inspiring minds
Stories:
The key to our hearts
NEWS
ACT
THINK
&
FEEL
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BEHAVE
inspiring minds
Stories:
The key to our hearts
“Stories ground
people to think
differently – to be
able to listen and
hear things they
haven’t been able
to in the past”
Dr Paula Bartholome
President Parrallax
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M
aybe you stayed up late
to read a novel, or watched a
movie that you couldn’t switch
off? Perhaps you pushed yourself
harder because you heard a story
about a colleague’s success, or you
changed your mind after reading
a newspaper article? Stories make
us buy; they make us cry; they help
us pass the time; they even wake
us up during the night.
In a story, you not only weave a
lot of information into the telling
but you also arouse your listener’s
emotions and energy. Persuading
with a story is hard. It demands
vivid insight and storytelling skill
to present an idea that packs
enough emotional power to
be memorable.
Stories can change the way we
think, act, and feel. They can
form the foundations of an entire
workplace culture, and they
have the power to break down
barriers and turn bad situations
around. Stories can capture our
imaginations, illustrate our ideas,
arouse our passions, and inspire us
in a way that cold, hard facts often
can’t. Storytelling gives leaders
a way of inspiring colleagues in a
way that appeals to both sides of
our character.
According to Paul Smith*, celebrated author of
Lead with a Story: A Guide to Crafting Business
Narratives That Captivate, Convince, and Inspire
“a good story is like
a recipe – certain
“ingredients” need
to be part of the mix
for it to be a success.
All great stories
have three essential
elements: context,
action, and result.”
*Source
Paul Smith
http://leadwithastory.com
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ACTION
Context
Smith wrote that context is
the element most neglected by
leaders. Without context, your
story may confuse or bore your
audience.
Action
Every great story has action: ups
and downs, setbacks, conflicts,
failures, and battles. The action is
where we experience defeats and
learn lessons.
The context provides the
background information that
listeners or readers need to make
sense of your story. It should also
spark their interest and make a
connection, so that they care
about what you have to say.
In your story, your main character
must ‘do’ something. Ideally, he
or she will experience a setback,
failure, or problem along the way.
Obstacles create tension and forge
an important connection with
your audience, because everyone
experiences them daily.
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CONTEXT
RESULT
Context needs to
address four key
questions:
here and when does this story
W
take place? Establish the “when”
and “where” of your story, and
clarify whether it’s fact or fiction.
ho is the main character?
W
This needs to be someone
who your audience can connect
with. In most cases, you are the
main character.
hat does he or she want?
W
Explain what your main character
wants to accomplish.
ho, or what, is in the way? Every
W
story needs an obstacle or villain.
This can be a person, an event, or
a challenge.
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Be authentic. Don’t be afraid
to tell stories that show failure,
poor judgment or mistakes.
When you’re prepared to appear
vulnerable in front of others, you
can quickly establish trust
and rapport.
Result
At the end of your story, you
reveal your main character’s
fate. You also need to explain,
subtly, what the audience should
have learned from this result.
What is the moral? Why did you
tell this story?
Storytelling why it works...
Robert McKee* one of the most influential voices in
storytelling training states: “A big part of a CEO’s job is
to motivate people to reach certain goals. To do that, he
or she must engage their emotions, and the key to their
hearts is a story. Too often in business we only try and
connect with people on a rational level but this is rarely
enough to actually change how people behave. People
may understand what you want them to do but if they
aren’t emotionally engaged they just won’t do it!”
So what is it about a story that makes it well suited for
use in a change management strategy? The premise
for all stories is change, and a story unfolds in a series
of scenarios based on changes in actions, emotions,
characters, events, settings and sometimes as a result
of what McKee calls “inciting incidents” that turn lives
upside down.
Great storytellers know that a powerful story
is only part of what inspires people to listen.
Follow our tips to become a better storyteller.
• Listen
The best storytellers are also the
best listeners. Brush up on your
active listening skills, and give
others your full attention when they
tell a story.
• Practice
Rehearse your story before you tell
it. Even if you practise on your own,
just once, in front of a mirror or
video camera, this can improve your
storytelling.
• C
reate an experience
When you tell a story, you create
an experience for your listeners.
Appeal to all five senses; don’t just
tell them.
• D
eliver the message in
bite-sized chunks
By breaking a message down you
factor in ‘breathing room’ for your
audience to absorb and feedback.
Think of your story like chapters in
a book or episodes in a much–loved
TV series. To summarise
To motivate
people to meet
your goals, you
must engage their
emotions and the
key to their hearts
is a story.
*Source
Robert McKee
http://mckeestory.com/
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inspiring minds
Further reading
Andrew Stanton
JJ Abrams
Nancy Duart
The clues to a great story
The Mystery Box
“Uncovering the
Structure of the Greatest
Communicators”
Connection leads
to loyalty
Mystery is the catalyst
for imagination
Great storytellers tell
stories that follow a
similar structure
Stanton brought us “Toy Story”
and “WALL-E,” among others.
He shares his discoveries of great
storytelling in this TED talk.
Film and TV writer/director,
JJ Abrams, staunchly believes
that “mystery is the catalyst for
imagination.” In this TED talk,
Abrams opens up about how his
fascination with the mysterious
has been the driving force behind
his storytelling. What does
mystery mean to him? Infinite
possibility, hope and potential.
Those states of being engage us
because they create an insatiable
desire to know more and what we
don’t know, we make up in our
imagination.
Nancy Duarte is a writer and
graphic designer who became
a “presentation expert” after
discovering that great storytellers
tell stories that follow a similar
structure. She compares Martin
Luther King’s “I Had a Dream”
speech with that of Steve Jobs
introduction of the iPhone speech
in 2007.
Key take outs
He explains that stories help us
to understand who we really are.
Nothing is a greater affirmation of
who we are than when we connect
through stories. This allows us to
experience the similarities we have
with one another.
This is not only true in the world
of feature films but also with
business stories. One of the key
ingredients of the secret sauce is a
feeling of connection. Connection
leads to loyalty.
https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=vpjVgF5JDq8
https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=KxDwieKpawg
Both stories succeeded in stirring
up strong emotions of possibility
with their listeners. They did this
by contrasting the status quo (or
“What is”) with their lofty new
idea (“What could be”). They
employed this over and over again
throughout their stories, again
and again, emphasizing the huge
gap between the two ideas. This
gathered momentum, in both
cases, leading up to a call-to-action
followed by a poetic and emotional
description of a new world that will
be thriving, living in the lofty new
idea of “What could be.” For Martin
Luther King, this was a world with
freedom; for Steve Jobs, this was a
world with iPhones.
https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=1nYFpuc2Umk
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inspiring minds
Further reading
John Maeda
“Storylistening”
Top tips
Watch
to be a successful
storyteller become a
great listener
our video ‘The story
of storytelling’ at the
link below
bit.ly/S6stories
Esteemed designer John Maeda
discusses how successful leaders
apply design thinking and start
with storylistening before they
get to storytelling. One of our top
tips in the video features the act of
becoming a great listener.
http://www.swiss-miss.
com/2014/09/leadership-asstorytelling.html
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