Storyboardr

Tell me, show me, help me. I had a vision when I started Storyboardr. • To provide training to anyone who wanted to improve their business writing. • I felt strongly - and still do - that anyone can get better, even for people that think 'I'm not a natural writer'. • (Especially them). But there's a problem. • 90% of the benefit comes from what happens after the training • It relies on the practice someone puts in. • Or not. My value proposition was all about the 10%. • Giving people some tools, techniques and frameworks to help them write better. • And then leaving them to it. • That's 'tell me', and maybe a bit of 'show me'. The trouble is that writing only really gets better with practice. Through trying, experimenting, varying and reflecting. On reflection, training didn't seem like the right way to approach things. So I've switched it around. • It's now all 'help me', 'show me', and only a bit of 'tell me'. • I'll still do training, but it's now integrated into one-to-one or small group sessions where we actually do some writing. • It could be some content for a client deliverable, a blog or whitepaper, or a draft bid response. The new proposition is more about results. • I'll help you write better by getting you to write better. • I'll share what's in my kitbag as we go, where it makes sense and when you'll find it most useful. • It's targeting that 90% and recognising that the value comes from practice, not theory (although some is helpful). I don't call it training anymore. It's collaboration. +++ Get in touch if you need to sharpen your bid-writing skills, write clearer reports or boost your blogs. Photo by Laura Crowe on Unsplash

Bid writing. How hard can it be? I've been training people to write better bids for a few years now. Everyone can learn to write better. • Writing a compelling, compliant and successful bid response is a challenge - but best practices abound • Tools, methodologies and reusable collateral are all powerful accelerators • Learning by doing still feels like the best way to really develop bid writing skills Writing is - and always will be - a vital business skill. But increasingly I'm seeing bid writing in an organisational context, as part of a business-winning 𝘴𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘮. Tools, talent and training count for little when the op model doesn't work. • Bid writers flourish when they're set up to succeed - with coaching, training, support and leadership • Storytelling is the soul of your bid response - but you need to have some great stories to tell • And the capability to do what you say you can do is fundamental - authenticity and trust are high on the list for a top-class bid Whether they use pro bid writers or practitioners from across the organisation, businesses who create winning bids have configured their operating model for success. This is important when investing in bid writing capability - throwing people, tools and training at the problem may not get the results you want. So whenever I look at how to improve bid writing skills for clients now, I'm also interested in how this fits into the op model: • A culture that recognises the value and contribution of people who write the bids - win or lose! • A willingness to measure the real costs and value created - and a commitment to always do better • A framework for committing to the right bids - because you can't bid and win them all Bid writing isn't hard. But connecting it to your business's economic engine takes effort. +++ Follow me on Storyboardr for thoughts on bid writing and its role in a business-winning system Photo by Mark König on Unsplash

Do you plan before you write? Sometimes you can do the right things but the results don't always follow... • Creating a storyboard is a great way to organise key ideas • But at some point you have to start writing • And it's easy to lose sight of the plan you put together I'm a big fan of planning before I write anything important. • But I also know it's easy to get lost in the detail when you're polishing a metaphor or pondering a word choice. • Planning and writing aren't just steps in the process. • They're tools that help us think. Because writing's not linear. It's more like a wrestling match where you go back and forth until something emerges that you're happy with. • Your plan, storyboard or outline will help you work out what to write. • But writing will bring up new possibilities and test your original plans. • So you need to go back into planning mode from time to time. In fact this highlights one of the key skills we need in business writing. Switching between big picture and detail as you write. • Start with big picture, and get the plan clear. • Get into detail as you start to write. • Jump between them to refine your messages, revise your plan and keep everything on track. So don't just plan before you write. Plan (and replan) as you write. PS. I create my plans on a piece of paper, so I can go back and scribble on them. +++ Follow me at Storyboardr for more on planning and practice Photo by Sebastian Unrau on Unsplash

