Mic Check by Rhetoric: Volume 7
What's the most common shared characteristic of your most successful colleagues?
Several minutes of mine were well-spent this morning reading Sahil Bloom's Twitter thread on early career principles. We know about the obvious principles, like a learning mindset and curiosity, but there are also plenty of not-so-obvious things, like having great posture and not multitasking (this is a hot take I can get behind).
Naturally, this one also stood out to me:
It struck me as as such a simple explanation of what we mean when we say "storytelling." It's not just about brands and businesses; it's a skill that's foundational to our development as professionals, and we start to build our storytelling muscle from our first day on the job.
When I think of the most performant colleagues I've worked with throughout my career, each of them was a master at communicating the value they were driving with clarity and poise. They thought critically about the right way to tell a story - not just about the content or analysis they needed to share. More than subject matter expertise or work ethic, an aptitude for storytelling seems to be a powerful predictor of success.
So, the obvious next question: how do we build it?
Like most things, the first step is noticing the great stories we hear and breaking them down. Over the next few weeks, we'll dig into the work of a few master storytellers to do just that.
- Raman
📚 Open tabs
What team Rhetoric is reading during those awkwardly-timed few minutes between Zooms.
Ok, this one isn't a read, but it's helpful nonetheless: perhaps the folks with the most authority on storytelling are the ones responsible for films that captivate us. Especially films that captivate the world's toughest audience: children. Here are thoughts on storytelling from Andrew Stanton, creator of Toy Story and WALL-E.
Working longer hours but accomplishing less? You might need to change the way you think about breaks and "work recovery."
This is a dense but delightful review of the role of storytelling in the medical profession. The nugget that stuck with me most: storytelling as a personal practice helps us process the human narratives that are happening underneath our professional ones.
✨ New ways to present better
Here's what's going on at Rhetoric this week:
One of the most asked for Rhetoric features is officially live: Mobile viewing! You can now view and share Rhetorics while AFK. Try it out in landscape or portrait mode. If you're reading this on your mobile device, check out this presentation about Rhetoric.
❤️ Your friends can be great presenters, too
Found this useful and know someone who wants to up their speaking game? Want to help us banish the grip that flat, written text has over our lives once and for all? Or perhaps you just like cool hats?
Share Mic Check with your network and we'll hook you up with some swag.