CLARITY: Influencing The C-Suite

According to a study by KPMG, just under 70% of CEOs doubted insights from data and put more importance on their gut-feel. If people at the top aren’t engaging with data to make decisions, then how can you influence them?

Storytelling and engagement

It’s becoming increasingly difficult to influence opinion based on facts, features and benefits alone. In industries such as financial services or technology there are hundreds of providers all saying similar things.

Those that stand out can tell a story that engages the recipient with more than just features and benefits.

Quality research creates insight and a context from which the narrative can be told. A story creates a stronger emotional link and elevates analysis to the point at which it’s more capable of influencing decision-making (and those using their gut).

Aristotle

Aristotle said that in any effective piece of communication there were three ‘appeals’: ethos, logos and pathos.

Ethos – is the source’s credibility, the speaker or author’s authority

Logos – is the logic used to support a claim, or the facts and statistics used to support the argument. 

Pathos – is the emotional or motivational appeal; vivid language, emotional language and numerous sensory details.

The aim should be to create stories which make people think. 

The shortest story ever told

So let’s end on a story. Many of you may have heard it. It’s alleged that Ernest Hemingway wrote it and it’s fabled for making the reader wonder what actually happened…

“For sale: baby shoes, never worn.”