Ever seen an organisation with a 50-slide corporate narrative?
I was reminded of one last week. It was one of those decks
where the authors - and I suspect there were many of them - used an awful lot
of words without saying much at all.
Apart from the challenge of wading through such a lot of
material, how is any reader going to identify and assimilate key messages? How
is anyone expected to use the document as a practical tool to aid engagement
with stakeholders?
If you can’t get your core story on a page, then you have
too complex a story. It’s time to review, prioritise and refine the content.
There are ways of expanding or amplifying its themes for different audiences,
adding more depth or detail when required for specific groups, but the core
story should always be clear, compelling and – crucially – concise. Otherwise
it will not do the job your company needs it to.
