StoryPreso

Home
India
Bangalore
StoryPreso

Making Visible your Ideas & Work to get Results, quickly!

An Organizational Development firm that believes in engaging the whole-brain (head & heart) using simple pictures, connecting design and authentic storytelling for better results.

09/01/2025

To be an influential leader you must build your daily!

“Life is a character-building opportunity that we all volunteered for.”
― Richelle E. Goodrich

One of my favourite leaders who built his character daily was Abraham Lincoln.

In 1860, President-elect Abraham Lincoln said: “I hold that while man exists, it is his duty to improve not only his own condition, but to assist in ameliorating mankind; and therefore, without entering upon the details of the question, I will simply say, that I am for those means which will give the greatest good to the greatest number.”

Modern day psychologists would label his parents as dysfunctional and abusive. He was mocked and ridiculed by his school classmates for the way he looked and dressed.

At age 22, he failed in business, he ran for the state legislature and was defeated, and he tried to start another business and failed again. When he was 26, he was rejected by a woman he loved and had a nervous breakdown. At age 33, he married a woman who was found to be mentally unstable, and once more was defeated for Congress. At age 37, he was finally elected to Congress but at age 39 he was once again defeated. He subsequently campaigned for and was defeated for the senate, vice presidency, and again for the senate.

Then at age 51 he was elected president of the U.S!

Lincoln did not choose his experiences of failure and defeat, but he did choose how to respond. He realized that he was not reacting to an event but to how he interpreted the event. His life is testimony to the uniquely human potential to turn defeats into triumphs and to turn one's predicament into a human achievement. For those events that were not up to him, it was his own attitude that determined their influence on him. When he was no longer able to change a situation, he changed himself.

(Source: https://nurtureforthefuture.wordpress.com/2011/09/04/character-building-stories-real-live-people/)

President Theodore Roosevelt said in 1905. “Lincoln is my hero. He was a man of the people who always felt with and for the people, but who had not the slightest touch of the demagogue in him. His unfaltering resolution, his quiet, unyielding courage, his infinite patience and gentleness, and the heights of disinterestedness which he attained whenever the crisis called for putting aside self, together with his far-sighted, hard-headed common sense point him out as just the kind of chief who do most good in a democratic republic like ours.“

Ps. Ashish Raichur talked about the 4Ds of character building:

- whom do you follow? who or what influences you?

- why do you lead?

- how do you lead?

- whom do you build? what value do you give?

How are you building your character daily?

Visually LIFTing Leaders!

07/01/2025

Collaboration is the big word for 2025!

"As you navigate through the rest of your life, be open to collaboration. Other people and other people's ideas are often better than your own. Find a group of people who challenge and inspire you, spend a lot of time with them, and it will change your life." - Amy Poehler

Want to but find the process a little harder than expected?
Interested in collaborating with someone but not sure how to start?

I sat at a round table with strangers wrapped in layers of clothing. They all had smiles and they felt good to be there. I and one other person were the odd ones.

Wondering why? Well, I am sitting at a community dinner for needy people organised every Sunday at my local church where volunteers collaborate to prepare a hot meal for homeless people, hungry people and lonely people.

It's remarkable to see volunteers collaborating in different jobs - be it setting it up, cooking meals, serving, cleaning, conversing (that's what I did) or just being there in person. Each has a role to play, for it's not only about feeding the hungry, or giving some warmth but a dignified way to host people who have nowhere to go and no one to talk with.

That's the power of heartful collaboration!

If you have never been involved in any volunteer movements, let me encourage you to do so in 2025.

But hey, collaboration is not just for non-profits or a big purpose.
It's an everyday need in many situations.

My 18 yr old son joined the university last week and he has to share a room with another and learn to live in iversity housing - arranging, cooking, cleaning, managing, conversing, planning and doing. For someone used to living comfortably with family, collaborating with strangers is now a must!

What about you?

