Written by: Vickie Sullivan | August 22, 2019
Another Great Way to Share Your Lessons
Whether in marketing or during a presentation, we hear a lot about capturing “the journey.” There are many ways to share what we learned along the way. This Fast Company article from June is a great example of an effective but unexplored technique to make lessons learned come alive: as an experiment.
Move past the topic of workplace dress codes and focus on the use of experiments. Experiments work because they use the power of discovery as a teaching tool. Here’s what we thought leaders can do to make this tactic work in their content marketing:
• Take it to the extreme. As the article noted, there’s interest in minimizing our work wardrobe. So, experimenting with that wouldn’t have been as intriguing as the extreme: wearing the same thing every day. Taking an already-agreed-with idea and going over the top is a great attention grabber. When looking for ideas to experiment with, ask yourself, “What would be the most daring version of this lesson?” And go there.
• Highlight hidden dynamics. The author also spent a lot of time on the double standards in work wear and the pressure to wear different outfits. Why this amps up the intrigue: By showing the players and their roles in a behind-the-scenes dynamic (i.e. the fashion industry), we highlight the risks and motivations. It’s a great way to insinuate that the experiment is “going rogue,” which is always fascinating.
Listen: Two Ways Your Experiments Can Stand Out
Using experiments to share lessons you’ve learned is a great alternative when standard stories are everywhere. It’s the best of both worlds. Yeah, it’s a story, but the experiment angle makes our suggestions stand out. Can we replicate this method? You betcha.
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