The other day I gave a keynote and the question came up, what to do in status reports. I remembered how I would often struggle to keep status reports interesting on the project portfolio in my previous employment.
⛔️ Status reports are designed not to draw attention to them. They would like to say: move on, there is nothing to see here, all is on track. So basically, they are the nemesis of good storytelling. 🦹🏻♀️
However, not reporting anything will not get you anywhere. Even, if there is really nothing worthwhile sharing from the top view.
There is one approach that I want to share with you today. Often, there are hidden gems in your (project) portfolio. Probably, more than you know because sometimes it is about mitigating a risk. Look for those events where the team went far and beyond regular expectations to "save the day". Use this to highlight your otherwise possibly boring numbers and give credit to the ones who worked to hard.
So that next time, you will not bore your audience with a status report that is flying under the radar but you will have exciting stories to tell that also your management will be eagerly pass on. It will also inspire with a ripple effect and make people proud working for you and the company.
How do you entertain your audience during status reportings?
