Reflection – Storytelling 

 Prepared by Fatima Fatima 

 10JUL20 

 Challenge 

 I consider myself fortunate to work for the country ’s largest membership - based organization , especially   as it presents the opportunity to take part in cross functional teams from multiple Lines of Business   ( LOB ) . This blessing is also a curse as we frequently struggle with a core brand that eclipses all others   and as a result the other LOB ’s , although expected to create big ideas and produce exceptional results , are   not afforded the proper budget and consideration as the core brand . One LOB , our travel division , is the   most overlooked , due to a Member Penetration Index ( MPI ) that is stagnant at 4 % nation wide yet has the   potential to be considerably more profitable than at present state . To quote Ahmed , this is a truly   wicked problem . 

 Although multiple resources have been allocated to the promotion of this LOB , all projects are   underfunded and tend to be under prioritized , and as a result the department continues to struggle with   awareness not only within the executive team but with Members . I have identified that the largest   challenge with “ moving the needle ” on MPI is that not all associates / executives within the organization   understand and promote the department ’s value proposition , and as mentioned previously , investment   requests are often reallocated to other LOB ’s that appear to have a higher ROI .   What is most overlooked   is that the transactions within this LOB contribute to the overall satisfaction with Membership ( core   business ) , and in fact that those Members using this department ’s services have a 94 % rate of   Membership renewal , significantly higher than any other LOB . 

 Selection – Storytelling 

 I am a natural storyteller . Born to an Irish family from the east coast of Canada , I did not learn to get to   the point right away . I was taught to paint a pretty picture , look for the moment of awe and bring people   into my world so they see things my way .   Limerick you say . Spinning a yarn maybe ? Yes , this is what I   was born to do . Yet I seem to not have been able to summit the mountain of our core line of business ’   priorities in order to shine light on an LOB that I truly believe will be the catalyst of success and   domination amongst our competitors . 

 The reason I chose storytelling is not only is it a business tool that seems more natural to me , but that the   product this LOB offers to Members is one that directly relates to the customers emotions ; therefore ,   storytelling appears to be the appropriate choice .   If I can deliver a clear and compelling story , relying on   the emotional connection of this department ’s product with overall satisfaction of our Members , then   there is a greater chance of success in obtaining more focus and funding .   Unlike other reflections you   may be privileged to review , this one will be different as I have never purposefully implemented DT nor   storytelling as part of my process in the past . I shall not be sharing an anecdote of past presentations and   what I have learned from them . Not unlike other corporations , ours relies heavily on analytics ,   PowerPoint presentations and Excel Spreadsheets . Traditional thinking is no longer working for this   LOB ; therefore ,   I chose the Design Thinking for Innovation course for a reason , which is the recognition   that we can no longer continue to follow the same processes and expect different results . Status quo is no   longer acceptable and must learn and adapt to succeed . 

 Application 

 In the week 2 video “ Storytelling Tool ” , Pedro Sanchez stated “ Every great brand with longevity in the   retail space … … has a story . ”   As my company has been in business for over 115 years , with a core brand   with a well - known story , it now falls on my shoulders to uncover the story of this LOB to elevate the   awareness of the brand . What I have been able to take from the lessons of Design Thinking for   Innovation , is that storytelling for business requires the storyteller be able to convey a logical message by   understanding the following : 

 1 . Who is my audience ( what do they know about the value of this LOB and what is missing from 

 their current understanding – what do they need i.e./ data ) ? 

 2 . When is the optimal time to tell this story ( are they in the frame of mind to retain such 

 information ) ? 

 3 . Can I communicate a clear sequence of events ( does the story have an impactful beginning and 

 does it flow easily and compellingly to the end ) ? Can I present an intelligent argument for further   investment in this LOB using data from “ What is ” research ? 

 4 . This LOB represents the most emotional connection to our organization , can I describe this in a 

 way to elicit an emotional response from our executive team ? 

