Architects, planners, and engineers struggle with storytelling for so many reasons. One elephant in the room is that conversational speech is discouraged in college courses and mocked by supervisors.
Business legend Seth Godin says:
People do not buy goods and services. They buy relations, stories, and magic.
After 20+ years in the white collar world, I wholeheartedly agree with Godin.
One little problem. We were trained to promote organizations and projects with statistics and technical accomplishments. We highlight goods and services, and downplay our relationships, stories, and magic.
How we communicate:
The corridor was improved to include 10-foot travel lanes, a landscaped median, bulb-outs, and ADA-approved ramps.
How we should communicate:
We narrowed the street to slow down car traffic. Now it’s safe for kids to walk home from school.
Stories?! No…I can’t. I’m not creative.
You’ve got this. Imagine yourself at a dinner party. All around you are conversations that put all the participants on the same level. Common experiences. Talking with a mouthful of jargon is a buzzkill.
Your work is important. Relate with potential clients. Share a story about why your last street design is so important instead of declaring that it simply is important.
Relax.
- You’re not writing a piece of fiction.
- You’re not building an alternate universe from scratch.
- You’re learning to communicate what you already know — better.
You’ve got this. The next time someone asks you about your favorite project, give them an anecdote. If you can’t think of a relevant story, ask me. I’ll make one up for you.