Tightrope walking. It's like bidding when you're the incumbent. A balancing act. There's a lot going for you when you're bidding as the incumbent. • You know the client, and they know you • You probably know far more about the scope of work than is in the RFP • You're uniquely placed to not have any transition risk in your offer But you won't have it all your own way. • The procurement process might require ethical walls so you don't unfairly benefit from inside knowledge • Every other supplier has a target on your back • Clients don't always see continuity as a good thing There's a lot to lose. When I'm working with a supplier who is bidding as the incumbent, we have to decide early on how we're going to tackle this in the bid response. • You can't hide or ignore the fact you're the incumbent • You don't want to come across as arrogant, or complacent because of your privileged position and recent client history • You can't assume that the people evaluating the bid know everything about what you've been doing So I always aim for a 'best of both worlds' approach. • Bid as if it's a new client and opportunity - show that you understand their needs, care about their outcomes and value the chance the continue the relationship • Show that rather than offering more of the same, you'll use this contract change to refresh your offer - what worked in the past may not be the best for the future • Wear your knowledge lightly, and focus on specific areas where you can add value for your client Clients don't like to feel they're locked in to a supplier, so give them positive reasons to re-choose you for the next contract. • Use internal challengers to spotlight ways you can innovate or improve • Put yourself in your competitor's shoes - they'll be trying hard to dislodge you • And if you find yourself writing something like "As your current supplier, we are uniquely positioned to.../have a deep understanding of.../know your organisation intimately.", stop How would you beat you? +++ Follow me at Storyboardr for more on boosting your bidding game Photo by Ruslan Zh on Unsplash

How do you demonstrate value in a bid? It's a fair challenge from any prospective client. But it's a tricky one to get across in written form. • Who defines value? • Is my idea of value the same as yours? Maybe not. • What are the units? What's the scale? I work a lot with professional services and technology firms full of engineers, consultants, technical experts. Who all have tons of value to offer to any client. We just need to show them. So I have a few rules of thumb when it comes to talking about value. • How > what:  don't tell me you have a great solution/idea/product - show me that it's wonderful in practice • Results now > outcomes later: outcomes are great, but they are slippery, diffuse and often delayed; tell me what happens in the present day • Small and specific > big and vague: don't be tempted to talk about transforming the entire culture of a business; tell me instead about one thing and how you made it stick It's because value can be nebulous and hard to grasp that we need to anchor it in the real world, right now. Writing about value in bids is always difficult, but if you can tell simple stories using these principles, you'll be well on your way to demonstrating value. Whenever you need to demonstrate value in bids, test your content: • Ask 'so what' and concentrate on the effect you had • Think about traceability: spell out the link between what you did, and the value that you created • Make it concrete and replicable: show that you did it then, and you can do it again for your new client Tighten up your narrative, and the value you delivered will speak for itself. +++ Follow me on Storyboardr for somewhat valuable musings on bid writing Photo by Thomas Kelley on Unsplash

I'm guessing, but you probably write too much. Stick to one idea. There's a constant battle raging inside you whenever you write. • You really, 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 want to share your thoughts, knowledge and ideas • You also really, 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 want to be clear, concise and compelling • There can be only one winner When everything's important, nothing is. Trying to cover too much undervalues your ideas, and creates clutter in your writing. • Readers can't take it all in • They'll decide what's important and focus on that • It's probably not what you intended Focusing on one idea in your writing is how you regain control of your narrative, and deliver your message directly to the reader. It's a challenge, just picking one big idea when you're writing. • When you're an expert in your subject, you'll always have more to say • Don't confuse simplifying with dumbing down - the biggest service you can pay your reader is to make a complex idea understandable • Deciding what actually is important requires effort on your part, but you're taking that burden away from your reader It's both liberating (for you) and enlightening (for them). • When you take everything else away, you elevate your big idea • You avoid confusing yourself - or overwhelming the reader - with too much stuff • Communicating one idea well has more impact because clarity leads to action Give it a try. Be ruthless. Pick the key point you 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 want to make, and just write about that. Leave the rest out. Save it for another time. You'll write less, but say more. +++ Follow me at Storyboardr for more on writing with impact Photo by Liar Liur on Unsplash

