You already have the innate ability to tell stories. You can develop it into a skill that you can apply to powerful effect. So what can you do to tell powerful stories to make a point? I’ve got two tips for you here.

 

1. Use specific moments

Stories are concrete and specific. They are about events that bring out the point you want to make.

The problem is that in business life we are so used to making broad, abstract assertions. It’s the norm and it’s the enemy of effective communication. Competitive advantage, balanced portfolio, strategic alignment - great, but what do these terms mean? We don’t even hear them anymore. One ear in, the other out. Unless you’re playing the game of bullshit bingo.

 

Your challenge is to move from these assertions to the concrete and specific moments of a story. Here’s an example.

 

How you can use stories to get an idea across

After I had made the first draft of this website, I wanted to improve it and met with a professional writer of texts for websites. She’s called Ann. She asked me what I wanted to achieve.

 

I could have responded in the traditional way and given her a list of bullet points. However, I started by telling her a story. I told her that I used to organise adventurous 4x4 trips. I had learned a lot from them. I had found that the customers talked each evening about what we had experienced together. How we had helped each other, been spotters for each other, how it had been a team effort. They talked about the moments that had made a lasting impression.

 

These experiences were possible because of the meticulous prepwork. The planning formed the foundation; the experiences and moments, made the trip memorable. This is what I wanted to achieve with the website: give its visitors a memorable experience.

 

Then I gave her a list of bullet points. These came to life because of the story. Ann told me that it had helped her get a better understanding of what I was aiming for.

 

2. Make your message memorable

Stories are more memorable than argument or opinion. Think back to a meeting or presentation you attended recently. What do you remember from it? Chances are only the stories that were told - relevant to the business or not. 

 

The listener pictures the event and pictures are easier to remember than words. Moreover, with a story you can get emotion across. We have a remarkable ability to remember what we feel.

 

How you can use a story to establish rapport

Often we need to establish a rapport quickly with our listeners. Check if this works for you. Imagine that you are participating in the Storytelling for Leaders (SfL) programme. It's the start of the very first session and I, Mark, open the session. I could do it like this, after I havr mentioned my name and taken care of some practicalities:

 

In this programme you are going to learn a new skill. As with any skill, you best learn it by doing it, trying things out. Making mistakes and getting feedback. Try again, get more feedback. Until you become confident you can do it.

 

When I was being trained to become a facilitator for this programme in October and November of last year, my mentor and coach at Anecdote was Mark Schenk. He gave me a whole bunch of assignments. I recorded these on video and sent them to him for his feedback.

One of his assignments was that I had to kick of the SfL programme and tell a story to connect with the participants.

I thought of a brilliant story. It's one that has been running in my family for 60 years. I heard it from my mother and told it to my children. The moral of the story is that you must be kind to people, take their feelings into consideration.

I recorded the story, sent it to Mark and got his feedback.

He said: "Mark, I know the point you're trying to make. But how does the story make it? I don't get it."

I was shocked. How could he not get it? This was a tried and tested story, a family heirloom. But then I started to reflect. I understood I had to question my assumptions about this story. If Mark didn't get it, no one would. What works in a family context, doesn't necessarily work elsewhere. So I threw it out the window, at least for this purpose, and recorded another one. 

 

You can become an accomplished storyteller

Telling stories in a business context is a skill. It rests on the willingness to communicate in a different way. You can acquire this skill yourself. If you like, you can contact me to talk about it.