Why Feminists Should Care About Persuasion.

I was honored to lead a workshop on the importance of storytelling and persuasion for Feminist Camp, an intensive training in NYC organized by Soap Box: Speakers Who Speak Out. Here is a summary of what I spoke about:

• Simply put, persuasion is about telling the best, most compelling story about yourself, your cause or your business.

• From the worlds of cognitive science and anthropology, we know that stories allow us to make sense of the world.

• If we want to change the world, our messaging must be persuasive.

• If  you construct an authentic, well-told story about what is it you do, you have a greater chance of getting what you want.  A laundry list of skills without some sort of context doesn't cut it. You need to fill in the gaps and create the narrative.

• This is why it is no longer enough to have a good resume.

• Think about it this way: if someone Googles you, what story will they uncover? Is it a blog on design thinking or a bunch of Twitter rants?

• Having a strong brand-story and translating that story across multiple platforms can help you to find an audience and bypass the gatekeepers.

• Example: feminist author Roxane Gay is an active Twitter user with almost 800,000 followers. Through the platform she is able to promote her books and feminism in an authentic and powerful way.