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INDUSTRY 2023 - Don’t Convince. Inspire! Lessons on storytelling and product evangelizing.

INDUSTRY 2023 - Don’t Convince. Inspire! Lessons on storytelling and product evangelizing.

Most product people know that storytelling and product evangelizing skills are essential in their roles. But many PMs struggle to build that muscle, especially if their inner critic is telling them that they are not a great storyteller. Sound familiar? Join this session if you want to mute your inner critic and learn more about the power of stories.

Petra will talk about the evolutionary advantage of telling good stories and why everybody has the power and ability to create them. Plus, she will share some hands-on tips and proven frameworks to help you improve your storytelling capabilities.

Petra Wille

March 13, 2023
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Transcript

  1. Petra Wille | @loomista
    Lessons on storytelling and product evangelizing.
    Petra Wille | @loomista
    Don’t convince. Inspire!
    INDUSTRY 2023

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  2. Petra Wille | @loomista
    Petra Wille | @loomista
    Petra Wille is an independent
    product leadership coach
    and author of STRONG
    Product People

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  3. Petra Wille | @loomista
    No
    professional
    storytelling
    skills
    • How do I make sure the team is aligned
    on what really matters right now?
    • How to I explain all the things I know
    matter in a compelling way?

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  4. Petra Wille | @loomista
    I'm on this stage today to share
    what I've learned in countless
    coaching sessions on business
    storytelling.
    Therefore, this talk is packed with
    tips and tricks for product people
    to improve their storytelling and
    product evangelizing skills.
    Let's start with a small task.

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  5. Petra Wille | @loomista
    Think back to a business experience where someone truly inspired
    you to change course and take action. A meeting after which you felt
    energized and motivated to return to your desk and tackle your next
    task.
    What was the occasion?
    Who was the person talking/inspiring you?

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  6. Petra Wille | @loomista
    Would you like to be as
    inspiring as the person
    you just noted? ?

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  7. Petra Wille | @loomista
    You struggle to picture
    yourself as a great story
    teller or speaker?

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  8. Petra Wille | @loomista
    Let me help you re-frame
    storytelling to mute your
    inner critic*
    *Shout out to Denise Jacobs here 

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  9. Petra Wille | @loomista
    Why stories are important
    - especially if you are working in product
    Why I call them a design tool
    Why it´s easy to improve your storytelling
    • Structures and ingredients of compelling stories
    • Some great resources to learn more
    And to do so, I will share:

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  10. Petra Wille | @loomista
    Why stories are important
    While we are not exactly born telling stories….

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  11. Petra Wille | @loomista
    Photo by Austin Pacheco on Unsplash
    Each one of us has the ability to tell stories from a very early age—it’s built into our DNA.
    We perfect our storytelling skills throughout our childhood because we learn early on, that
    a good story helps us to get what we want.

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  12. Petra Wille | @loomista
    By making her wish part
    of a bigger narrative, she
    was more convincing.
    Winterboots?

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  13. Petra Wille | @loomista
    Photo by quokkabottles on Unsplash
    And it’s not only the active storytelling: We love to listen to stories from a very early age
    because they entertain us, captivate us, and help us to gain new insights.

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  14. Petra Wille | @loomista
    Photo by Halacious on Unsplash
    They have a biological impact
    on us, triggering the release of
    hormones that act on us in
    very powerful ways

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  15. Petra Wille | @loomista
    Oxytocin
    which causes us to build trust, generosity,
    and a personal connection
    Endorphins
    which can make someone laugh or help them
    deal with fear, pain, or uncertainty
    Dopamine
    which leads to a desire to know what happens
    next when you tell a story with peaks and
    cliffhangers
    That’s useful in our product
    management practice.
    Wouldn’t it be good to help
    people build trust and help
    them deal with uncertainty?

