Hey there, I’m excited to share this week’s newsletter with you because it’s particularly timely. Let me introduce you to Mike Raab, the executive director of The Garage, the innovation and entrepreneurship space at Northwestern University that has helped develop more than 1,500 startups in the past 11 years. Time magazine recently named The Garage the best university incubator in the country.
Q: How do you teach storytelling to students and startups?
The Garage teaches and exposes students to storytelling through workshops, feedback, and pitch coaching to hone in on communicating their value to whomever their audience is.
We’ve developed a “hierarchy of founder communication” that the most effective founders utilize (pictured below).
If someone doesn’t understand what you’re working on, they aren’t going to join / help you. I see this most often with PhDs / scientists who use their jargon instead of simple language, which obstructs their audience from understanding.
Next, they must trust that you’re telling the truth; believe that you are capable of executing; be intrigued by the opportunity; and finally, be inspired by how the world will change if you succeed. If you fail to achieve any of these steps with your audience, they’re less likely to join you.
One of our workshops has students give their pitch to another student, and the listening student then repeats back what they heard and remembered. Students are shocked at how little people remember, or how they misunderstand their pitches — until they’re on the other side of a pitch.
This gives them empathy with their audience and helps them to simplify their story to be memorable and repeatable.
What I love about this answer:
I wanted to ask Mike this question because startup founders are using storytelling the same way higher ed institutions are — to explain their differentiator and engage their audiences.
What I love about Mike’s answer is how practical it is, particularly his workshop example. How are you testing the effectiveness of your school’s story? If you told it to someone with no knowledge of your school, would they get it?
Would they understand what makes the school unique?
Try the practice exercise Mike mentioned with a friend or loved one. Give your quick summary of what makes your school different, and then have them explain the reasoning back to you.
Chances are, you’ll be shocked by how much of the story they missed.
As the communication hierarchy shows, if your audience can’t understand you, then they can’t trust you. If they don’t trust you, they won’t believe you, be intrigued by you, and ultimately be inspired by you.
Start with the fundamentals of the story. Whether you’re building a new product or talking to a prospective student, the key to effective storytelling starts with understanding,
How, if at all, are you practicing your storytelling? I’d love to hear from you.
