Is your message getting lost?

Today, a hot story in Toronto revolves around our Toronto Transit Commission, those who control our city’s transit system. The news was reporting on a proposal that may result in increased pay for transit employee’s. Controversial, sure. But it was their statement that these employees could be paid on par with our Police and Fire workers that got me fired up.

When I oversaw Sales and Marketing for my family business, Regal Tent Productions, I set out to promote our 30m structure. I’m not sure about you, but 30m means little to me and I soon realized it meant little to others as well. Instead, I communicated that this structure was about the size of 2 NFL football fields. Every single time, I was met with a “Wow!”. Easy to understand and powerful.

Analogies are effective because they help to explain complex ideas, convert something unfamiliar into something easy to understand, and are memorable. Add to that: simple, familiar and memorable ideas are ones that are more likely to be shared.

Being a great storyteller requires capturing imagination and igniting an emotional response. Something that can’t be achieved by sharing facts and figures.