
- Planning your next team, corporate or association meeting? Engage me to present one of my One Millimeter Mindset ™ Storytelling speaking programs, workshops or mastermind groups. Contact me right here.
My One Millimeter Mindset™ HR and STEM storytelling programs translate across communication disconnects between people and professional disciplines. Build trust as you wrestle with today’s continuously changing technical and regulatory environments. Optimize strategic business and human capital value in your organizations. Get everyone to where they need to go. Together. One millimeter at a time. Check out my playbook of communication tools and methods, Do YOU Mean Business? available on Amazon.com.
Image source: iStock / Getty Images
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