I created this 2AA (double A battery) framework to help him collaborate with anyone and everyone. To collaborate effectively to achieve a purpose, we need 2 sets of collaboration batteries.

The first set has:
Ask &
Acknowledge/Appreciate/Answer

We start by asking with genuine interest, to find out more. This puts the other person first and when the other person shares, we acknowledge, appreciate and where relevant, answer without trying to take over the conversation. This goes on like a loop, creating a shared understanding and building relationships. We call this the Prep phase.

The second phase called the Progress phase has these two:
Agree &
Act

By going through the Ask & Acknowledge process we finally arrive at a mutually acceptable agreement for the purpose at hand. Once this is done, we document it and start acting on it.

We of course take feedback on our actions by restarting the Prep phase.

"The whole point of collaboration is that you give and take from each other, and that's how you create things that are totally new." - Virgil Abloh

Ready to collaborate?

Visually LIFTing leaders!

03/01/2025

Which toy will you ?
(Read on to find out)

“Friendship is built on two things. Respect and trust. Both elements have to be there. And it has to be mutual. You can have respect for someone, but if you don't have trust, the friendship will crumble.” ― Stieg Larsson

My daughter came running to me and said, “Daddy, my friend is angry at me. She is saying that I told others what she told only to me”

I asked, “Did you tell others?”

She replied, “No. I only gave some clues. They guessed it on their own”

I continued, “ Do you know the story of the 3 toys?”

“A teacher brought 3 identical toys to class and asked the students to find out the differences. All the three toys seemed to be identical in their shape, size, and material. The only noticeable difference was the color of their buttons and hands.

After keen observation, the students observed holes in the toys.
The 1st toy had holes in each ear.
The 2nd toy had holes in the ear and mouth.
The 3rd toy has only one hole in one ear.

The teacher applauded their observation and gave them a needle and thread saying, ”Now use this to experiment with the holes.”

The students inserted the needle in the ear hole of the 1st toy and it came out from the other ear. In the 2nd toy, when the needle was put in the ear, it came out of the mouth. And in the 3rd toy, when the needle was put in, the needle did not come out.

Now I asked my daughter, “What did you understand from this?”

She replied, “The toys are different, even if we can’t see the differences.”

I said, “Great. Each person is different just like your friends. Now imagine if the needle and thread are you tell and the toys are your . Then what do you think is happening?”

She thought for some time while I controlled my urge to spill the answer.

Then with a spark, she said, “Daddy, the 1st toy is not listening…the 2nd toy is listening and talking?”

I said, “Can you relate the 2nd toy to why your friend is angry at you?”

“Oh!” She said, “the 2nd toy is listening and telling what it heard to others without asking if it can be shared. Guess I should have asked her before sharing bits of what she told me to our other friends.”

I continued, “That’s great. You need to be like the 3rd toy so your friends can trust you to keep to yourself what they have said only to you.”

My daughter was again in thought while I interjected, “Now what should you do?”

She continued, “Be like the 3rd toy…and tell my friend I am sorry”.

A few minutes later they were all back at play.

With little children, and is pretty quick and true.

It isn’t often the case with adults. When trust is broken, it’s hard to rebuild it.

We need to have trustworthy friends and confidants who are like the 3rd toy.

1. Make a list of the people in your life and ask yourself what kind of toy they are.

2. Whom do you trust in that list and why?

Visually LIFTing Leaders!

01/01/2025

Let's be a Blessing in 2025!

"God blesses us more so that we can be more of a blessing to others." - Mark Patterson

It's that time of the year to pause and reflect on our blessings. I know for some, we could have wanted the 'big' things but maybe it never happened in 2024 or worse results or relationships or both went downhill.

I understand how it feels.
I understand that while many are celebrating you may feel like crying, like hitting, like screaming, like falling apart.

I understand.
I was there.

Now let me tell you, don't let that stop you from counting your blessings and being a blessing.

No, I am not preaching - simply telling you the secret God has embedded in our universe.

