Contract Magazine - July/August 2018 - 24

Is Your Firm Telling a Meaningful Story?
by Evelyn M. Lee, AIA

Based in San Francisco,
Evelyn M. Lee, AIA, is regional
workplace manager, west
coast lead at Newmark Knight
Frank. She holds graduate
degrees in architecture, public
administration, and business
administration. Currently
a member of the AIA national
board of directors, Lee
received an AIA Young
Architects Award in 2014.
Her website is evelynlee.com.
Visit contractdesign.com/
businesspractice to read all
of her columns for Contract.

In my experience serving as a client representative,
I have found that architects and interior designers are
generally horrible storytellers when it comes to selling
their services. In school, studio critiques taught us that
our work is supposed to speak for itself but we often
find ourselves ferociously defending our vision.
Professionally, the success of our projects
is often measured by the number of design awards
they win. As a result, design interviews are filled with
slideshows that are 90 percent focused on professionally
photographed projects. While it is necessary to
showcase past work as validation of a firm's design
and delivery capability, what really wins over the
owners and makes an impact is great storytelling.
Using storytelling for your business is more
effective than listing facts and outcomes. Stories grab
a potential client's attention while ensuring you and
your firm remain memorable. Leveraged correctly,
they can shift the attitude in a room and change any
preconceptions about your work. There is a reason
why the art of storytelling has become a trending topic
in business and why visual platforms like Instagram
and Pinterest play such important roles in companies'
social media strategies. It is also why video marketing
is the latest thing, and why content marketing firm
Outbrain reports that in 2018, 89 percent of B2B
marketers use videos.
Crafting an engaging story is a strategic
undertaking, but a good story can go a long way
and be used repeatedly. When creating the narrative
be sure to lay the proper foundation, ensuring that
the story makes sense to the audience that you are
trying to reach, and keeps them hooked long enough
to have them Googling your firm and looking you
up on LinkedIn.

to be about you; it can be about things that move
and inspire you.
3 What is the arc of the story? Unforgettable stories
tend to have challenges that are faced and
overcome. Create an emotional connection with your
audience by revealing the underlying characteristics
and culture of your business.
4 Consistency is key across all communication
channels. The business of storytelling doesn't happen
overnight. Practice makes perfect, and knowing the
story backwards and forwards will ensure that the
story comes across naturally when it is presented.
5 Engage your customers. Come up with ways to get
your audience involved to create stronger emotional
ties that are both memorable and shareable.
Finally, make sure that your story is authentic.
It does not have to be over-the-top or earthshattering. Transparency provides a unique voice
that is individually yours or your firms, and it prevents
us from relying on our design awards.
Why are stories so successful? While facts
tend to speak to the logical part of the brain-
informally known as the language-processing zone-
stories tend to speak to the heart, a zone that
triggers seven areas in the brain at once and works
60,000 times faster than the language processing
center. Whether your audience tends to be left
or right brained, stories are scientifically proven
to engage the brain in away that is more memorable
than facts and figures. It's okay to mix facts and
figures into a presentation, but remember how
much more impactful a story can be in persuading
your audience.

Consider the following:
1 Why is the story being told? What do you ultimately
want to accomplish from the telling of the story?
2 Set the stage. Who are the players? Are each of them
important to the overall storyline? When and where
is the story taking place, and does the outcome
support what you are ultimately trying to accomplish?
Also remember that the story does not have
24

contractdesign.com

JULY/AUGUST 2018

PHOTOGRAPHY: CARL BOWER

COLUMNIST

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Contract Magazine - July/August 2018

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Contract Magazine - July/August 2018