How one irrelevant detail can sink a business story
I just read an Italian police procedural where the detective team used advanced phone-tracking technology to trace the movements of the victims. They identified a person who’d made several calls; moreover, she had been caught stalking one of the victims, leading to an order of protection. She was angry…and witnesses placed her near the murder scene.
But she couldn’t have been the murderer. She was murdered herself while the detectives spent a lot of time trying to reach her.
She was a red herring. A distraction from the path the detectives were pursuing.
When do red herrings show up in business settings?
Business stories can use red herrings deliberately…or get caught up in distraction.
Sally was telling a story about breaking into a competitive field as a newcomer. She wanted to make a connection with a well-known influencer. So she flew to a conference to meet the person, got invited to be part of a joint venture, and more.
That was a good story…but Sally made one key mistake. She said, “I maxed out my credit cards to buy a plane ticket to see that crucial person.”
Needless to say, her story stopped many audience members right there. They stopped listening as they thought, “A coach ticket to that city would be less than $500…was she that broke?” and, “Do we want to do business with someone who can’t manage her credit?”
This was a true red herring because the audience got distracted and the point was irrelevant. She wanted to emphasize the importance of making contacts in a new field; hopping on a plane represents a strong commitment, but nobody really cared how she paid for the plane ticket.
Harry, on the other hand, used red herrings strategically. He had developed software for solopreneurs to find meeting places for special events. He once needed a conference room for a fifteen-person lunch meeting. He explained how he had researched options, like restaurants (too expensive) and meeting room services (no food allowed).
He kept the audience in suspense: would this meeting ever take place? At first it seemed like he’d choose the restaurant option, then the meeting-room service. And then they found an unexpected resource: a space that combined coworking with special events.
It worked because he carefully explained the details as if they were misleading clues, showing how the final solution emerged. And that tied directly to his software.
When people listen to stories about finding a solution to a problem, they’re not being passive. As they listen to the presentation of possible solutions, they’re processing clues and doing their own detective work. If their minds wander from that path, they’re lost.
There’s a fine line between bringing in color or “human interest” and introducing a red herring. At every stage, you have to ask, “How will this tidbit help answer the question?”
So a detail like, “My heart was pounding as we got closer to the edge” makes sense if you want to demonstrate your very human fear…but it’s a red herring and a serious distraction if you’re talking about your service.
As I’ve said elsewhere, murder mysteries have a lot to teach us about business storytelling. Red herrings are welcome in the mystery genre. Business writers can use them too…as long as they build suspense, and don’t lead to distraction.
Suspense holds an audience; distraction loses them.