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  16. Petra Wille | @loomista
    “We think in stories,
    remember in stories,
    and turn just about
    everything we
    experience into a story.”
    Carl Alviani (October 11, 2018). The Science Behind Storytelling. Retrieved from
    https://medium.com/the-protagonist/the-science-behind-storytelling-51169758b22c
    After learning these things about stories I
    would totally agree with Carl Alviani:

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  17. Petra Wille | @loomista
    This ability to use stories to
    inspire others to work with
    us to solve problems—
    particularly as a group—has
    given our species Homo
    sapiens, a unique
    evolutionary advantage that
    has enabled us to
    collectively survive and
    thrive on this planet.

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  18. Petra Wille | @loomista
    What Stories Do
    We've learned why stories are important and that every one of us is,
    by default, a storyteller. Now let's dive a bit deeper into the power
    of stories.

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  19. Petra Wille | @loomista
    #deathtostock
    As you have probably experienced
    throughout your career, it takes a story
    to unite a group of people
    Business storytelling is a
    thing!

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  20. Petra Wille | @loomista
    One well known use case for business storytelling is used by the
    iconic brands we all know: They are masters at telling brand
    stories. Even their shortest slogans (often, just a few words) can
    evoke images in the brains of customers that encourage their
    minds to wander to a better future.
    Foto von Alexander Shatov auf Unsplash
    Brands are Masters in
    Story Telling

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  21. Petra Wille | @loomista
    Photo by Nelson Ndongala on Unsplash
    Think of Nike’s “Just do it,” or Apple’s “Think different,” or BMW’s “The ultimate driving machine.”
    And it is not only their marketing claims that transport the brands story. They also have great personalities who tell these stories to the
    world and also within their own organizations.

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  22. Petra Wille | @loomista
    https://guykawasaki.com/
    One of the first Product
    Evangelists of our time:
    Macintoshs' Guy Kawasaki
    I think, this is a highly underrated skill, and many organizations are unaware that better storytelling
    would make a big difference and ease some of the internal pains they are having.

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  23. Petra Wille | @loomista
    Uninspired
    Divided
    Stakeholders were not convinced
    to support the effort
    I have seen many products that never saw the light of day because the storytelling was off.
    As a result, the product team was

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  24. Petra Wille | @loomista
    A lesson that I have
    learned the hard way
    myself.
    Despite my efforts to
    effectively manage the
    backlog and prioritize tasks,
    our team's output was not
    making a significant impact.

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  25. Petra Wille | @loomista
    We were running several product
    discovery initiatives to better
    understand our products’ shortcomings
    but continued to add features without
    seeing any improvement.
    Frustrated by our lack of
    success, I sought guidance
    from my product coach.

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  26. Petra Wille | @loomista
    The problem might be your
    Product Evangelizing and
    Story Telling skills…
    He pointed out that I was not
    effectively communicating the
    findings from our product
    discovery efforts to the rest of
    the team and the company.
    So, important information was
    lost, sparks did not fly, and
    the team was neither inspired
    nor motivated by what we
    told them about our discovery
    learnings and what we could
    achieve next.

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  27. Petra Wille | @loomista
    They did not have enough
    information to innovate on
    behalf of the user.
    And without a clear
    understanding of our user's
    needs and how they fit into
    the bigger picture, how this
    ties back to my product
    strategy, the team lacked THE
    inspiration and motivation to
    innovate on behalf of the
    user.

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  28. Petra Wille | @loomista
    The connection between my
    pain and the potential
    solution of becoming better
    at product evangelizing

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  29. Petra Wille | @loomista
    Storytelling skills?
    Just nonexistent
    and that’s a career
    staller!
    2008-Marty to Petra:

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  30. Petra Wille | @loomista
    Storytelling is something
    I should work on.
    But as every great coach Marty did not only share his
    observation and help me realize that storytelling is
    something I should work on, but he also left me with some
    ideas on how to start my self progression journey. Marty
    recommended that I read Guy Kawasaki’s book, Selling the
    Dream, and I did exactly that.

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  31. Petra Wille | @loomista
    Guy Kawasaki, Selling the Dream, Harper Business (1992)
    After reading the book, I realized how Guy Kawasaki's ability to
    tell great stories is vital to the overall Macintosh success story.
    I understood the critical importance of storytelling.

