You have formulated your Big Idea. And, you know why the panel would buy it. Convincing is not a matter of just sharing the facts. It is a matter of creating a story that makes the panel members believe. What makes a story a story? Let us dive deeper into it.

Stories are at the heart of our survival and flourishing as a species. They provide structure and meaning in a chaotic world. Thanks to stories, knowledge about the seasons and weather, predators and prey animals, edible and toxic plants could be passed on to next generations. Stories promoted peace and collaboration when we flocked together in ever larger groups. They are at the core of our religions, nation states, and global organizations. Unfortunately, stories also inspired the most ugly episodes of our history.

If you want to move people, you need a story. That is also true in academia. Big Ideas die a lonely death if their makers are not capable of translating them into a compelling story. Or better storytellers take the credits. After all, storytelling is at the heart of research. The introduction-method-result-discussion/conclusion structure follows the same line of the oldest known story, the Epic of Gilgamesh, but also that of block-buster movies, novels, or tv-commercials. It all comes down to beginning-middle-end.

Another way of putting it

You could consider your project to be a journey. This is how you could describe it:

• Beginning: You first sketch the place you want to leave behind in such a way that your audience recognizes it, sees it problematic nature and wants to join you on your trip.
• Middle: You talk about your boat and its solid construction which makes them believe it is going to take them across the sea and you introduce the captain and crew in order to make them trust.
• End: You sketch the promised land that waits at the other side of the project so they desire to go there.