Want to Grab Your Audience's Attention? Frame it with a Story!

Life is so interesting in that it can give and take away within the same moment. During the month of October, I celebrated another year of life (Yay??), but the month ended with me losing someone who was very dear to me during my childhood and teenage years. To pay my respect and personally get closure (my mom always says “funerals are for the living”), I attended her funeral this past weekend. There were many folks who spoke during the ceremony, yet only three words of comfort stuck out the most that were comforting to the sadness I felt. As I drove back to the DC metro area from my hometown of Salisbury, MD, I reflected on those words of comfort from those three individuals. And I noticed something -- all three were given in the format of a story. Because life comes with curveballs with inspiration from places you would not imagine, I was inspired to use that moment for this month’s newsletter to discuss the 3 aspects of effective storytelling that compels your audience to both receive and act on your message. Those three aspects are to have a source to grab your story, be vulnerable, and help your audience apply the main take-a-way of the story.

1. Source – I always tell folks during workshops, the story does not have to be your story. While personal stories are effective in plucking the heart strings of your audience, stories you’ve read in a news article, hear in a podcast episode, or something your best friend or spouse told you over a casual conversation can be just as effective in grabbing your audience’s attention. I encourage you to use a story to open and/or close your next presentation, op-ed, blog, and/or memo.
2. Vulnerable – They say kids are the best detectors of an insincere person, but your audience of professionals are just as prone to picking up on a story that is full of fluff or over practiced. Choose a story that allows you to be vulnerable, your most authentic self. Once your audience sees that you are willing to be vulnerable, they are more likely to reciprocate that behavior to also be vulnerable to receive and learn from you. A genuine and relatable story based on a scenario that we all experience (e.g., experiencing the sadness of a loss is a part of the life cycle for everyone) goes a long way in grabbing your audience’s attention.
3. Apply – While the story is intended to grab your audience’s attention, it is also intended to share a common experience to help your audience associate the new information you will soon present. Having some guidance to associate new information with existing knowledge is a key aspect of the human mind to increase the likelihood of folks understanding your message and seeing how they can apply it. So be sure to bring it home in applying the story to the main topic of your presentation, op-ed, blog, and/or memo.

Hungry to learn strategies on how to do the above and more? I offer this topic with Itàn’s Signature Workshops on how to effectively communicate your story to educational institutions and non-profits. Book an initial consult with me to learn how I can facilitate an interactive professional development workshop for your staff in 2023!

Highlights from Last Month!

Dr. Ositelu Facilitated a Workshop for a Leading U.S.-Based EdTech Company, EAB!

I facilitated a highly engaging Lunch & Learn workshop for EAB, an education technology company. After conducting interviews with various community college campus leaders across the country over the past 15 months, I shared lessons learned and provided guidance on their consulting practices to equitably address the shortcomings of early alert technology in community colleges. October 21, 2022 | Virtual Webinar | Attendance by Invitation Only

Dr. Ositelu’s Expertise was Featured in Higher Ed Dive?

My final report I published with New America on the equity implications of education technology at community colleges was featured in Higher Ed Dive, a mainstream media outlet that reports on the most impactful news and trends shaping higher education. The article features some of the shortcomings of early alert technology in improving academic outcomes at community colleges. October 2022 | Link to article

Are You a Business Owner or an Entrepreneur? This Section is for You!

You may recall from last month’s newsletter that my first major project of going full-time with Itàn is to develop and gather data on a nationally representative sample of 12,000 U.S. small business owners and entrepreneurs (I know that is a lot!). And we still need your help to reach this goal of survey participants! Our survey takes up to 5 minutes and seeks to understand the benefits and challenges of using technology to support sales activities.

All survey participants will remain anonymous and no personal contact information will be requested. I know how fatigued we can all get with surveys, but I am so appreciative of your consideration to complete and/or share this survey through your networks of small business owners and entrepreneurs.?

Where You Can Find Me this Month

I am giving a guest lecture at Georgetown University for graduate students enrolled in the Higher Education Administration Graduate Program. I am excited to share with grad students my first love of scholarship at the intersection of HBCU athletics, academic outcomes, and NCAA academic policies. November 16, 2022 | Washington, DC | Attendance for Enrolled Students Only

I Am a Full-Time ENTREPRENEUR!!

You know I love to always end with good news! Last week I officially announced that I am now full-time with Itàn! Over the past two years, I had the amazing privilege to grow Itàn along my career as a Senior Policy Advisor for Data & Research at New America, a public policy think-tank in Washington, DC where I advised the higher education team on the development and implementation of U.S. federal and institutional policies through policy research and data analysis with an equity lens.

I am excited to now devote my passion full-time with Itàn to continue to provide measurement, learning, and evaluation support to non-profits and higher education institutions. My area of expertise is data storytelling through research and evaluation from an equity lens and pulling out insights from data to inform organizational strategy. I also look forward to expanding Itàn’s Professional Development arm with the following Signature Workshops:

• How to Conduct Research & Evaluation Through an Equity Lens
• How to Effectively Communicate Your Story with Data
• Helping Community Colleges Prepare for Gainful Employment Federal Regulations

I’ve had a whirlwind of meetings (almost 50 meetings in the past 100 days and we're still scheduling) with folks from across the globe to discuss areas where Itàn can potentially provide support. We are already booking into 2023 to support the higher ed practice and policy ecosystem both domestically and internationally through consulting, professional development, and our retainer services. So be sure to reach out if you would like to have some time to chat on how we can support you in the new year! Looking forward to connecting and thank you for your support of Itàn ??

Be Sure to Stay Tuned to Next Month’s Newsletter! We Have a Special Christmas Edition Planned with Some More Tips & New Partnerships to Share!

About Tell Your Data Story newsletter:

Tell Your Data Story newsletter is a monthly newsletter created to bring folks together around the topics of effectively communicating data. This newsletter is curated by Monique O. Ositelu, PhD, who is an entrepreneur, author, data strategist, former federal education policy advisor, keynote speaker and an emerging national advocate for equitable access to colleges and universities for marginalized students. Dr. Ositelu’s work is heavily influenced by her expertise of translating complex data results into actionable insights for U.S. federal policymakers with her background in psychology to effectively influence human behavior and drive action. If you are seeking consultation around program evaluation and/or professional development workshops on effectively communicating data and building data capacity, visit our website or email us at [email protected] to learn more about our services that can be tailored to your specific needs.

If you enjoy this newsletter, which we believe you will, please share it with others who you feel will gain value from it. For free tips on topics from data visualization, humanizing your data and more, sign up for this newsletter via following it on LinkedIn or subscribing through our website. Finally, I want to leave you with some free resources for your journey of activating your power of persuasion through data!

• Data is the New Currency for Decision Makers (eBook)
• The Power of Using Data in Your Storytelling (LinkedIn Live Event)
• Make Your Data-Driven Presentations More Interesting & Story-Driven with Monique Ositelu, PhD (Podcast Interview)

?Where to find us on Social Media!

Twitter: @moniqueositelu

LinkedIn: https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/moniqueositelu-phd/

Instagram: @itan.llc

Facebook: @ItanLLC

Website: www.itanllc.com

Email: [email protected]