English majors have a
special Super Power, not to be taken lightly: the ability to tell a story.
You know about how to
develop engaging characterization, why and where to ratchet up the suspense to
keep your audience reading, when to drop in a whiff of foreshadowing that will
make the ending so much more satisfying, and under what circumstances to deny
closure.
In short, you have one of
the top business skills of all times.
Here's a story of how one
executive seeking funding from a top company learned to include more story. And
a follow-up letting you know that big companies are teaching their employees the skills you already have.
There's a good template
for how to organize a business story. You may be more interested in getting a
job than in getting funding for a specific project--but story is relevant to
you, too! You can use it to engage a prospective employer, as one of the most
effective ways to showcase your talents and abilities. And you can market it as one of the skills you can bring to the
table.
Lest you pooh-pooh this
article as mere in-house English-major puffery: it comes from The Wall Street Journal, the Big Serious
Business newspaper. Names dropped are also no "bit-players": Procter
& Gamble, FedEx, Kimberly-Clark, Microsoft.
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