When it comes to playing back the client's question in a proposal, show, don't tell. Mirroring language in bids is good practice. • It shows you've read the question (always a good start) • It helps you align your solution to their needs (definitely helpful) • It might even give you an insight into how the client thinks about the problem (now we're getting somewhere) In fact it's hard to think why you 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘯'𝘵 mirror language from the bid question. Using the client's language, words, terms is good. But simply repeating the question as an assertion isn't always clever. I often see phrases in bids that say something like this: 'We understand the importance of delivering value for money in agile development' (in response to a question asking 'how will you deliver value for money when using agile delivery practices?') This doesn't help you or your prospective client. • It's not actually showing the client that you've understood what they are asking • It's not demonstrating you've got a sense of the issues they may be concerned about • It's taking up space in your response which won't be scoring any marks Whilst it's fair enough to play back the question, think about 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 you understand, not 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 the reader. For example: • Expand on what the question means to you - let's define value for money perhaps • Shine a light on the challenge you think they're alluding to - why might they be concerned about value for money? • Acknowledge the importance for the client by using value for money to frame your standard methods, tools and ways of doing things, rather than relying on boilerplate content Once you start thinking show, not tell, you'll be able to add case studies, examples, data points, specific features, outcomes and all sorts of other pieces of evidence to score points. In bid responses, every word counts. +++ Follow me on Storyboardr for tips on writing to win Photo by Erik Eastman on Unsplash

Getting started is hard enough. But how do you finish your writing? I'm often asked about finishing a piece of writing with a conclusion, recap or summary. • We're used (from school days) to finish off with a conclusion to tie everything together • It can be tempting to add a recap of the key points at the end - tell 'em what you told 'em • A summary to round things off can also feel helpful, particularly for busy skim-readers I always say, don't bother. • If you can cover your key points in a recap, what's the point of the rest of the content? • Although repeating key messages in a presentation helps to reinforce them, in a written piece it feels unnecessary • Building up to a big conclusion is the wrong way round - start with the important stuff so your reader gets the key points early on Whilst it might feel unfinished to end a piece without a concluding section, it's far better to deliver your key messages throughout your writing. • Put your effort into the hook, grabbing attention and getting readers into your story • Focus on concise writing so there's no need to recap, summarise or abbreviate • Develop a clear narrative that leads your reader through your key messages The most precious thing you can ask from your reader is their attention. And it's in limited supply. Good writing keeps people reading by rewarding attention all the way through. The end. +++ Follow me on Storyboardr for more debates on how to start writing, when to finish and what to do in between. Photo by weston m on Unsplash

It's a messy business, this writing lark.

Lazy metaphors ruin good stories. Metaphors lend themselves to storytelling • they help readers and listeners visualise your ideas, giving them more depth and impact • they are more vivid and stick in the mind • they fill in gaps for readers, doing some of the work so you don't have to They also help us keep our writing simple and concise. But there's a point before a good, well-used metaphor slides into cliché where it could do more harm than good. That's what I call a lazy metaphor • it's predictable, familiar and safe • you reach for it without thinking - or questioning • it's a quick fix that's probably (just) good enough I realised recently that 'business change as a journey' has become a lazy metaphor for me. • It's overly simplistic to refer to the experience of business change as a simple journey • It doesn't really capture the day-to-day feeling for most people (which may be more like being stuck in endless roadworks, rather than on a thrilling road-trip) • It's become a shorthand where we really need more precision and information to make it work So I'm challenging myself to revisit and refresh all the traditional, obvious, standard metaphors I use in consulting. • Change could be more like a theatrical production, involving different parts, backstage support and rehearsal. • It could be like a major renovation, where you're surrounded by chaos before your remodelled house emerges. • Maybe we're an orchestra learning a new piece together, finding out what parts we have and how it all comes together with practice. Or if it is in fact a journey, are we navigating the London tube system, venturing across uncharted seas in search of new lands, or planning to scale Everest? • If it's traditional I'll look for something more contemporary and relevant to my audience • If it's obvious I'll find something quirky, unusual or thought-provoking • If it's standard I'll choose something distinctive and different It means more effort for me, but that translates into many times more benefit if the message is clearer and stronger. • Good business writing - and storytelling - is such a powerful tool in leading and communicating change. • People deserve thoughtful and engaging messages, with powerful metaphors that hammer the points home. • It's also why a personal story can work so well - it's instantly more likely to be unique, relevant and engaging. I'm only at the start of my quest to banish lazy metaphors, but I'm glad to be o̶n̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶j̶o̶u̶r̶n̶e̶y̶ striding through the foothills on my way to base camp. +++ Follow me on Storyboardr for more on upgrading your metaphor game Photo by LOGAN WEAVER | @LGNWVR on Unsplash