The Art of Storytelling

There was a time, when one of my pet peeves was to hit the Ctrl+F7 keys on any document. I could not get past a proposal, marketing content, or anything wordy without checking the correctness of grammar and spelling. After a while, I started introspecting if this really matters. Yes, it is important to write meaningful and relevant content in the respective document, but what matters is whether the reader articulates what ought to be articulated. Your content has to sell. 

The new buzzword is storytelling. How do we create a storytelling format in, say, a proposal? The customer has clearly drawn the rules, acceptance criteria, and rating scorecard. One cannot deviate from that lest you want to be disqualified for not following the rules of the game.

I am a great fan of Agatha Christie. Some people I know find her style a bit dreary, for she explains every single aspect of a room, a person, or any premise in so much detail. But, I feel that is what hooks you to the story. Playing out these details creates a visualization in your mind that is hard to shake off. You are drawn into the story.

Let us segue into the proposal part. So, what do we have? We have to stick to the format; we have to address the customer's need within the structure they have defined; and we have the right solution and credentials to win! 

I recommend the following in order to create a storytelling format within the defined parameters. These are not the do-it-all list, nor is it the only list of things.

1. Understand your audience: Any author first picks the target audience for his or her work. The way Harry Potter is written is different from that of a Fountain Head. Similarly, understand who the target audience for your proposal would be. An IT guy, a business person, or a finance geek? With experience, it is not hard to predict the evaluation committee mix. Once you have that figured out, divide the sections of your proposal into these target buckets. Which section would interest whom? Got it figured? Let's move on...
2. Set the premise: Create a logical structure to your content. Help the customer understand how the entire solution would be conceptualized, planned, implemented and managed, and how it would ensure user adoption and buy-in.
3. Tailor the content: While keeping the premise of your solution in tact, tailor each section to the target audience. Remember, the content has to sell to that particular audience. Think like your customer. For example: if you are putting together the technical section, where the architecture et al is explained, keep it succinct with the right jargon and technical details. I remember seeing a proposal that included words like discombobulated. Really??! What are we trying to sell, a thesaurus?
4. Nay to superlatives: It is good to talk about your credentials as a vendor. But, do not overdo it with superlatives and hyperbole. Cut to the chase. Just plainly explain why you should be chosen by the customer.
5. Visualization: Supporting content with simple yet intuitive visual depiction can create an impact. Think of logical or strategic locations for images in your content, and include them. Just make sure, the file size of the images is low and does not add to the document's bulk. 
6. Executive Summary: Summarizing your solution, benefits, and rest of the proposal saves a lot of time for the C level guys on the panel. Spend more time on this, research a bit to understand what would click with them and their business; how your solution can fit into their bigger scheme of things, and as a vendor what you can do to help.

There is more to this than what I have mentioned. But, it has to start at some point. So, why not now? Happy storytelling!