How BlogJam 2016 Helped My Business

by Angus MacCaull

Every day at work we tell stories. We share moments from home. We talk about our favourite teams and community causes. Who we are as individuals is really what makes a workplace tick.

How do we get better at storytelling? Two key takeaways from BlogJam 2016 in Halifax have been rambling around my head recently. The first, courtesy of designer Dee Silkie, is to treat creativity like a muscle. The second, courtesy of marketer Ross Simmonds, is to remember the importance of distribution.

Stories start with a creative spark. You know the feeling. Someone brings up the weather or their children—and all of a sudden you have something you want to say.

You should have seen the roads over our way on the weekend. We almost didn’t make it to the hockey game. But we got there, and my daughter scored two goals!

The more you exercise your creativity, even just through hobbies like playing music or cooking, the better you get at honouring that spark. You get better at bridging the gap between feeling you have something to say and saying it.

Second, stories live in an audience. If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it, whether or not the tree makes a sound, no one is going to tell its story.

Good distribution is essential to the life of a story. In a work setting, this might mean taking the extra time to share your story with the back office—not just the person sitting beside you. It also might mean taking the extra time to share your story online. A lot of our days now mix the activity on the physical main streets of our communities with the activity on the digital main streets of social media sites.

BlogJam 2016 reminded me that my business is made up of people. People are much more than the skills on their resumes. People are ultimately their stories.

Whether you are telling your story in person or online, working out your creativity and being conscious about your distribution can help you grow in both your personal and professional lives.

Maybe I’ll see you at BlogJam next year!