"You don't have the power to make rainbows or waterfalls, sunsets or roses, but you do have the power to bless people by your words and smiles You carry within you the power to make the world better." - Sharon G Larsen

It was a bleak year, a hard year for my training business. Having struggled hard to establish myself I found no progress. Only a few clients, only a few earnings, not even one in the pipeline.

And it was already December.

11 long months of enduring the dry season.

I thought I was doing all the right things - promoting, marketing, networking, connecting, discounting, blah blah blah.

Very little revenue to show for it.

No, it was not 2024, it was 2007.

I still remember vividly, meeting this gentleman who said they needed training for their nonprofit volunteers but they don't have money to pay for it.

I know the experience, I know the catch but this request stuck with me and finally after a good amount of turning around in the bed for a whole week, I grudgingly decided to say yes.

I prepared for it with many strategies to promote my paid program when facilitating.

When I drove to that venue, and met those volunteers, my heart was awakened. They were blessing others without any reservation. They were givers with love at their core. I had never before met 48 people with so much passion to serve until that day. To add to that, their humility, their empathy, their kindness won me over.

I worked with them for 3 days and needless to say, I learnt more than they did. I gave from my expertise but they gave from their experience. I gave from my mind but they gave from their heart.

I learnt what it was to be a blessing that day.

Thank God, He has helped me to continue to be a blessing every single year.

Do you want to be blessed and feel blessed?
Then start by others!

That's the secret.

B - Be available
L - Love with action
E - Encourage
S - Share your blessing
S - Serve with joy

"There are people in your path just so you can be a blessing to them. Anytime you do good for others, you are sowing a seed for God to be good to you." - Joel Osteen

No matter what 2024 has thrown at you, choose this day to be a blessing.

Let 2025 be the blessing spark for you.

Visually LIFTing Leaders!

19/12/2024

Character or Competence.
What should be the one leaders should look for first when they hire or promote someone?

“We aim to develop physique, mentality and character in our students; but because the first two are menaces without the third, the greatest of these is character.” — Joseph Dana Allen

Take the case of Juliana Chugg, the former Managing Director of General Mills Australasia.

She listened to the needs of her employees and even went against the advice of the board by closing the doors of the workplace at 1 pm every Friday, so they can spend more time for weekends. This action resulted in no job losses or salary reductions, no drop in productivity, and no increase in working hours on other days during the week.

As a relatively young mother in charge of a diverse international company, Chugg understands the need to balance her personal and work demands: “The role of a managing director is not to make all the decisions. It is to get the people who have access to the right information together so that, collectively, they are able to make better decisions than they would on their own.” Chugg received the Victorian Businesswoman of the Year award in 2000 for her visionary and caring approach to business.

What happens when people choose people based on character instead of competence alone?

Consider the importance of hiring with focus on character from these CEOs:

Sir Richard Branson says, “If you can find people who are fun, friendly, caring and love helping others, you are on to a winner. Personality is the key.”

Robert Chavez of Hermès says, “When it comes to hiring, we look for people who have a sense of humor, people that can smile. We like to ask candidates, “What’s important to you?”

Jean Regan, President, CEO & Chairperson of the Board of TranzAct Technologies says, “Personality is something that cannot be taught – it’s inherent to each unique person. Job skills, however, can be taught, molded and polished to facilitate the job in which the person is placed. This is why it is so important to hire for personality and train for skill.”

So if you are hiring a CEO or a fresher, consider their character in relation to the organisational culture.

How would you describe your Character as a leader? One way to do it is using the ACCID test for Character.

Here is the ACCID test for Character:
(Instruction: Please rate yourself on a scale of 1-10 where 1 is low and 10 is high and recall behaviors that support each rating)

A - Accountability

C - Courage

C - Care

I - Integrity

D - Diligence

Then ask your spouse, your colleagues, your boss and your direct report to also rate you.

I would encourage you to do this monthly to reflect on and build your Character and those of others in your team, family and organization.

“Character is the indelible mark that determines the only true value of all people and all their work.” — Orison Sweet Marden

Visually LIFTing Leaders!

16/12/2024

Character is the most important mark of a true leader!

“Successful leadership is not about being tough or soft, sensitive or assertive, but about a set of attributes. First and foremost is character.” — Warren Bennis

Consider the case of Carlos Ghosn, the CEO who 'saved' Nissan from bankruptcy.

He joined the company in 1999 as an outsider with Brazilian, French, and Lebanese citizenship, but became one of Japan’s most recognized business leaders—nicknamed “Mr. Fix It” by an adoring public, celebrated in manga comic books, and awarded a medal by Emperor Akihito himself.

And yet hidden behind this reputation of a results-producing leader who outperforms every time was a different mindset & lifestyle.

In 2014 and 2016, Ghosn threw lavish birthday parties at the Palace of Versailles for himself and his wife, perhaps with company funds. He and his family owned a 120-foot yacht and upscale homes in Tokyo, Paris, Rio de Janeiro, Amsterdam, Beirut, and New York. He invested in wineries and contemporary art. And even though he was awarded a compensation package four times as large as that of his counterpart at Toyota, Ghosn spent much of his tenure at Nissan complaining that he was underpaid.

Now some of us may think he deserves all this!

Well, the story does not end in the highs…

On November 19, 2018, he was arrested after stepping off his corporate jet in Tokyo, charged for a host of financial misdeeds at Nissan, including misappropriating $5 million and concealing about $80 million of his compensation over eight years.

After his arrest, Ghosn argued that these were allegations fabricated by rivals within Nissan. But instead of standing trial, he hired a former commando to hide him in a music-equipment box and fly him by private jet to Lebanon.

Ghosn’s saga is shocking, isn’t it?

A high profile celebrity leader and CEO who had a great reputation and demonstrated a winsome personality had sadly a different character!

“Every man has three characters—that which he exhibits, that which he has, and that which he thinks he has.” — Alphonse Karr

Most leaders focus on:
Creating their - what others should think of me and on building their - what I want to show about me to the world!

But fail to focus on their - the moral fibre that guides everything.

In an ideal scenario, our character must be the same as our reputation and personality.

“The respect that leadership must have requires that one's ethics be without question. A leader not only stays above the line between right and wrong, he stays well clear of the gray areas.” — G. Alan Bernard

So, ask yourself today, what is guiding your leadership - Character, Personality or Reputation?

Visually LIFTing Leaders!

28/11/2024

How can your 💫 values help you lead better?

If you are a , then it is important for you to know your values and lead with them.

“Apart from values and ethics which I have tried to live by, the legacy I would like to leave behind is a very simple one - that I have always stood up for what I consider to be the right thing, and I have tried to be as fair and equitable as I could be” - Ratan Tata

Harsh*th was a young MBA who finally got a break into an MNC. With a much bigger pay package and lots of perks, life suddenly became spectacular. Soon the benefits began to take over his reasoning and living. His humility was replaced by pride, honesty by lies, empathy by self-glory and that affected his relationships. But he didn’t mind - after all change is good!

He brought his mom who lived in a small city to his big home. Within a few months, she began to get uncomfortable with his attitude and actions. But a mom is a mom and her love is always special and she adjusted and lived with her ‘changed’ son! One weekend, Harsh*th came home angry, upset and obviously stressed. On Sunday evening, she quietly went to Harsh*th’s room and saw him sitting on the ground, holding his head in his hands. She sat down next to him and Harsh*th rested his head on her shoulder.

Then he narrated what was troubling him.
❌ He had made a big mistake but all his colleagues and even his boss became unsupportive of him and he was sacked. He didn’t know what to do. She quietly ran her fingers on his hair and said, “You remember your favourite role model, right?”

He said with a gleam in his eyes, “Yes, Ratan Tata”

She continued, “Well, he is known for many things but one thing that stands out for me is the way he lived by his values. No matter the situation, he stood by his values. They are his guideposts”

Harsh*th looked at her and said, “What are you saying mom?”.

She smiled, “What are your values son? I know you have some wonderful ones, but you seem to have forgotten them.”

✅ That’s when it dawned on Harsh*th and the fake persona he had created around himself broke! On Monday he went to his boss and explained his failure to live by his values and apologized to each of his colleagues and other contract employees whom he had treated badly. Then as he was clearing his desk, his boss came to him and said, “Looks like you have learnt what has gone wrong Harsh*th. We believe in second chances. So I am terminating the sacking order and invite you to continue to work with us, but with your heart”

From that day on, Harsh*th chose to lead with his values.

How can values help you lead better?
The framework gives the clue.

💫 Get CLARITY in making goals & plans

💫 Guide your ACTIONS be it in words or behaviours

💫 Create a RIPPLE in your relationships

💫 Help you make the right DECISIONS

💫 Reduce your STRESS

Name one value that you with?

Visually LIFTing Leaders!

26/11/2024

🤷 The TALE to end your everyday!

We all love stories.
We love to read stories.
We love to listen to stories.
We love to watch movies, TV shows and even documentaries with good stories.

Don't you?

✍️ What if we document and tell our own stories?
True stories of your daily, regular work that reveals your 📈 performance each day.

“It's like everyone tells a story about themselves inside their own head. Always. All the time. That story makes you what you are. We build ourselves out of that story.” - Patrick Rothfuss

Our stories are our true experiences crafted with a framework, packed with emotions, stored and shared.

Now you may think - I am not a storyteller.
You don't have to be - you just need to be You!
And being You - simply tell what you have done.

“Stories have to be told or they die, and when they die, we can't remember who we are or why we're here.” - Sue Monk Kidd

I was consulting for a niche product startup organization to help them use visuals and storytelling to work more productively. One of the things I noticed was the amazing stuff they get to create each day. Sadly, they just used to consider it as part of their daily work life and never took the time to see the amazing work each one does. This meant when it came to the performance review, most of them didn't have much to share.

When I invited the core team of eight on an 'end of the day' listening process to document their performance, I had to ask them questions and help them with a framework to put together their true experiences and share them in their own style.

📈 The framework I created was the TALE and this can help each of you in building your story sets while ending your day in a great way. To add to that this will help you in documenting your performance and can be used effectively during your performance reviews.

Ready to give it a go?

✍️ Here is the TALE performance documenting framework that you document every day and reflect on once a week and use in your performance report over a month.

T - what am I THANKFUL for today?
A - what did I ACCOMPLISH today?
L - what did I LEARN today?
E - who did I ENCOURAGE, EDUCATE OR EMPOWER today?

✍️ Now the way you write it as a story using this simple process:
On 'date' at/during my/the 'place' I was 'doing' this 'task', and I was 'thankful for / accomplished / learnt / encouraged...'

Here is an example:
"On 25 Nov 2024, during my zoom meeting with my new facilitators I was able to show them how to engage with their participants better by using 3 meeting tools and I educated and encouraged them to become confident and competent."

Now it's your turn.
🤷Take the TALE for a spin and you will thank me for it.

Visually LIFTing Leaders!

“The stories we tell literally make the world. If you want to change the world, you need to change your story. This truth applies both to individuals and institutions.”― Michael Margolis

21/11/2024

WIIFM 🧐 What’s in it for me?

“A few years ago, my former newspaper did a study in which interviewers asked readers who or what was most important to them. Their answer was in some ways surprising. Many did not say their families, children or God. Instead, their answer was: ‘Me.’” — Dick Weiss

👨 👩 Every person you are engaging with - customer, colleague, boss, client, neighbor, prospect, stranger, etc. have this as their along with one another question - “Why should I care?”

Once there was a king who decided to test his fellow people.

He placed a huge boulder right at the middle of the road leading to the capital and appointed some soldiers to see if anyone would make an attempt to move it.

Some wealthy merchants and courtiers passed by the road. None of them made any attempt to move it but simply walked away while some others blamed the king for not maintaining the roads.

Later, a peasant came that way with a load of vegetables and saw the boulder. He struggled to move his cart around the boulder and finally managed to do it but some of the vegetables got damaged. Having done this for 3 days, he finally tried to move the boulder. His fear of dropping the vegetables and making less money gave him the energy. After a strenuous effort, he succeeded in moving it away to the side of the road.

Then he saw a purse with some gold coins with a note from the king which read ‘This is the reward for the person who moves the boulder away’.

The happy peasant used some of the money to buy a bigger cart.

A few days later, the king placed not one but three bigger boulders, making the journey almost impossible. This peasant did not even hesitate. He immediately called other peasants to help him in the job of removing the boulders. He told them, “Brothers, if we don’t remove these boulders we can’t go to the city to sell our perishable goods. Look I will even pay you some money for it but remember whatever is found below the boulder is mine”

6 men joined in and moved the boulders away but nothing was found below the boulders. The peasant was a bit disappointed but he did not let that bother him.

The next day, the king kept 5 boulders fully blocking the road. The peasant came by and found a huge line of people standing by not knowing what to do. Quickly he called his earlier 6 men and they came to the front. He said, “We can move these boulders if each of you pay us 5% of what you make today.” That day, he became a solution provider.

There are 2 types of motivations behind the question - Fear & Desire.

🥺 is short term, works when energy is low, and needs the right push.

🤩 is long term, works when you have energy to spare and needs to be sustained.

When you work with people, first find out
‘what they don’t want to’ and
‘what they want to’
Then show them how you can help them.

That's the way you motivate them using their WIIFM.

Visually LIFTing Leaders!

19/11/2024

Do you want to start your day productively?
Then the LIST is for you.

“Our goals can only be reached through a vehicle of a plan, in which we must fervently believe, and upon which we must vigorously act. There is no other route to success.” – Pablo Picasso

Every person who works, knows the value and importance of having a plan to progress each day.

But unfortunately not everyone makes a plan and even if they do, they don't progress with it.

Any thoughts why?

I love what Peter Drucker says, “Plans are only good intentions unless they immediately degenerate into hard work.”

So why do people struggle to implement their intent?

I want to focus on 2 reasons:
1. They have not prioritized it rightly
2. It isn't attractive or motivating enough to work on

If you are someone who struggles with making a plan and progressing, then this is for you.

I call it the .
It has 2 components and it addresses the problems identified above.

1. The LIST addresses the right priorities by focussing on 4 parameters:

L - what is my high priority labor for the day?

I - what can I initiate, innovate, influence or install today?

S - who can I serve today?

T - what will my stakeholders treasure from my work today?

2. Visualize each part of the LIST framework with color codes, simple sketches, handwritten inputs to make the plan.

Visualizing how you spend your time, helps you be more attracted to progress towards it with actions. By making this information visible on paper or tablet, you can change your behavior and adjust how you spend your time productively.

“By visually breaking down the goal into sections, leaders will formulate a well-thought-out approach that can guide their efforts to change.” - Pete Behrens

So start your day with a using the LIST framework and see the difference for yourself.

Visually LIFTing Leaders!

14/11/2024

Has to forgive someone who has hurt you?

“It's not an easy journey, to get to a place where you forgive people. But it is such a powerful place, because it frees you” - Tyler Perry

On December 21, 1995 Sharletta Evans left her 2 kids Carson and Calvin in a car to go pick up her niece.

Minutes later a local gang opened fire on another car, but the bullets also killed 3yr old Casson. Starletta was devastated! The killer was 15yr old Johnson. The pain, the hurt, the loss, the anger, passed on into days, months and years. Despite Johnson in prison, she could not find peace.

Finally in 2012, 17 years later, she went with Calvin to the prison and forgave Johnson. She didn’t stop there but choose to accept & love Johnson as her son because he didn’t have parents!

