Genre: Blog Post – Professional, Thought-piece
Author: Nikhil Mohan
Methods: Copy-editing and stylistic editing
Techniques: Reworked sentence structure and overall content placement to improve readability and flow.
Outcomes: Detailed line-edits to tighten up the piece, cutting unnecessary or excessive repetition.
Timeline: Single day turnaround
Software: Piece was presented with access to a CMS and edited in Microsoft Word.

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Final version:

What is innovation? A seemingly simple question that is brimming with opportunity. For me, it’s the not-so-simple act of taking an idea or the desire for change from vision to reality with concrete decisive action. The action is the critical part of this. Imagine if the desire to collate all the information in the world was just left as an idea by Larry Page and Sergey Brin or if Peter Dukes hadn’t pushed for PSL to become a signature at Starbucks.

An idea doesn’t carry any value unless there is action put behind it. More often than not, we find ourselves in the position of having an idea and the willpower to make it a reality but lacking the actual ability or power to see it come alive. We have to turn to those in positions of power, those who possess capital, whether monetary, social, or political, to help us bridge that gap. We need to find someone to “invest” in us.

However, we aren’t entirely helpless. Driven by a vision and conviction for the impact we can create, we have a very potent tool: influence. Our ability to communicate our ideas effectively is the most effective path on the journey we aim to begin. It’s a critical piece of leverage in making sure that we can take action with the right resources to see it to fruition.

This is where the power of storytelling comes in. We use stories build connections to those around us, help people bond to ideas and connect more deeply with other people. Neil Gaiman, said, “Fiction is the lie that tells the truth, after all.” Whether fiction or reality, stories are tied to the lives of people around us. They are often tied to needs that must be fulfilled. A good story can help people in power understand why an idea or change is important, and why they should feel connected to it. Understanding the human impact is best done through storytelling.

Storytelling is not just about using fiction or real-world stories; it’s about building a bond with the concept. A great story can take significant evidence and the practical applications of a new idea and give them life in the form of why they are relevant. Stories that captivate us hold a special place because they evoke powerful, memorable emotions. Children’s stories are great examples of this. Little Red Riding Hood teaches children to not trust strangers by painting a picture of the danger inherent in those unknown to us. Wolves may not be able to speak or pretend to be grandmothers, but a stranger can be as dangerous as a wolf. The moral behind Beauty and the Beast is: don’t judge a book by the cover (as we learn alongside Belle about the Beast’s qualities under a gruff exterior), but also that kindness goes a long way. Many of these things aren’t directly spoken of in the book, yet we learn these lessons from how the characters make us feel.

Most stories have three parts: the setup, the confrontation, and the resolution. We can take that idea and apply it to how we communicate our ideas to potential supporters, allies, and “investors”.

First, we look at the setup. We define the need. The need may have been identified through hundreds of interviews, or it could be one that has been identified by a partner organization in a challenge they face. It could be as simple as, “How do we keep our customers coming back?” or as complex as “How do we ensure that older adults gain access to the internet?” With that in mind, we pose the following questions: What is the need? How is it relevant? Why should we care? Articulating the needs helps us understand clearly where the problem lies. Understanding why it is relevant helps us put together the data points around why this problem is prevalent or deserves action. Knowing why we care helps us show how people are impacted by this problem and how those impacts breach their experiences.

Next comes the confrontation. What is the change that we want to produce or the idea to solve this problem? This ties in very neatly with the confrontation because we create a struggle; we desire change and an opportunity for action. So, we pose questions once again. What is the idea? How will it work? Why will it drive impact? Articulating the concept clearly to ensure that we don’t fall into the “curse of knowledge” trap is imperative. The curse of knowledge prevents us from sharing our knowledge or thoughts because we assume that the other person already understands what they are. This is the most challenging aspect of communicating our ideas because things that may be obvious to us may not be obvious to somebody else. This is a moment where we must empathize with our audience and our allies to understand where the gap between their understanding may lie and ensure we effectively communicate that gap away. There are amazing examples from marketing campaigns that have a way of showcasing how a product reaches a consumer’s inherent needs and not just the apparent ones.  MasterCard says, “There are some things money can’t buy. For everything else, there’s Mastercard.”, the iconic De Beers “Diamonds Are Forever”, “It’s Not a Choice. It’s the Way We’re Built” by Subaru, and “Yes We Can” by the Obama campaign. The message is clear and people bought into it.

