the keepmoving.company

storytelling starts here

Category: Thoughts

  • A Day in the Stack: Every Tool Does One Job. The Story’s in the Handoffs.

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    mikeswelsh
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    I guest lectured a class recently. As usual, the best part came after the talk, when a student sent this(her magic wand question): “Wish you included one summary diagram that captures your entire AI stack. Some sort of table, with each tool listed that breaks down what you use it for, and where it fits…

  • The Gist Problem

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    mikeswelsh
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    Feels throw back ish today, you’ll get the gist. I’m knee-deep in a data and analytics migration for a wealth management firm right now, and something keeps happening in nearly every working session. Someone pulls up a data model, a schema map, a list of source systems, and starts talking about the migration like it’s…

  • Overpreppers’ Paradise

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    mikeswelsh
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    In recent years I have been told far to many times that preps the way I do preps are: Oh, and feel free to add your own… Well, as it turns out. Luck favors the prepared. Imagine what luck you and teams have if you overprep? What I will try to outline is why this…

  • From Familiar to Foreign

    From Familiar to Foreign

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    mikeswelsh
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    You’ll learn how to challenge your own approaches. This can apply to how you do your work, tell stories, and execute. When designing experiences for human beings, a singular principle is at work—moving individuals from the familiar to the foreign. My fellow professionals are confused. They wonder if there is still a need for UX/UI/AX/CX…

  • The Back Story on Storytelling 🦄

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    mikeswelsh
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    All humans, including you, are storytellers by definition. Even if you believe you aren’t good at [public speaking, talking to strangers, presenting, pitching, etc.], you are genetically designed to be a storyteller; it’s in our DNA. Epigenetically speaking, we are evolved to share stories. Couple historic facts about the origins of human storytelling you may…

  • Dialoging for Diamonds

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    mikeswelsh
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    When it’s time to tell a story, pitch an idea, or have a memorable conversation ion this is one of those tools/techniques. Narrative diamonds shape clear, memorable stories.Why is that? It’s likely because we are, as humans, natural storytellers and story listeners. But there are specific ways to enhance how you prepare and deliver stories;…

  • The Moth StorySLAM

    The Moth StorySLAM

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    mikeswelsh
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    So that one time I did a Storyslam competition, that a colleague put me up to. I had no idea what it even was, just that ‘Mike when you go to happy hour with the team we are going to go from there to the Oberon Theater in Boston’ …you may not even get picked…

  • Arcs (of Uncertainty™)

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    mikeswelsh
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    There are many arcs, some called story arcs, arcs of uncertainty, and more. Sometimes, they are not arcs at all. They are lines of thinking. Ways of making an audience follow along, stay interested, and be entertained.

  • Curveball Questions

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    mikeswelsh
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    Do you know that time during a meeting, workshop, interview, or other interaction when a question comes up that catches you off guard and/or disrupts the flow, causes a hot flash, and momentarily stops the storytelling rhythm and flow? Yeah, the classic gotcha, curveball, trick, rhetorical question. I used to hate this; it was a…

  • The 5 Slide Rule™

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    mikeswelsh
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    The 5 Slide Rule™ (of thumb) for planning and over-prepping for storytelling success. This is a people, process, and tools article to help anyone who needs another way to get ready potentially. What this ‘rule’ is not What the 5 Slide Rule is: Beginnings Middles and Ends. When story-making, folks often struggle with’ setting the…