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  32. Petra Wille | @loomista
    Developing this skill changed the rest of my career as a product
    manager
    I started telling stories that:
    united my product development team
    and convinced stakeholders that we had
    done our product discovery homework.
    And my stories helped marketing
    colleagues position the product in better
    ways. But, most importantly, I figured
    out what mattered to our users in the
    process of creating a narrative and made
    sure to put them, the users, at the
    center of my stories.

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  33. Petra Wille | @loomista
    Stories are a perfect
    design tool
    • Everyone has the ability to create one,
    • they’re easy to iterate on, and
    • they help you gain more clarity.
    So, you might want to reframe storytelling and think about it more like you think about creating a prototype
    or click dummy. It is a tool that you could add to your PM toolkit.
    I’ve learned that ultimately

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  34. Petra Wille | @loomista
    Creating and telling a
    Good Story
    A good story has a well-defined structure that makes it easy
    for people to understand and navigate. It has a beginning, a
    middle part and an end.
    Now let´s dive into the process of creating a compelling story

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  35. Petra Wille | @loomista
    Let me share one high-level structure that worked well for many PMs so far. A story that helps others to
    get exited about something has a few key elements:
    • It paints a picture of a desirable future
    • It makes it clear why one should become part of
    this future
    • It acknowledges the current situation while
    describing the potential difficulties that may arise
    and why it’s worth overcoming them
    • It suggests a common goal with just enough
    information to make next steps clear for listeners

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  36. Petra Wille | @loomista
    The hero’s journey starts in the
    ordinary world with a call to
    adventure—which could be in the
    form of a big dream or desirable
    future—and progresses through a
    succession of challenges, tests, and
    trials before reaching the ultimate
    destination where the hero has
    achieved their goal and is
    transformed, sharing what they has
    learned with others.
    One story structure using these key
    elements and maybe the most well-
    known story structures is “the hero’s
    journey,” which was elucidated by
    professor of literature Joseph
    Campbell.

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  37. Petra Wille | @loomista
    We are called to
    adventure by the
    promise of a new
    product
    #deathtostock
    E.g. we have to get
    others to buy into our
    strategy and help them
    make tough tradeoff
    decisions during the
    process of building the
    product.

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  38. Petra Wille | @loomista
    Besides using these helpful structures:
    How would I approach creating my first story?
    Step #1 undoubtedly is – make
    time for it in your calendar.
    Photo by NASA on Unsplash

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  39. Petra Wille | @loomista
    Photo by Sonja Langford on Unsplash
    Creating and writing down a story is a
    lot of work, but, if you do it right,
    you’ll be able to use the same story
    for months or even years.

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  40. Petra Wille | @loomista
    Photo by Sonja Langford on Unsplash
    A good story will save you
    hours of meetings convincing
    people that the things you are
    doing are the right ones to do
    It is a bit of an upfront
    investment but it is
    worth the effort.
    Creating and writing down a story is a
    lot of work, but, if you do it right,
    you’ll be able to use the same story
    for months or even years.

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  41. Petra Wille | @loomista
    So, Step 1 is to make sure you have
    time for the actions suggested on
    the next slides:

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  42. Petra Wille | @loomista
    To overcome the paralyzing fear of the blank page:

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  43. Petra Wille | @loomista
    Foto von Kelly Sikkema auf Unsplash
    Once you’ve done that, you start
    to write a narrative. Open your
    preferred text editor and just
    start laying out the story.

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  44. Petra Wille | @loomista
    Once upon a time there
    was a team of five that
    wanted to change the
    world for the better….
    Once upon a time there
    was this one person that
    had a big problem and
    technology came to the
    rescue…

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  45. Petra Wille | @loomista
    It’s good for you
    It’s good for us
    It’s good for all

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  46. Petra Wille | @loomista
    Run casual interviews with a few
    people to reveal their reservations
    regarding your mission and where
    they are coming from to get that
    covered.
    Then make sure you touch upon
    that in your story: Communicate
    that you understand the
    reservations but make sure your
    story highlights that you believe in
    the talent and strength of the
    team and that, as a team, you will
    figure out how to overcome the
    obstacles.

