Down under here in Aotearoa New Zealand, it is always a slow start to the working year. It’s hot, humid, the taste and smell of the beach and the bush and the barbecue is still overwhelming any interest at sitting behind a desk.
I had ten days no where near a phone or computer. It was bliss. But I’m easing myself back into the world of work. What has struck me powerfully is how easy it is to instantly be drawn into a sense of overwhelm. New software, trends to check out, new networking opportunities. As soon as I started checking a few blogs and websites, Facebook, Twitter, Linked In etc, I felt the sense of ‘overwhelm creep.’ I started to think OMG, there is so much I need to keep track of. Then I paused, and remembered the power of great story. Just telling it like it is.
This year I am going to work with people more and more about dealing to the fear of the blank page and self expression. I have a sense that the introduction of more and more new social media software for networking inside and out organisations, personally and professionally will very quickly outstrip many people’s ability to communicate clearly, comfortably and convincingly. Content will always be king, and great story is Ace.
We can frequently either default to fairly trivial ‘weather conversations’ or splutter and cough our way through some posts that don’t tell a great story.
I believe we are all capable of great story sharing, we do it informally every day, so it doesn’t have to be a great leap to investigate the information we share from the news, from gossip, from conversation, and get to grips with what makes this shared information stick.