Moving into how the idea will work involves a step-by-step process of breaking down each aspect of the idea. In doing so, we understand more deeply how we approach things and don’t leave out small, essential details that add depth and foster understanding.

Finally comes the resolution or how the idea is going to create a positive outcome. Like in a story, this conclusion helps the listener come to terms with the action and its outcomes. After the confrontation, the climax bolsters an understanding of the final outcome the innovation is meant to produce. To end, we pose the questions once more. What are the benefits of this innovation? And why does that matter? Articulating how the innovation fulfills the need, its impacts, and the overall outward benefits helps fulfill the emotional needs built up before. The critical element, however, is that due to the return-based nature of investment of any kind, the internal value generated for those developing the idea is an integral part of this communication. Showcasing both the internal and external value of the innovation ensures that we’re effectively able to leverage the idea to create value on both ends of the chain. Being able to tie these together and explain why benefits on both sides create value overall will help solidify why innovation is essential.

This process of relying on traditional storytelling methods to convey ideas and innovations can easily be applied to any concept, regardless of scale.  It can be as small as driving change within a company’s culture, creating new products, or explaining their merits to garner investment in a new venture[T1] . In the end, innovation is more than just a flash of brilliance—it’s the story we tell to bring that brilliance to life. When we weave our ideas into compelling narratives, we don’t just communicate; we connect, inspire, and ultimately drive the action that transforms vision into reality. The true power of innovation lies not just in the idea itself, but in how well we can tell its story.

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Original:

It starts with a simple question, what is innovation? For me, it’s the not-so-simple act of taking an idea, or the desire for change, from vision to reality. That’s what’s important here, the action. Imagine if the desire to collate all the information in the world was just left as an idea by Larry Page and Sergey Brin, or if Peter Dukes hadn’t pushed for PSL to become a signature at Starbucks. An idea or change doesn’t carry any value unless there is action put behind it. More often than not, we find ourselves in the position of having an idea, the willpower to make a reality, but lack the actual ability or power to see it come alive. We have to turn to those in positions of power, those that possess capital, whether monetary, social, or political, to help us bridge that gap. We need to find someone to “invest” in us.

What we do have in that situation, however, is influence. Our ability to communicate our ideas effectively is the most potent tool in our belt to make sure that we can take action.

This is where the power of storytelling comes in. Stories are not just about fiction or the methods we use. Stories are how we build connections to those around us, help people bond to ideas and connect more deeply with other people. Neil Gaiman, the famous author and screenwriter, said, “Fiction is the lie that tells the truth, after all.” Whether fiction or reality, stories, even if embellished, are tied to the lives of people around us. They are often tied to needs that must be fulfilled. With a good story, we can help people in power understand why an idea or change is important and why they should feel connected to it. What pushes them a step further is providing all the evidence we have to ensure that an idea bears merit. Understanding the human impact is best done through storytelling.

With a great story, we can take significant evidence and the practical applications of a new idea and give them life in the form of why they are relevant. It’s not just about using fiction or real-world stories; it’s about building a bond with the concept. Stories that captivate us hold a special place because they evoke powerful, memorable emotions. Children’s stories are the best examples of this. Little Red Riding Hood teaches children to not trust strangers, and while wolves may not be able to speak or pretend to be grandmothers, the idea is apparent. The moral behind Beauty and the Beast is: don’t judge a book by the cover, but also that kindness goes a long way. Many of these things aren’t directly spoken of through the book, yet we learned these lessons from how the characters made us feel.

