I attended BIG KC, a two-and-a-half day event that aims to inspire, educate and celebrate the entrepreneurial ecosystem in the heart of the Midwest. Produced by Silicon Prairie News, the conference started as Big Omaha as early as 2010 and this was their first year in KC.
Good event, overall. But honestly, I love more interaction and some of the speakers weren’t as prepared to share their content or story as they could have been. They missed their WHY and WHO.
There were a few who didn’t – one whom I’ve admired for several years: Scott Harrison from charity: water. He started with a simple presentation formula:
- Tell them what you’re going to tell them
- Tell them
- Tell them what you told them and ask them to come with you
He wove his personal story with the story of the water crisis and put a face on the people who where engaged in helping. We could see ourselves in those pictures and stories. It’s not rocket science: we all want to be part of something bigger than ourselves and we innately want to join others who are as passionate as we are about something specific. Scott did a great job of engaging the audience with that fact.
It puts a personal picture on a very serious issue: WHY Scott does what he does. Perhaps even more impactful is WHO is engaging in this effort to impact the world. It’s not difficult to identify people and groups that have similar qualities. I’m not talking about simple demographic qualities, but behavioral and personal passions.
At Fervor, we call this WHO: The People Strategy. It’s diving into the top three people groups you and your organization work with and want to replicate. Not everyone, just the ones who your story clicks with, the ones who give you and your organization energy. These are your advocates.
Yes, it means that you leave some people out. Thats okay. In fact, it’s imperative in order to grow.
Knowing your WHO lets you tell their story and gather more of them.
