Most clients come to designers with an ask, a question: How can we better tell our story? How can we create a strategy that resonates with our audience? They want a new narrative; they want to change their current website. They want a sleeker campaign; they want to tell a different story. But when we give clients what they said they want, the change they asked for; we get pushback and resistance, maybe even some hostility. Why? Because change is hard. So how do we as content strategists and story advocates help our clients overcome their fears so we can help them reach their goals? And how can we use examples from the creative process to help nurture deeper, more trusting relationships with our clients? In this talk, VML’s own Leah Sand explores the psychology behind the challenges we face working with clients and she explores tools to help coach clients to move through those challenges with empathy and inclusiveness. In this session, you’ll learn how to: - Identify emotional or psychological “blockers.” - Work with clients to get them more involved in the content process, using empathy, understanding, and tools from positive psychology. - Use these tools to help break down silos within large organizations to align with content goals. - Teach empathy to others to facilitate better content ideation.

1. CONTENT ISN’T HARD.
CHANGE IS

2. OR, HOW TO WORK WITH
PEOPLE WHO ARE AFRAID OF
CHANGE TO TELL BETTER
STORIES & TRANSFORM
THEIR BUSINESS( )

4. # A G E N C Y L I F E

5. +
+ -LEVEL
STORYTELLING
O U R C L I E N T A S K E D F O R T H I S

7. I D E N T I F Y P R O B L E M / O P P O R T U N I T Y
D E S I G N T H E S O L U T I O N

9. W H A T W E ( T H O U G H T W E )
D E S I G N E D

10. W H A T W E A C T U A L L Y
L A U N C H E D

11. WHERE DID WE
GO SO WRONG?

12. DESIGNING A SEAMLESS
EXPERIENCE ISN’T HARD.

13. CONTENT STRATEGY
ISN’T HARD.

14. CHANGE IS.

15. REALITY CHECK.

16. INSTITUTIONS
CUSTOMERS
LOCATION PRICE
INFORMATION
Y E S T E R D A Y

18. INSTITUTIONS
CUSTOMERS
LOCATION
TECHNOLOGY
PRICE
INFORMATION
g
T O D A Y

19. CUSTOMERS ARE
CHANGING FASTER
THAN BUSINESS
( & THEY’RE CONTROLLING THE NARRATIVE )

20. “When the rate of change outside
exceeds the rate of change inside, the
end is in sight.”
J A C K W E L C H

21. ( )
WE ARE NO LONGER
DESIGNERS &
STRATEGISTS &
CREATIVES.
WE’RE ADVOCATES FOR
CHANGE.

24. EMPATHY CHECK.

25. H E R E ’ S O U R S E X Y
N E W C O N T E N T
S T R A T E G Y & D E S I G N

27. 70 % OF CHANGE INITIATIVES
FAIL TO ACHIEVE THEIR GOALS

28. “The key to change …… is to let go of
fear.”
R O S A N N E C A S H

30. HOW TO COACH YOUR CLIENT
TO MOVE THROUGH FEAR &
ANXIETY TO EMBRACE CHANGE.
IN 7 STEPS.

31. 01
IDENTIFY THE PROBLEM
YOU’RE SOLVING. THE
REAL ONE.

33. 02
CONSIDER YOUR EMPATHY
& REMIND THEM: EVERYONE
IS GOING THROUGH THIS.

36. 03
DEFINE WHAT SUCCESS
LOOKS LIKE.
MAKE IT ATTAINABLE.
REPEAT DAILY.
PIVOT IF NECESSARY.

38. 04
DEMYSTIFY THE CREATIVE
PROCESS.
EXPLAIN IT SIMPLY.
REVIEW IT OFTEN.

40. 05
BRING BOLD IDEAS TO THE
TABLE & OFFER YOUR
CLIENTS A SEAT.

42. 06
EMBRACE FAILURE. TALK
OPENLY ABOUT LEARNING
FROM MISSTEPS.

44. 07
LISTEN TO YOUR CLIENTS.
LISTEN TO THEIR
CUSTOMERS.
ADAPT AS NEEDED.

45. “When you talk, you are only repeating
what you already know. But if you listen,
you may learn something.”
D A L A I L A M A X I V

47. ADVICE FOR MOVING
THROUGH THE
UNCOMFORTABLE FEELINGS
THAT COME WITH CHANGE.
( )

48. IF YOU’RE ALIVE, YOU CAN
CHANGE.
* C O U R T E S Y O F E L I Z A B E T H G I L B E R T

49. YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE A
GENIUS. JUST OPEN.
* C O U R T E S Y O F E L I Z A B E T H G I L B E R T

50. MAKE SOMETHING. DO
SOMETHING. DO ANYTHING.
* C O U R T E S Y O F E L I Z A B E T H G I L B E R T

51. STOP COMPLAINING & GET TO
WORK.
* C O U R T E S Y O F E L I Z A B E T H G I L B E R T

52. FRUSTRATION IS NOT AN
INTERRUPTION OF THE PROCESS.
IT IS THE PROCESS.
* C O U R T E S Y O F E L I Z A B E T H G I L B E R T

53. LET GO OF YOUR FANTASY OF
PERFECTION.
* C O U R T E S Y O F E L I Z A B E T H G I L B E R T

54. YOU CAN’T GET RID OF FEAR,
BUT REMEMBER: FEAR IS BORING.
* C O U R T E S Y O F E L I Z A B E T H G I L B E R T

55. IF SOMETHING IS AUTHENTIC
ENOUGH, IT WILL FEEL ORIGINAL.
* C O U R T E S Y O F E L I Z A B E T H G I L B E R T

56. OUR SUCCESS AS
DESIGNERS & STRATEGISTS
IS DIRECTLY DEPENDENT ON
OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH
CHANGE
( & THE FEELINGS THAT COME ALONG WITH IT )

57. Q U E S T I O N S ?

58. THANK YOU
vml.com
@leah_j_sand