We live in a business culture obsessed with being “data-driven.” Numbers, metrics, and dashboards dominate meetings. Don’t get me wrong—data is essential. But here’s the uncomfortable truth: data alone doesn’t move people. Facts can inform, but they rarely inspire. If you want to change minds, spark action, or create real influence, you need something deeper. You need a story. At CI2 Advisors, we’ve seen this play out time and again....

I’ve been in enough boardrooms, sales calls, and leadership retreats to notice a consistent pattern. People think influence comes from saying more—more data, more slides, more reasons, more words. But here’s the uncomfortable truth: the more we talk, the less we listen. And the less we listen, the less influence we actually have. If you’re struggling to get buy-in from your team, your clients, or your peers, it’s not because...

We live in an era of relentless communication. Notifications buzz our phones, emails fill our inboxes, and LinkedIn posts stream past our eyes like ticker tape. Everyone’s “communicating” all the time—but very few are actually connecting. At CI2 Advisors, I’ve seen firsthand how this glut of surface-level messaging leaves people numb. No matter how clever your campaign, how clean your slide deck, or how polished your pitch, if you’re not...

Why Your Message Isn’t Being Heard These days, people are drowning in communication. From Zoom meetings and email threads to instant messages and AI-generated briefs, the workplace is a flood zone of information. Yet something critical is being lost in the flood: attention. People don’t tune out because they’re lazy—they tune out because nothing about the message feels grounded in their experience. Facts, instructions, and data may be visible, but...

By Stacey Weber In the fast-paced world of product management and product marketing, effective communication is not just a skill—it’s a necessity. Miscommunication can lead to costly mistakes, wasted resources, and missed opportunities. Let’s explore some real-world examples of how communication errors can have significant financial impacts. Imagine a scenario where a product manager is describing a requirement / user story to the design and engineering teams. If the market’s...

By John Geraci In today’s hyperconnected world, the ability to tell a great story is no longer a “nice-to-have” — it’s the difference between making an impact or getting lost in the noise. If you can’t tell a story that cuts through the clutter, inspires action, and builds real human connection, then you’re already behind. This isn’t hyperbole. It’s reality. We live in an era where information is abundant but...

By Stacey Weber If you follow my blog, you’ve heard all about my beliefs in doing market research. I believe that the best research is done face-to-face with real, authentic conversations between you and your buyers and users – current and potential. These human connections allow us insight into the most important problems that our market is dealing with. When we study the market and specifically look for problems that...

By John Geraci, CI2 Advisors In today’s noisy world, stories have become our best shot at being heard. We’re all navigating a barrage of messages every day—emails, alerts, social posts, video calls, texts. In the middle of that digital chaos, most communication barely registers. But occasionally, a story cuts through. It lands. It lingers. It moves someone to act. The reality is, not all stories do that. Some stories create...

By Stacey Weber I think I can finally say that it is Spring in Wisconsin. It’s been a few weeks since we saw any snow, and the grass is getting greener every day. I’ve seen many of my favorite birds return (snowbirds that they are), including Sandhill Cranes, Baltimore Orioles, Rose-Breasted Grosbeaks. The vultures are back too, and they’re important….but not really on my “favorites” list. I even saw my...

Most People Listen to Respond—The Best Listen to Understand By David Lynn, CI2 Advisors In today’s fast-paced world, listening has become a lost art. Most people don’t truly listen. They wait. They wait for their turn to talk. They wait to insert their opinion. They wait to correct or improve what someone else is saying. But they aren’t listening to understand—they’re listening to respond. In leadership, in business, and in...