Sticky Situations: A PM Intro to Making your Ideas Less Forgettable - Part II

Stories engage us. They take us on a journey, they connect us to the storyteller, and they make abstract concepts tangible, relatable and memorable.

2 weeks ago, we delved into the principles that make ideas stick, as highlighted by Chip and Dan Heath in their book "Made to Stick". We talked about the importance of simplicity, unexpectedness, concreteness, credibility, and emotional resonance in crafting compelling narratives. But we saved the best for last: Stories.

The Power of Stories in Product Management

Stories engage us. They take us on a journey, they connect us to the storyteller, and they make abstract concepts tangible, relatable and memorable. Last week, we’ve seen that credible ideas make people believe. We’ve seen that emotional ideas make people care. Could the right stories make people act? 

There is no such thing as a passive audience. 

When we hear or read a story, we cannot just read or hear it. We simulate it. Studies show that mental simulation evokes the same modules of the brain as the ones that are evoked in real physical activity. If you’re asked to picture yourself looking at the Eiffel Tower, chances are you’re going to move your eyes upwards. 

Stories that lead to mental simulation, are therefore an outstanding way to engage an audience and to make ideas stick in the audience’s minds. But how do we pick stories that will lead to mental simulation, that will inspire people to act?

DALL-E via ChatGPT

A story of Frameworks

Chip Heath & Dan Heath, authors of “Made to Stick”, categorize stories into three main traditional types: Challenge Plots, Connection Plots, and Creativity Plots. Each of these could have a unique role in making your ideas as a PM stick.

1. Challenge Plot:

This type of story involves a protagonist who overcomes a formidable challenge and succeeds. It inspires us and brings out our admiration for the protagonist’s perseverance and courage. 

Imagine you’re a new PM, tasked with reviving a failing product. The Challenge Plot is your go-to narrative. Share stories of past products that were on the brink of failure but turned around through innovative strategies and sheer determination. Your message? "We’ve done it before, we can do it again."

Use Challenge Plots to inspire your team. Share tales of industry legends who faced seemingly insurmountable challenges but prevailed. Make it clear: the path won’t be easy, but the rewards are worth the effort.

2. Connection Plot:

This type of story is about people who develop a relationship that bridges a gap, whether it be racial, class, ethnic, religious, demographic, or otherwise. Connection plots can generate positive emotions and can be used to inspire love, friendship, and compassion. 

In the PM world, of course, building relationships is key. Share stories of how previous successful products were the result of strong collaboration between departments. Highlight moments where bridging the gap between design and development led to innovative solutions. Help others feel this collaboration cognitively through your story.

3. Creativity Plot:

This story features a protagonist solving a problem in an innovative way. It makes us appreciate the protagonist’s creativity and can stimulate our own creativity.

When proposing unconventional solutions, why not frame it as a Creativity Plot? Tell the story of a time when thinking outside the box led to a breakthrough, making the abstract idea of innovation concrete and attainable.

In general, you can encourage a culture of innovation by regularly sharing stories of creative problem-solving, both within and outside your organization. Highlight how these innovative approaches led to success, reinforcing the value of thinking differently.

Making it Practical for PMs

For Product Stories to resonate, remember:

Be Specific: Vague stories don’t stick. Add details that paint a vivid picture. Instead of saying, "we improved user engagement," narrate how a specific feature update led to a 20% increase in user activity, detailing the challenges and creative solutions along the way. The more details, the more credible a story will be.

Focus on the User: Your product stories should always tie back to the user. Share user testimonials, case studies, and anecdotes that highlight how your product solved a real problem or improved their life. Inspire your team to change other users’ lives through stories!

Embrace Failure: Not all stories need to have a happy ending. Sharing lessons from past failures can be just as powerful, if not more so, than success stories. Be honest about what went wrong, what you learned, and how you’re using those lessons to improve.

Practice: Storytelling is a skill, and like any skill, it improves with practice. Regularly incorporate stories into your presentations, meetings, and communications. Observe what resonates with your audience and refine your approach accordingly. Find mentors. Practice. Get feedback. Practice, practice, practice.

Alright, but where do I start?

The Concrete aspect of Stories is probably the easiest to put in practice.

Example 1: When discussing conversion rates, do you think you could be more impactful by making that number concrete? How can we better represent this 37% CVR? “If this was a marathon with 100 starting runners, only 37 would cross the line?”

Example 2: When talking about user pain points, you can make the user concrete by describing specific details of her routine - and later on of her pain points. The more specific details, the more human and real Mrs Doe will appear in the heads of the engineering and design team. And the more likely a product team will be motivated to solve her pain points. 

On the other hand, Simplicity - getting to the core of the idea - is arguably the most difficult, yet one of the most essential. It can be particularly challenging if you’re working in a startup environment, where ideas (or prioritization, or scope) tend to be “a bit of everything”. It’s probably time to tell a Challenge plot story to inspire your audience to simplify!

Final Thoughts on Authenticity

With storytelling principles comes (at least in France) the usual objections, stating that a more noble goal to pursue would be to remain authentic. I’d answer that being able to express yourself in a coherent and effective manner can actually strengthen your authenticity. Just like tapping into your own, genuine emotions when crafting stories, or when going through the practice, practice, practice continuous improvement process.

Wrapping Up

As PMs, our job is not just about managing products; it’s about managing perceptions, expectations, and motivations. Stories are one of our most powerful tools in this endeavour. They help us create a narrative that resonates, that sticks, and ultimately, that drives action.

So, the next time you find yourself in a sticky situation, remember: a good story might just be the secret ingredient you need to turn things around.