Stories that Move Mountains: Storytelling and Visual Design for Persuasive Presentations

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What

“God, give us grace to accept with serenity the things that cannot be changed, courage to change the things which should be changed, and the wisdom to distinguish the one from the other.”

—Reinhold Niebuhr, American theologian whose writings have influenced American political leaders in the 20th and 21st centuries. The quote here is an extract from the Serenity Prayer he wrote in the 1940s.

Most of us make assumptions. We might assume we know the motives behind management decisions, or assume that others understand the situation the same way we do. In many IT departments there was an assumption for many years that computer users had to be managed, that the IT department, or a specialist external company, had to provide all the systems and services required for the business. This is changing rapidly, with employees using Facebook, instant messaging tools, and online access to e-mail. Some companies are even starting to let staff connect their own laptops, home computers and smartphones to the company network. Many organizations are now having problems balancing the responsibilities of the IT organization with the expectations of the employees.

The assumptions about who will manage information and keep it secure must be revisited. Organizations are making new assumptions about the needs of the business and the employee, about the availability of services provided over the Internet, and even which companies that are providing services today will still be around in a few years. ...