How can you forgive someone who has hurt you this badly?

It comes from and .

Now you may think, does forgiveness matter at work?

Renee Giarrusso in Leaderonomics tells about Martin, a national sales manager and member of his company’s senior leadership team.

During an offsite strategy meeting, Martin shares with his peers some of the initiatives he and his team are working on. He mentions a particular bespoke project he and his team were looking to roll out later that year. The idea is received positively. Four weeks later, one of his peers takes Martin’s idea on board with a customer before Martin and his team have even rolled it out in their division. Martin is furious, confused and hurt. Martin confronts his peer who says the initiative is different from Martin’s proposal. The two teams became distanced and Martin is now hesitant to share.

It takes Martin three months to get to a point where he can let go of the anger and resentment he was carrying. He realises it is holding him, the team and the organisation back. He speaks to his colleague and expresses how he feels. However, his peer doesn’t admit fault and it takes Martin time and strength to forgive.

Often when we are caught up in anger and resentment, it is only ourselves who suffer. Martin said, “by really understanding my emotions and acknowledging what has happened, I am able to commit to forgiving my peer and moving on.”

Here is the FORGIVE framework to help you forgive someone at home, work or community:

F - FEEL it all

O - OPEN up your emotions

R - RECOGNIZE the reality

G - GRASP the implications

I - INVITE help from God & others

V - VOICE the words with actions

E - EMBRACE the peace

“People have to forgive. We don't have to like them, we don't have to be friends with them, we don't have to send them hearts in text messages, but we have to forgive them, to overlook, to forget. Because if we don't we are tying rocks to our feet, too much for our wings to carry!” ― C. JoyBell

Is there someone you need to ?

Visually LIFTing Leaders!

Address

Bangalore

Telephone

+919900331832

Website

http://www.storypreso.com/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when StoryPreso posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to StoryPreso:

Videos

WIIFM - Do you know what this means? 'What's in it for me' Yes, that's the question you are asking this very minute as you read my question and the beginning of this post. An old sales joke says, "Everyone's favorite radio station is WiiFM" In fact, in most situations, we are subsconciously asking this very question with a few variations. If you are writing a social media post, selling a product, providing a service, writing a book, writing a resume, speaking with a client, interviewer or even a stranger, you must keep this in mind, especially at the beginning and the end. “Nobody wants to buy our products; they want to buy the products of our products. They don’t want to buy vitamins; they want to buy health.”— Nido Qubein “A few years ago, my former newspaper did a study in which interviewers asked readers who or what was most important to them. Their answer was in some ways surprising. Many did not say their families, children or God. Instead, their answer was: ‘Me.’— Dick Weiss If you want your readers, customers, listeners, learners, buyers, or users to pay attention to your message, become interested in it and buy-into it, then you need to highlight 'What's in it for them'. It could be pain, benefits, solutions, impacts, hopes, desires and it has to connect with that targeted audience. So here are the 5 questions to help you do it creatively: W - Who is my target audience? I - What is their interest, pain, hope, desire etc? I - What idea will make them pay attention, invoke desire and stimulate a buy-in? F - How to facilitate that idea into a clear message using visuals, stories and contextual language? M - What is the measure for my result and how do I get their feedback? So the next time you have a message, ask & answer the 'WIIFM' questions and start connecting. I help you Lead Creatively by Identifying, Imagining, Interacting & Innovating Visually. Video credits belong to the original creators. #ashleyvinil #visdemy #stor