 5 . Do I allow for moments of reflection ( I need to build in unanswered questions that will engage 

 the audience to be intrigued enough to look for answers ) ? 

 6 . Am I prepared to present solutions or ideas to spark solutions so that no question remains 

 unanswered ? 

 Insight & Approach 

 Prior to beginning the DT program , I had initiated ethnographic research discussions with our analytics   team who believe it to be too expensive and unnecessary in light of their Environics research . Upon   completion of Design Thinking for Innovation , I do feel that I have the tools to more successfully convey   the message that our access to data ( thanks to our Membership base ) is unparalleled but lacks the   humanity / empathy that ethnography can provide . As the first part of my approach to overcoming my   previously mentioned challenge , DT has reinforced my belief in that such data will contribute to driving   transformation and essential to understanding the human connection to this LOB , and I will use the   questions listed above to deliver a presentation to encourage investment in ethnography which is critical   to the story of the potential of this particular department . 

 Secondly , I have come to understand throughout this program that a good story must be relevant and true .   Simple and complete . This is what I have been missing in the past .   Upon reflection within this reflection   I have been able to pinpoint the fact that I have been providing my audience only with the “ wow ”   information , listing the benefits of the LOB , but not supporting with data , context nor opportunities for   the human connection and given no time for digestion of what this LOB truly has to offer to the   organization as a whole . I believe that by effectively telling the story of this LOB , the team will be able to   speak with a unified vision , working together to uncover the untapped potential that this LOB can have   on the overall growth of the organization . 


EMAIL: 
ID_NUM: 
NAME_STUDENT: Fatima Fatima
PHONE_NUM: 
STREET_ADDRESS: 
URL_PERSONAL: 
USERNAME: 

### Task: You are a PII (Personal Identity Information) Detection. Given a essays written by students, you have to identify ONLY the following:
NAME_STUDENT - The full or partial name of a student that is not necessarily the author of the essay. This excludes instructors, authors, and other person names.
EMAIL - A student’s email address.
USERNAME - A student's username on any platform.
ID_NUM - A number or sequence of characters that could be used to identify a student, such as a student ID or a social security number.
PHONE_NUM - A phone number associated with a student.
URL_PERSONAL - A URL that might be used to identify a student.
STREET_ADDRESS - A full or partial street address that is associated with the student, such as their home address.
### Input: Reflection – Storytelling 

 Prepared by Fatima Fatima 

 10JUL20 

 Challenge 

 I consider myself fortunate to work for the country ’s largest membership - based organization , especially   as it presents the opportunity to take part in cross functional teams from multiple Lines of Business   ( LOB ) . This blessing is also a curse as we frequently struggle with a core brand that eclipses all others   and as a result the other LOB ’s , although expected to create big ideas and produce exceptional results , are   not afforded the proper budget and consideration as the core brand . One LOB , our travel division , is the   most overlooked , due to a Member Penetration Index ( MPI ) that is stagnant at 4 % nation wide yet has the   potential to be considerably more profitable than at present state . To quote Ahmed , this is a truly   wicked problem . 

 Although multiple resources have been allocated to the promotion of this LOB , all projects are   underfunded and tend to be under prioritized , and as a result the department continues to struggle with   awareness not only within the executive team but with Members . I have identified that the largest   challenge with “ moving the needle ” on MPI is that not all associates / executives within the organization   understand and promote the department ’s value proposition , and as mentioned previously , investment   requests are often reallocated to other LOB ’s that appear to have a higher ROI .   What is most overlooked   is that the transactions within this LOB contribute to the overall satisfaction with Membership ( core   business ) , and in fact that those Members using this department ’s services have a 94 % rate of   Membership renewal , significantly higher than any other LOB . 

