Take time to demonstrate the why

I led a short workshop today to identify possible positioning statements for a university program.

What I was reminded of was the importance of setting up the activity.

I shared the positioning framework, how it is used in concert with crafting marketing messages, and shared a few examples. They had to guess the brands that aligned with the positioning examples, which made it more interesting than simply telling them. Examples also ensured they knew what the end point should look like.

In 30 minutes we accomplished the goal of generating a number of possibilities and heard all voices. I ended with a dot vote which identified their top choices.

Now we go into research mode with students to validate the internal perspective.

In the past I had a tendency to move quickly into the exercise and people wouldn't engage to the same level as when I take time to set it up by showing them what the end point will look like and reinforcing the value of the activity.

With clarity of the purpose and tangible examples of output, people stop questioning the point of the activity and dive in.

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