Use the power of 3 to persuade others In presentations, proposals or pitches, persuasion is an important component because it helps you, help others see the situation better, understand the realities and decide to act on it. "There are good leaders who actively guide and bad leaders who actively misguide. Hence, leadership is about persuasion, presentation and people skills." - Shiv Khera But it's not easy to #persuade others, isn't it? Let me introduce you to one of the easy to 'put into practice' #persuasion formula - the power of three! Why three you may wonder? "All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident." - Arthur Schopenhauer Because it is the brain generalization point. When we see three things in a sequence pointing towards something, we convince ourselves. For example, if we see 3 red lights in a row, we say, "Oh! The journey is full of red lights" or if we meet with 3 people with bad mood one after the other, we end up generalizing, "Looks like everyone is in a bad mood today" So how do we use the power of 3? We give people 3 evidences of the problem and the benefits in rectifying it or solving it. Of course, we don't use knowledge and logic alone; we include emotion and desire in our examples as Plato told us, "Human behavior flows from three main sources: desire, emotion, and knowledge." When people hear & see your 3 points, they psychologically feel a conviction, " Wow! This is a real problem and the benefits are worth implementing it now" Thus, they become open to solutions. Using the power of 3 enables you to move people from persuasion to conviction. So the next time you have to give a #presentation, #proposal or #pitch (that's 3 by the way), implement the power of 3 to persuade better. I help you to creatively lead by visually interacting with thoughts, words and actions. #ashleyvinil #visdemy #storypreso

7 steps to improve your Observation skills. What is your most powerful sense? For most of us they are our eyes. Doubt it? Try closing your eyes and walking in your home (for the braver, maybe a safe park) and then you will know how much we are dependent on our eyes. The way the brain helps us use our senses is what is called as observation. Unfortunately nowadays many of us are slowly losing this skill. Any guess why? Well, blame it on the personalised consumption of #information through #socialmedia and interacting on their 'smart' phones without awareness of their surroundings! Seen people walking, sitting, with their eyes glued on the #mobile? And to add to that they also have a #headphone with noise cancellation! The result of all this is a loss in making sense of the world around us and navigating with it intelligently. That in turn leads to reduction in common sense, relationships, navigation, vision, collaboration, curiosity and creativity. So in order to start getting back what we are losing, we now need to consciously set aside time to build these 'taken for granted' abilities. Let's start with #observation: 1. Find a spot to sit comfortably 2. Select an object or scene before you (please don't choose a person for that will be creepy!) 3. Study it carefully but refrain from adding something that is not there. You can play a timed game by reducing your time or increasing your time. 4. Now close your eyes and relax. This is important. 5. Recall it as clearly, & colourfully with as many details as possible. 6. Describe it to someone (It's nice to an observation partner but if you don't have one, you can record it on your ever-present smartphone) 7. Check it - what was right, what was wrong, what was missing. You could even discover a pattern to your observation if you are constantly missing certain particular things or actions. Observation Question for you: If you saw the video how many spoons did you see I help you Lead Creatively by

Do you see yourself as a victim? Or victor? “As long as you think that the cause of your problem is “out there”—as long as you think that anyone or anything is responsible for your suffering—the situation is hopeless.” – Byron Katie Felicia was a freelancer, who was quite successful during the pre-covid days. I had the opportunity to engage with her on more than one occasion. She was bright, talented, skilled and wanted to succeed. There was however one issue - she played the victim card, for too often! In the 3 programs I had taken her help, she always managed to find issues - that is not there, this is not working, the people are not understanding, wish we had this… In a way, she allowed the situations and people to dictate her mindset! Enter 2020 lockdown and suddenly all work stopped. The tap just ran dry. For Felicia this was a big blow! Like a person trapped, she struggled to survive. As days, became weeks, and months, she became the victim of her own ‘victim’ mindset. What about you? Have you let the situations and people bring you down? Do you have a victim mindset or a victor mindset? Take this test to find out for yourself: http://www.pammargetson.ca/quizzes_victimmentaltity.asp #storypreso #victim #mindset #victor #situations #leadership

Tried setting New year resolutions? Nah! they don't work... they fizzle out by the Valentine's day! Well, I just learnt something cool in relation to making resolutions and visually holding them in order to achieve them. This is a formula of goal setting from a Tad James email that I received today. Why don't you try it out to make your resolution really work this year 2021.