Is Your Story Big Enough?
Creativity in Business Conference, October 4, ’09
Michael Margolis, President of Get Storied
(c) 2009 Michael Margolis www.getstoried.com 1

How do you
get others to
believe in your story?
(c) 2009 Michael Margolis www.getstoried.com 2

www.believemethebook.com
(c) 2009 Michael Margolis www.getstoried.com 3

My Dad
‣ Born in the bush of
Zimbabwe, Africa
‣ Trained as engineer,
inventor w/ 30+ patents
‣ Hobby artist - his first
painting, a self-portrait
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My Mom
‣ Educator and teacher
for 30+ years
‣ Designed for children’s
museums, toys, and
playgrounds
‣ Lifelong artist, painter,
children’s book writer
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This is Me
‣ Raised in Switzerland &
Los Angeles = now NYC
‣ Lifelong entrepreneur;
co-founding 2 nonprofits
before 22 years old
‣ I’m not a painter
(left handed and partially
color-blind)
(c) 2009 Michael Margolis www.getstoried.com 6

Coming of Age in a Digital World
Studied cultural anthropology,
comparative religion, and
language of business.
1998: Internet revolution.
500k tech jobs unfilled.
major societal shifts.
New global mash-up and
convergence. value-systems
and world-views colliding.
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So...Who Created You?
Think about who influenced/shaped your creative expression
Get up and walk across the room to find a partner
Decide on (a) teller and (b) listener
The teller has 2 min to share their story; the listener listens
Switch roles, teller has 2 min to tell story
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“I had to know
and understand
my own story
before I could
listen to and help
other people with
theirs.”
- Barack Obama
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Agenda for Today
1. Connect to Authenticity
2. Look for the Bigger Story
3. Seek Co-Creation
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Ideas come easy.
Getting others to
believe in those ideas is
a totally different story.
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NEXT: The Long Walk Home...
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Visionaries.
Innovators.
Entrepreneurs.
‣How do you translate
something new and different
into mainstream acceptance?
‣How do you get others to
see, care, and believe about
the same things you do?
(c) 2009 Michael Margolis www.getstoried.com 13

What’s one thing about
your work you’re trying to
bring into acceptance?
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If you’re going to have a
story, have a BIG story, or
none at all.
- Joseph Campbell
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Which
Story
Would
You
Rather
Be?
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The bigger the story,
the more room under
the tent for people to
locate themselves inside.
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<
HOW to tell the story
>
HAVING a story to tell
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What’s one thing about
your work you’re trying to
bring into acceptance?
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1 2
Drucker’s Creativity
Formula
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Make
something
better
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Make Get others
something to care
better about it
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INNOVATION
Make Get others
something to care
better about it
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INNOVATION MARKETING
Make Get others
something to care
better about it
(c) 2009 Michael Margolis www.getstoried.com 21

INNOVATION MARKETING
? Make Get others
something to care
better about it
(c) 2009 Michael Margolis www.getstoried.com 21

INNOVATION MARKETING
? Make Get others
something to care
better about it ?
(c) 2009 Michael Margolis www.getstoried.com 21

INNOVATION MARKETING
? Make Get others
something to care
better about it ?
Brainstorm bigger versions
for both/either side
(c) 2009 Michael Margolis www.getstoried.com 21

People need to identify
and see themselves in
your story. Then it
becomes their story.
(c) 2009 Michael Margolis www.getstoried.com 22

Story is: “A fact, wrapped in an emotion that compels us to take an
action that transforms our world.” - Robert Dickman
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Think of your customers
or constituents.
What do they dream
about or want most?
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...the same dreams we all do
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opportunity
acknowledgement
belonging
marvel
freedom
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POP QUIZ
Perception is King
Recent study by BBMG of 2,000 consumers asked
what brands they perceive as most environmentally
and socially responsible.
(c) 2009 Michael Margolis www.getstoried.com 28

BEST
POP QUIZ
Perception is King
Recent study by BBMG of 2,000 consumers asked
what brands they perceive as most environmentally
and socially responsible.
(c) 2009 Michael Margolis www.getstoried.com 28

BEST WORST
POP QUIZ
Perception is King
Recent study by BBMG of 2,000 consumers asked
what brands they perceive as most environmentally
and socially responsible.
(c) 2009 Michael Margolis www.getstoried.com 28

Your brand is only as
strong as the stories that
people tell about you.
(c) 2009 Michael Margolis www.getstoried.com 29

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Which would you rather have?
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People don’t buy the
product, solution, or idea
- they buy the story that’s
attached to it.
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The Business of Intangibles
intangibles
Experience
2000 Economy
products services
1980s
tangibles
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Is your
story big
enough?
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The multi-million dollar renovation of Laniākea into
a Downtown Women’s Club “with a mission”
broadened the appeal and benefits of membership
Hawaii Women’s Org
‣$5MM biz transformation of community nonprofit
‣Re-invented story, linking past/future into relevance
‣Story: what it means to be a working woman
(c) 2009 Michael Margolis www.getstoried.com 34

Co-Creation
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INNOVATION MARKETING
? Make Get others
something to care
better about it ?
How Might Others Co-
Create with You?
(c) 2009 Michael Margolis www.getstoried.com 36

Storytelling is an act of
fortune-telling.
The very act of choosing
a certain story defines
potential outcomes.
(c) 2009 Michael Margolis www.getstoried.com 37

Continue the Story...
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today’s slides and excerpt of my
Storytelling Manifesto (Oct ’09).
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for complimentary feedback on your
evolving story
(c) 2009 Michael Margolis www.getstoried.com 38