“Stop telling stories—Just get me the data!”
Product managers hear/use this quite often, don’t we?
Some of us hesitate to use storytelling because we associate the word ‘story’ with ‘fiction’ or even ‘lies.’
However, the best leaders I know recognise that data alone is not enough.
Storytelling is a crucial tool—especially when:
* You’re talking about a future, and there’s no relevant data yet. Founders face this challenge all the time while starting up. When a trend is just emerging, the only data you might have is ‘A growing number of people are discussing this in various subreddits’.
* You have data, but it is fragmented—you need a story to connect the dots.
* Your audience understands stories better than raw data.
* You want to make your ideas memorable (more on this later)
Importantly great products get built on narratives that inspire action from the team.
So, what’s your story?