Through detailed study, researchers put together a patterned structure around how a story is constructed. Every story has three parts: the setup, the confrontation, and the resolution. We can take that idea and apply it to how we communicate our ideas to potential supporters, allies, and “investors”. But, every good story also needs a little substance around that structure. For an Innovation, that is data-driven evidence that proves why our idea is relevant. Then, we share anecdotes and stories of people so that there is an emotional impact. And, to top it all off, we ensure that we’re unambiguous and transparent in our communication. This builds confidence that we understand the problem and the solution space clearly.

Taking how a good story is structured, we can break it down into three fundamental questions: what, how, and why.

First, we look at the setup, which in the case of a problem, is how we define the need. The design thinking process, for example, the need may have been identified through hundreds of interviews or one that has been identified by a partner organization in a challenge they face. It could be as simple as, “how do we keep our customers coming back?” or as complex as “How do we ensure that older adults gain access to the internet?” With that in mind, we pose the question, what is the need? How is it relevant? And, why should we care? Articulating the needs helps us understand clearly where the problem lies. Understanding why it is relevant helps us put together the data points around why this problem is prevalent or deserves action. Understanding the why helps us show how people are impacted by this problem and how those impacts breach their experiences.

Next comes the confrontation. What is the change that we want to produce or the idea to solve this problem? This ties in very neatly with the confrontation because we create a struggle; we desire change and an opportunity for action. So we post the questions once again. What is the idea? How will it work? And, why will it drive impact? Articulating the concept clearly to ensure that we don’t fall into the “curse of knowledge” trap is imperative. The curse of knowledge prevents us from sharing our knowledge or thoughts because we assume that the other person already understands what they are. This is the most challenging aspect of communicating our idea because things that may be obvious to us may not be obvious to somebody else. This is a moment where we must empathize with our audience and our allies to understand where the gap between their understanding may lie and ensure we effectively communicate that gap away. A simple example, MasterCard – “There are some things money can’t buy. For everything else, there’s Mastercard.” With a simple sentence, we understand what they have to offer. The messaging shows how even through simplicity and clarity we can understand why the service is important. They look at the embedded why behind spending money; to create memories.

Moving into how the idea will work involves a step-by-step process of breaking down each aspect of the idea. In doing so, we understand more deeply how we approach things and don’t leave out essential and, often, small details that add depth and foster understanding. The “curse of knowledge” trap can often prevent us from taking a step back and seeing the idea more clearly because we are too close to it and have developed a deeper understanding of how it works. It’s like asking Michael Jordan how he dribbles and asking Tiger Woods the best way to putt. It comes so naturally to them that describing it is bound to miss details. And the final question, of course, is why will it drive impact? Why is the idea able to change this status quo. This then becomes another space for developing a connection with your allies.

Finally comes the resolution or how the idea is going to create a positive outcome. Like in a story, this conclusion helps the listener come to terms with the action and its outcomes. After the confrontation, the climax bolsters an understanding of the final outcome the innovation is meant to produce. And finally, we pose the questions again. What are the benefits of this innovation? How will it benefit us? And why does that matter? Articulating how the innovation fulfills the need, its impacts, and the overall outward benefits helps fulfill the emotional needs built up before. The critical element, however, is that due to the return-based nature of investment of any kind, the internal value generated for those developing the idea is an integral part of this communication. Showcasing both internal and external value of the innovation ensures that we’re effectively able to leverage the idea to create value on both ends of the chain. And finally, being able to tie these together into explaining why benefits on both sides create value overall helps solidify why the innovation is essential. Running an office space on solar panels is almost a no-brainer. It saves the company money, creates a positive impact on the environment, and has a great story to tell about it. A win-win.

Through telling our story in this manner of relying on traditional storytelling methods and conveying the idea behind the innovation effectively, we can apply this method to scale to any concept. It can be as small as driving pain within a company’s culture, creating new products, and explaining their merits to garnering investment in a new venture.