Founder Story
     Trevor Garrett, Chief Storyteller

I didn’t realize it at the time, but looking back I can point to one meeting, one slide deck, and even the one slide that would change the course of my career.

 

After completing not one but two Systems Design Engineering degrees, including completing part of my engineering undergraduate work in Japan, and then a Master’s thesis that got me invited down to Cupertino by a well-known fruit company, I was at the top of my technical game.

 

But then, when I was recruited by one of the large, global management consultancies, I learned a terrible truth: Not only was being deeply technical not an advantage, it could actually be a disadvantage. No one cares about your two engineering degrees if you can't connect the technical to what the organization is trying to accomplish. With my career on the line, I determined to learn how to communicate complex technical topics in simple, understandable language that non-technical senior executives could understand. It then took years to hone those skills as a global management consultant.

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That’s when the meeting happened.

The client was a small tech company that dealt with a very difficult to manage kind of data. One of the lead developers had solved a data problem that would ultimately transform that industry… and despite being a genius, he couldn’t explain it to save his life. He would rock back and forth from his front to his back foot, wringing his hands and not finishing his sentences. My two systems engineering degrees were just barely enough to understand what he had done. He proved that it would work with a prototype, but management didn’t understand what he was talking about, didn't understand the impact on the business and the industry, and being the smart, incisive executives they were, they refused to invest in something they didn't understand.
 

That’s where I came in.

I pulled together a short slide deck that told the story, including one slide with a simple diagram that explained the new business model, how the data would flow, and how the money would flow. I was asked to present to the Board of Directors. When I got to the slide explaining the new business model and how it was all going to work, it was like the Board let out a collective “Ohhh...” It was as if I had somehow completed a circuit and the lights came on. The Board approved the investment in a new line of business which grew, spread worldwide becoming their new core business. And that Lead Developer? He ultimately became a very successful CTO. In fact he calls me up periodically to recruit me, all because I was able to translate his idea into a business-oriented slide deck all those years ago. The point is this: How many good ideas, business-transforming, industry-impacting, world-changing ideas are lost simply because they are poorly communicated?
 

If you are a corporate professional or a technical professional, I bet you know your stuff and have great ideas. That might not be your problem. It might be how you’re communicating those ideas.

I can help. I’ve enjoyed enormous success communicating on deeply technical topics to very senior, non-technical executives which is where I spend most of my time consulting. But I’ve also codified my techniques into a course called Systematic Storytelling™ and I would love to explore how I might be able to help you or team to communicate and get traction on your best ideas.