Corey Vilhauer's presentation, "Empathy: Content Strategy's Hidden Deliverable" from Confab 2013 in Minneapolis - June 4, 2013

1. EMPATHYContent Strategy’s
Hidden Deliverable
Confab 2013
Minneapolis, MN

2. HI.
I’M COREY VILHAUER
@mrvilhauer

3. BLEND
INTERACTIVE
SIOUX FALLS,
SOUTH DAKOTA
@blendtweets

4. WARNING

5. NEW PROJECT!

6. NEW PROJECT!

7. NEW PROJECT!

8. NEW PROJECT!

9. NEW PROJECT!

10. WE FACILITATE CHANGE

11. CHANGE IS HARD

12. “Change isn’t an event;
it’s a process.”
- Dan Heath / Chip Heath

13. CONTENT REQUIRES EGO
CHANGE IS HARD

14. WORDS ARE
PERSONAL

15. CONTENT REQUIRES EGO
CHANGE IS HARD
FAILURE IS CERTAIN

17. “No matter how good a cook
you are, and no matter how
hard you try, the first pancake
of the batch always sucks.”
- Merlin Mann

21. “Morning, boys.
How’s the water?”

23. “What the hell is
water?”

24. “...Which has almost nothing
to do with knowledge, and
everything to do with simple
awareness.”
- David Foster Wallace

26. EMPATHY

27. EMPATHY
The action of understanding, being
aware of, being sensitive to, and
vicariously experiencing the feelings,
thoughts, and experience of another of
either the past or present without
having the feelings, thoughts, and
experience fully communicated in an
objectively explicit manner.

28. EMPATHY
“...empathy can be described
as feeling the feelings of
another with the greatest
accuracy and effort.”
- Whitney Hess

29. EMPATHY

30. EMPATHY
PERSEVERANCE

31. EMPATHY
PERSEVERANCE
EMPOWERMENT

32. EMPATHY
PERSEVERANCE
EMPOWERMENT
PASSION

33. EMPATHY
PERSEVERANCE
EMPOWERMENT
PASSION
HUMILITY

34. CONTENT STRATEGY

35. CONTENT STRATEGY

36. CONTENT STRATEGY
PEOPLE

37. HOW DO WE DO IT?

38. HOW DO WE DO IT?
IT DEPENDS.

39. 1. ALWAYS ASK QUESTIONS

40. BE CURIOUS

42. Who has a vested interest?

43. Who has a vested interest?
What kind of help do you need?

44. Who has a vested interest?
What kind of help do you need?
Who would excel at this?

45. Who has a vested interest?
What kind of help do you need?
Who would excel at this?
What changes are coming?

46. Who has a vested interest?
What kind of help do you need?
Who would excel at this?
What changes are coming?
What audiences are we missing?

47. UMEASS

48. U MEASS

50. “There’s a chance that
things’ll get weird.”
- Archers of Loaf

51. 2. BE CLEAR AND CONCISE
1. ALWAYS ASK QUESTIONS

52. 500px
TERMS
OF SERVICE

54. “When the client feels like
they have some input during
the project planning phase,
they are more likely to enjoy
the ride.”
- Melissa Rach

55. 3. DON’T DO IT ALL
2. BE CLEAR AND CONCISE
1. ALWAYS ASK QUESTIONS

56. BE DELIBERATE

57. BE DELIBERATE
(does not need)

58. YOUR PATH MAY VARY

59. PROVIDE TOOLS

60. PROVIDE TOOLS
WITHIN REASON

61. 3. DON’T DO IT ALL
2. BE CLEAR AND CONCISE
4. PLOT AND SCHEME
1. ALWAYS ASK QUESTIONS

62. BE CONNIVING

63. TAKE ADVANTAGE
OF GOALS

64. “DON’T FORGET
THE LIBRARY”
“THE ALUMNI
ARE CONCERNED”
“THINK ABOUT
THE CHILDREN!”
“THE PROVOST
NEEDS A LETTER”

66. ACTUAL IMPORTANT
SITE CONTENT

67. IDENTIFY
STRENGTHS
AND PLAY
TO THEM

68. PEOPLE WORK
DIFFERENTLY

69. 3. DON’T DO IT ALL
2. BE CLEAR AND CONCISE
4. PLOT AND SCHEME
5. TEACH THEM TO FISH
1. ALWAYS ASK QUESTIONS

70. WE ARE TEACHERS

72. EVERYTHING I LEARNED
ABOUT WORKING WITH
PEOPLE

73. EVERYTHING I LEARNED
ABOUT WORKING WITH
PEOPLE
I LEARNED
BY TEACHING PEOPLE

74. KNOWING ≠
COMMUNICATING

75. 3. DON’T DO IT ALL
2. BE CLEAR AND CONCISE
4. PLOT AND SCHEME
5. TEACH THEM TO FISH
1. ALWAYS ASK QUESTIONS

76. YOU CAN’T WIN
EVERY BATTLE.

77. HOW MUCH CHANGE
CAN WE HANDLE?

78. CONTENT STRATEGY
IS FOR EVERYONE

79. “The other half of ‘making’ is
‘taking care of.’ We’ve gotten
pretty good at making
internet. Time to get better at
caring for what we make.”
- Erin Kissane

80. MOVE FORWARD

81. THANK YOU.

82. COREY VILHAUER
I am still
eatingelephant.com/confab13
NOTES: