This is a slight pitch prep, storytelling, narrative builds versus slideware.
What is the BC/NC all about?
Historically, when we are ‘trained’ to present or media trained to speak publicly, folks use all sorts of techniques to help internalize this and use this training. The concept here is something I learned about what is meaningful about the story-making process.
Broadcast as it seems —wide angles.
Below is an equation I learned, yep, from Chip Conely’s book Emotional Equations.
Anxiety = Uncertainty x Powerlessness
In my view, the above is an example of a broadcasted idea. Using the mental model of an equation immediately communicates a math problem that comes through the brain pretty fast. Then, inside the equation are simple and complex concepts, but keeping this clear with a talk track can carry the details of what this means and why it matters.
Broadcasting is a way of keeping high-level concepts easily consumable while simultaneously setting audiences up for narrowcasting deep dives, which makes the storytelling more credible.
What do I mean by narrowcasting? Think about how to dig in on anxiety, uncertainty, or powerlessness. You start by stating the obvious. Anxiety is essentially fear of what hasn’t happened yet. Uncertainty is not knowing; then, maybe it might or might not be. Powerlessness is your inability to impact or effect an outcome.
Just in that one extended paragraph, we dove a little deeper. When you consider the dimensions of the broadcast, you can contemplate the parameters of the narrowcast. So, the part where the denominator of the equation, that is, the intuitive, emotional awareness of your user… is in itself a narrowcast, a denominator enables that same equational thinking while at the same time giving the audience a chance to follow along. They can understand the broadcast item and the equation. They can continue to follow along for the narrowcast detail.
Think of it this way.
This museum has exhibits from the artists who made these paintings. That is broad to narrowcast. Plenty of storytelling can benefit from having a structure like this, which may help in refining wide topics and detailed narrow ones without losing the thread of your story and, by association, your audience.
How do I use this?
The easiest way to use this is to ask broad and narrow questions about the work. The story in your preps can be evident at times, but in the preps, you will refine it by pulling up the broadcast items to an appropriate level and drilling down on crucial details in the narrowcast. They go together. The simplified high-level broadcasts connect to the deeper, detailed narrowcasts to make a satisfying up-and-down, like a TED talk.
Slideware vs Your mouth
There is a mouth-to-slide mantra that I use almost always, and it goes like this: A slide is a backdrop for your oratory. The version that is a deliverable can be different. If you contract for a deliverable, okay, the oral delivery is a deck by itself. I am working on a deep dive on slide olympics versus you and your mouth. There is a relatable component of slideware and that is covered in the Charisma Myth, read or listen to it. It’s on the booklist. You can not hide behind your slides.
Develop your narrative pieces, outlines, story spines, etc., then put it all away and see what the story from your mouthhole does. There is a stand-on-your-story aspect of my own story making that my teams beat me up for, challenge, and push in preps. Every person you know can know more than you at any moment. Just take it in. I push back sometimes or get defensive, aka, I am human.
But there is nothing better than the AV not working. A crowd strike happens, and you’ve got to still deliver the pitch. No deck. Lori had us do a pitch entirely on a whiteboard one time. It was key to our winning.
People are buying you not the deck.
Broad or narrow or weave both. Get into it, build, develop your story, then practice deliberately until it’s just you telling a story. You have it in you to be a great storyteller, dont let anyone tell you different. You may suck right now, but that deliberate practice and brutal feedback i harp on will make you a storytelling master w much rizz, on god, no cap kings and queens… just kidding I was talking to my girls during the drafting of this. lol
As always, if you made it down here, thanks and cheers to you telling your next story. #keeptrying #keepmoving #keeptellingstories