Carmine Gallo is a communication coach and author with Gallo Communications Group.
In addition to being a writer — he’s authored 10 books — Carmine Gallo is a talker. At the heart of both endeavors is his enthusiasm for and ability to communicate successfully and craft a compelling story.
“The human brain is wired for story, not for bullet points on a slide,” he says. “Stories from the beginning of time informed, educated, and inspired — the same tasks product managers have to accomplish today. So I would recommend setting aside your title as product manager … and see yourself as the chief storyteller for the product. You are the chief storytelling officer.”
Carmine urges PMs to use two types of stories in their documents and conversations: personal stories and case studies — “the stories of real customers and real people and their pain points.”
“Think carefully about the story you tell,” he advises. “It can be a personal story, a ‘me’ story. It can be a ‘they’ story about a real case use, a real customer. And that’s why product managers have to be good listeners and understand and articulate the solution in the language that a customer would really use.”
In addition to actionable exercises to create Steve Jobs–esque presentations and blockbuster stories (hint: transformation is key), Carmine shares the skinny on templates from his newest book, “The Bezos Blueprint,” as well as how TikTok helps him simplify — on this episode of This Is Product Management.
Download the transcript:
Here are some highlights:
- Jeff Bezos’ templates
- Future-proofing your career
- Rules for PowerPoint
- A three-part exercise for telling a compelling story
