{"id":14114,"date":"2026-01-22T17:35:39","date_gmt":"2026-01-22T17:35:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/2026.karrierecoaching.ch\/?p=14114"},"modified":"2026-04-20T13:52:52","modified_gmt":"2026-04-20T13:52:52","slug":"what-snow-white-teaches-us-about-communication","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/2026.karrierecoaching.ch\/en\/what-snow-white-teaches-us-about-communication\/","title":{"rendered":"What Snow White teaches us about communication"},"content":{"rendered":"

Once upon a time, there was a CEO. He had to steer his company safely through a world of threatening competitors and ensure its long-term survival. He was responsible for product development as well as all administrative and financial matters. Pause for a moment. What kind of company do you picture in your mind?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Peter N\u00e4f<\/em><\/a><\/strong>
\nZurich, April 2026<\/em><\/p>\n

Did you think of a bank or an insurance company? Or a mid-sized industrial firm with around 300 employees?\u00a0Not at all! I was talking about myself \u2013 a sole trader who covers all tasks personally and uses external services only where needed.<\/p>\n

Without this frame of reference, my opening communication<\/a> probably led you astray. And that is precisely what many people neglect when they talk about their own experience: context.<\/p>\n

A CFO is not just a CFO<\/h5>\n

An example. Years ago, I was coaching a CFO for a job interview. From his CV, I could see his role and main responsibilities. I did not know the company. I told him what I pictured in my mind: \u201cYou work for a manufacturing company with around 250 employees, selling its products domestically and in neighbouring countries.\u201d<\/p>\n

Horrified, he replied: \u201cWe employ over 2,500 people, have subsidiaries on three continents, and export to more than 50 countries!\u201d Ouch! According to Daniel Kahneman\u2019s availability heuristic (see book tip below), I underestimated what I did not know and therefore did not have readily in mind.<\/p>\n

So pay close attention to providing context throughout your entire application<\/a> communication. In your CV<\/a>, briefly describe the company if it is not widely known.\u00a0In the job interview<\/a>, too, start with the context by first describing the company and your role. Only then move on to your responsibilities \u2013 as I outlined in my article \u201cPsycho for the job interview\u201d<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Snow White\u2019s dance<\/h5>\n

This logic can be illustrated with a principle from classic animated films. There were two types of artists: character animators, responsible for action, dynamics and the personality of the protagonists \u2013 the foreground. And background artists, responsible for depth, light and atmosphere \u2013 the context.<\/p>\n

The former brought Snow White to life. They drew her coyly lifting her skirt and performing a cheerful little dance while singing. Yet it made a difference which context the background artists placed her in. Is she dancing in the forest, fluttered around by birds and butterflies, while deer watch her wide-eyed and little rabbits cheerfully tap the beat?<\/p>\n

Or is she dancing on tables in the saloon of a gold-mining town, watched with greedy eyes by an exclusively male audience, who pound the rhythm on the tables with their boots?<\/p>\n

For the age rating board, it was probably not the character, but the context, that made all the difference.<\/p>\n

#storytelling<\/a> #communication<\/a> #jobinterview<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Once upon a time, there was a CEO. He had to steer his company safely through a world of threatening competitors and ensure its long-term survival. He was responsible for product development as well as all administrative and financial matters. Pause for a moment. What kind of company do you picture in your mind? Peter […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14114","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-artikel-2"],"yoast_head":"\nWhat Snow White teaches us about communication - Karrierecoaching - Peter N\u00e4f<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Many applicants neglect context in job interviews and self-marketing. 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