How is a StoryMap different from a normal PowerPoint presentation?

Most PowerPoint presentations focus on making complex ideas simple. By simplifying the world into three bullet points per slide, the presenter expects the audience to take away just a few major concepts from the presentation. The result is generally a rather bland presentation with a very few charts, graphs or photos to releive the monotony of bullets.

StoryMaps represent an entirely different visual experience for an audience. A StoryMap creates a visual richness that invites an audience to come closer, to ask questions, and to explore the complexity of your ideas. The Map presents a landscape on which lots of activity is taking place. Your presentation, then, becomes a story about the events taking place on the StoryMap.

A StoryMap is different, and that difference sparks interest in the minds of your audience. A StoryMap is also a compelling enough illustration that people will want to look at it time and again to discover new details and possibly new insights. While you might find a StoryMap framed in someone's office, the same will not be said for a traditional PowerPoint slideshow.

How can a StoryMap be used?

A StoryMap is a creative, engaging and versatile communication tool. The same Map can be used to tell different stories to different audiences, and the meaning of a StoryMap can evolve over time. Here are a few of the ways a StoryMap can be used:

• Orientation of New Employees StoryMaps about the career development program or the core business processes can be used to introduce new employees to the "company way". Large versions of these StoryMaps can be posted in the office, and smaller versions can be distributed to employees.
• Selling Services to Customers StoryMaps can create a very engaging and very unique atmosphere for selling. Most potential clients will be braced for yet another stack of PowerPoint slides, but you can differentiate yourself with the StoryMap approach. By presenting your entire suite of services or the entire process of an engagement, you can then invite the client to come explore the parts of the StoryMap that they find interesting. Through a dialogue around the StoryMap you can discover the client's major issues and show them the path to success. The tremendous detail in your StoryMap will demonstrate your expertise.
• Proposals to Management Senior managers sit through more presentations than most people could bear. Some managers prefer to have presentations formatted in the same way. Others are dying for something (anything!) a little bit different. When submitting a proposal to managment for a new line of business, a new internal process, or a major initiative, try using a StoryMap to walk them through the experience of the big idea. The detail on the Map will demonstrate the rigor of your planning, and a dialogue about the StoryMap will reveal their issues and concerns. This approach will make your initiative stand out as innovative and unique. (Of course, it won't hurt to have a few PowerPoint slides prepared as back-up.)
• Project Teams A big project or initiative can last for years, and it is not uncommon for new people to join the team as the project progresses. It is important to initiate these new people into the objectives and history of the project. A StoryMap describing the project is a great tool for this kind of orientation. While the details of the project will probably change after its initial conception, a StoryMap will capture the goals and spirit of the project.
• The History of the Company Every company has a story to tell. Whether it was a company started by two brothers over a hundred years ago or a start-up created to share a great new idea with the world, every organization has a mythology about its history, its purpose and its destiny. A StoryMap is an excellent tool to record and share this company story. The StoryMap can be shared with employees at company meetings, with investors, with partners and with customers.