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  47. Petra Wille | @loomista
    Photo by Anne Nygård on Unsplash
    Kill the monsters that will stand in
    our way. There are always some
    monsters: from tech legacy to
    hardware pieces not yet invented.

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  48. Petra Wille | @loomista
    Present the shared
    goal, create a sense
    of urgency and
    present information
    that enables action

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  49. Petra Wille | @loomista
    Making Your Message Stick
    Now that you have your story, how do you ensure that it will stick? Humans are clearly
    inspired and motivated by the written or spoken word. But we are also inspired and
    motivated by…

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  50. Petra Wille | @loomista
    The Tennis Court Oath in Versailles by Jacques-Louis David.
    Photograph: De Agostini/Getty
    So if you want to make your
    message stick, you have to come
    up with various formats of your
    story.

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  51. Petra Wille | @loomista
    written
    spoken
    illustrated
    Your message, your story

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  52. Petra Wille | @loomista
    written
    spoken
    illustrated
    short
    medium
    long
    Your message, your story

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  53. Petra Wille | @loomista
    Photo by Sung Jin Cho on Unsplash
    150 words
    75 seconds

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  54. Petra Wille | @loomista
    Photo by Hulki Okan Tabak on Unsplash
    900 words
    6 minutes
    repeat

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  55. Petra Wille | @loomista
    Photo by Melyna Valle on Unsplash
    #deathtostock
    3x800 words
    18 minutes

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  56. Petra Wille | @loomista
    I am a big fan of drawings, illustrations and pictures that help tell a story
    Find visualizations
    that support the
    various versions of
    your story

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  57. Petra Wille | @loomista
    Sketch Noting ftw
    And once you’ve done all of that you are ready for your final round of story line refinements.

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  58. Petra Wille | @loomista
    Getting ready to tell
    your story.
    Here’s my checklist for this phase of the process:

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  59. Petra Wille | @loomista
    Be picky about the
    words you use!
    Photo by Glen Carrie on Unsplash
    • Avoid using buzzwords, tool names, and 3-
    letter acronyms. Grab a text marker and get
    rid of ALL of them!
    • Don’t use words that are used very often in
    your context or environment, such as
    “customer success” or even “product
    discovery”—people will tune them out

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  60. Petra Wille | @loomista
    Pete Souza | Credit: The White House
    Relevant
    Important
    True
    https://strongpp.link/davidaxelrod
    Follow the advice of David Axelrod and
    check if the story you are sharing is:

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  61. Petra Wille | @loomista
    Beware of
    Manipulation
    Photo by Agni B on Unsplash
    Storytelling can be misused, and don´t want to
    become the master of puppets.

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  62. Petra Wille | @loomista
    #deathtostock
    Run an
    experiment
    Start telling your story to a small
    number of people. Observe how they
    are reacting to your story.
    • Are they drawing the right
    conclusions?
    • Are they asking the right questions?
    • Did you succeed in inspiring them
    with your story?
    If they are struggling to envision the
    same bright future, you might want to
    go back to reflection mode and ask
    yourself: What do they know and do I
    need to share more details or insights to
    help them see what I see?

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  63. Petra Wille | @loomista
    Photo by Ava Sol on Unsplash
    Check if the story really
    lights up the brains of your
    listeners.
    Make sure you…
    • Use words that provoke emotions
    • Use words that trigger their senses,
    including smell, touch, vision, sound,
    and even taste
    • And please try to make them laugh.

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  64. Petra Wille | @loomista
    Once that is done you want to start sharing your story in it´s various formats. While doing so make sure you…
    • Show your curiosity and passion for the topic
    • Focus on speaking to the hearts and minds of your audience and not so much on convincing them of something

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  65. Petra Wille | @loomista
    Recap
    How about your inner critic?
    To make sure you are, let me recap some of my key points. I want you to remember that…

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  66. Petra Wille | @loomista
    Humans
    automatically
    think in stories.
    When we hear
    good stories, they
    trigger something
    in us.
    Stories help to
    facilitate group work
    by inspiring people to
    become part of a
    movement.
    Everyone can tell stories.
    It is worth investing in this
    skill.
    It takes a few simple
    ingredients and structures
    to get started.