 Selection – Storytelling 

 I am a natural storyteller . Born to an Irish family from the east coast of Canada , I did not learn to get to   the point right away . I was taught to paint a pretty picture , look for the moment of awe and bring people   into my world so they see things my way .   Limerick you say . Spinning a yarn maybe ? Yes , this is what I   was born to do . Yet I seem to not have been able to summit the mountain of our core line of business ’   priorities in order to shine light on an LOB that I truly believe will be the catalyst of success and   domination amongst our competitors . 

 The reason I chose storytelling is not only is it a business tool that seems more natural to me , but that the   product this LOB offers to Members is one that directly relates to the customers emotions ; therefore ,   storytelling appears to be the appropriate choice .   If I can deliver a clear and compelling story , relying on   the emotional connection of this department ’s product with overall satisfaction of our Members , then   there is a greater chance of success in obtaining more focus and funding .   Unlike other reflections you   may be privileged to review , this one will be different as I have never purposefully implemented DT nor   storytelling as part of my process in the past . I shall not be sharing an anecdote of past presentations and   what I have learned from them . Not unlike other corporations , ours relies heavily on analytics ,   PowerPoint presentations and Excel Spreadsheets . Traditional thinking is no longer working for this   LOB ; therefore ,   I chose the Design Thinking for Innovation course for a reason , which is the recognition   that we can no longer continue to follow the same processes and expect different results . Status quo is no   longer acceptable and must learn and adapt to succeed . 

 Application 

 In the week 2 video “ Storytelling Tool ” , Pedro Sanchez stated “ Every great brand with longevity in the   retail space … … has a story . ”   As my company has been in business for over 115 years , with a core brand   with a well - known story , it now falls on my shoulders to uncover the story of this LOB to elevate the   awareness of the brand . What I have been able to take from the lessons of Design Thinking for   Innovation , is that storytelling for business requires the storyteller be able to convey a logical message by   understanding the following : 

 1 . Who is my audience ( what do they know about the value of this LOB and what is missing from 

 their current understanding – what do they need i.e./ data ) ? 

 2 . When is the optimal time to tell this story ( are they in the frame of mind to retain such 

 information ) ? 

 3 . Can I communicate a clear sequence of events ( does the story have an impactful beginning and 

 does it flow easily and compellingly to the end ) ? Can I present an intelligent argument for further   investment in this LOB using data from “ What is ” research ? 

 4 . This LOB represents the most emotional connection to our organization , can I describe this in a 

 way to elicit an emotional response from our executive team ? 

 5 . Do I allow for moments of reflection ( I need to build in unanswered questions that will engage 

 the audience to be intrigued enough to look for answers ) ? 

 6 . Am I prepared to present solutions or ideas to spark solutions so that no question remains 

 unanswered ? 

 Insight & Approach 

 Prior to beginning the DT program , I had initiated ethnographic research discussions with our analytics   team who believe it to be too expensive and unnecessary in light of their Environics research . Upon   completion of Design Thinking for Innovation , I do feel that I have the tools to more successfully convey   the message that our access to data ( thanks to our Membership base ) is unparalleled but lacks the   humanity / empathy that ethnography can provide . As the first part of my approach to overcoming my   previously mentioned challenge , DT has reinforced my belief in that such data will contribute to driving   transformation and essential to understanding the human connection to this LOB , and I will use the   questions listed above to deliver a presentation to encourage investment in ethnography which is critical   to the story of the potential of this particular department . 

 Secondly , I have come to understand throughout this program that a good story must be relevant and true .   Simple and complete . This is what I have been missing in the past .   Upon reflection within this reflection   I have been able to pinpoint the fact that I have been providing my audience only with the “ wow ”   information , listing the benefits of the LOB , but not supporting with data , context nor opportunities for   the human connection and given no time for digestion of what this LOB truly has to offer to the   organization as a whole . I believe that by effectively telling the story of this LOB , the team will be able to   speak with a unified vision , working together to uncover the untapped potential that this LOB can have   on the overall growth of the organization .
### Output: 