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  67. Petra Wille | @loomista
    • Think about the audience and what they
    want to achieve (What`s in for them?)
    • Use a proven storytelling structure to ensure
    nothing is missing (e.g., the hero, the
    journey, the destination)
    • Make sure there are a variety of ways to tell
    this one story: short, medium, and long, as
    well as written, spoken, and illustrated.
    • Make it your story. (Able to tell the story
    without lengthy preparation )
    Only a few
    Ingredients…

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  68. Petra Wille | @loomista
    I hope this leaves you with enough
    motivation and tools to start a written
    narrative exercise tomorrow.
    And if you get stuck, come back to this talk or allow yourself to be
    inspired by some of the best storytellers of our time.

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  69. Petra Wille | @loomista
    Links to these talks will be included in the final slide deck I will share online: https://www.petra-wille.com/storytelling

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  70. Petra Wille | @loomista
    No
    professional
    storytelling
    skills
    The new you

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  71. Petra Wille | @loomista
    Thanks
    #strongproductpeople
    Blog: https://petra-wille.com/blog
    Slides: https://www.petra-wille.com/storytelling

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  72. Petra Wille | @loomista
    Petra Wille | @loomista | petra-wille.com

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  73. Petra Wille | @loomista
    Some great talks
    to watch
    Petra Wille | @loomista

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  74. Petra Wille | @loomista
    A perfect example of how powerful it is to use words that light up other people’s brains.
    Sarah Kay: If I should have a daughter
    https://www.ted.com/talks/sarah_kay_if_i_should_have_a_daughter
    Do you think storytelling based on a lot of data is boring? Not if you are listening to
    Hans Rosling:
    https://www.ted.com/talks/hans_rosling_let_my_dataset_change_your_mindset
    Complex topic explained well: Al Gore: The Case for Optimism
    on Climate Change:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7E1v24Dllk
    A great speaker telling stories that matter to you
    Simon Sinek on why good leaders make you feel safe:
    https://www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek_why_good_leaders_make_you_feel_safe

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  75. Petra Wille | @loomista
    Matthew McConaughey winning Best Actor at the Oscars. Pay attention to
    the simple, powerful structure:
    Something to look up, something to look forward, something to chase:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wD2cVhC-63I&t=127s
    One of the best product demos ever: Steve Jobs iPhone 2007
    Presentation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vN4U5FqrOdQ
    Not possible to not listen to him! We need to talk about an
    injustice: Bryan Stevenson:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cKfCmSqZ5s&t=1270s
    Nancy Duarte: The Secret Structure of Great Talks:
    https://www.ted.com/talks/nancy_duarte_the_secret_structur
    e_of_great_talks?language=en

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  76. Petra Wille | @loomista
    Further Reading
    How Stories Change the Brain:
    https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_stories_change_brain
    Strategic Storytelling Is Product Management:
    https://www.thisisproductmanagement.com/episodes/strategic-storytelling/
    My product management toolkit: Storytelling:
    https://medium.theuxblog.com/my-product-management-toolkit-15-storytelling-46e65d7f061b
    Why We Need Storytellers at the Heart of Product Development:
    https://uxmag.com/articles/why-we-need-storytellers-at-the-heart-of-product-development
    Storytelling for Product Managers:
    https://medium.com/pminsider/storytelling-for-product-managers-fc1a758eb303
    72 Rules of Commercial Storytelling:
    https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/72-rules-commercial-storytelling-jeremy-waite/

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  80. Petra Wille | @loomista
    Further Reading for Product Leads
    Petra Wille | @loomista
    https://www.petra-wille.com/blog https://www.amazon.com/dp/3982235103 https://strongpp.link/nl

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    Petra Wille | @loomista | petra-wille.com

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