Storytelling can be a powerful business skill.
Information overload is real! Most decision makers are so inundated with data, bullet lists, and long reports that it’s getting harder and harder to have real influence with them. As a result, the most resourceful professionals have developed an arsenal of techniques and strategies to enhance their influence skills. Indeed, one of the most effective tools is storytelling. Perhaps Kindra Hall makes this point most powerfully and succinctly with her book title, Stories That Stick: How Storytelling Can Captivate Customers, Influence Audiences, and Transform Your Business. Hall’s premise is both compelling and intuitive.
Arguably, the need to influence others is virtually universal - whether it’s making a sale, persuading an executive towards a particular course of action or presenting findings and recommendations at the end of a project. Being able to influence an audience of one or 100 is universally vital in today’s competitive professional marketplace, and storytelling can be such an effective technique to build those critical influence skills. Hall shares three specific reasons why stories are so effective for presenting ideas, findings or recommendations.
Stories are what stick
Hall insists, “Decision makers are inundated with data, and they’re much more likely to remember a story than a graph on a slide.” While numbers and facts are typically presented as cold realities, stories bring the information to life. They provide an emotional connection that ratchets up the influence factor significantly.
Stories make the presenter more likable
Most will agree that being likable and building rapport are key elements – sometimes requirements - for influencing others. Hall insists that stories create an almost instant opportunity for authentic connection. “We like people who share our stories. Stories break down barriers and assumptions and create rapport,” says Hall.
Stories facilitate a more relaxed presentation delivery
Presenting information can be anxiety inducing and storytelling can definitely have a calming effect that boosts the presenter’s confidence. Hall explains, “When you tell stories, the audience engages with you and that automatically relaxes and energizes the presenter particularly during the first few minutes of a presentation.” Indeed, it’s hard to influence an individual or group if you’re a bundle of nerves, and storytelling can provide a much more accessible and effective platform for sharing thoughts and ideas.
If you’re starting to think that storytelling could indeed be a valuable skill set to add to your repertoire, consider the following list of dos and don’ts offered by two storytelling experts. Terrence Gargiuo, Chief Storyteller, MakingStories.net shares the following list of Dos for the novice story teller.
Do
Make sure there is congruence between your stories and your behavior. If there is blatant contradiction between the storyteller’s actions and their stories, the climate of trust, openness and reflection is ruined.
Elicit more stories than you tell. The shortest distance between two people is a story. One of the chief reasons to tell a story is to elicit them. Even if someone does not share his or her story out loud, the story will set off a series of internal reflective events.
Be authentic. When others detect a hint of falseness or any other form of selfishness or negative intentions in someone, they shut the person out. Any hope of building a bridge constructed with mutual active listening is completely destroyed and most of the time there is very little chance of rebuilding it once the trust is lost.
Be open, respectful and non-judgmental of the stories people share. Treat all stories with respect. When someone shares a story, they have given a part of themselves. Handle it accordingly. The fragile pieces of their identity rest in those narratives. Also, remember to never feel entitled to know anyone’s story.
Shlomi Ron CEO, Visual Storytelling Institute shares a few mistakes to avoid.
Don’ts
Skip the bad parts. Failure and vulnerability only help humanize your story and build empathy and trust around your message.
Make your story too long. Cut to the chase (depending on the context) and reach the conclusion sooner rather than later.
Start your story with, “Let me tell you a story.” This wastes the audience’s prime attention time and potentially sets an expectation for a long and boring story which might encourage them to scan their phone instead.
Include racy or offensive content. Avoid topics that some might find offensive or particularly controversial. Creating potential conflict and/or controversy defeats the purpose of building rapport and connection.
Indeed, developing the skill of storytelling is well worth the investment. The short term business influence and longer term career enhancement benefits can be significant. Shlomi insists, “Great storytelling skills will serve you at each step of your career journey whether it’s winning job interviews, wowing customers, building strong collaborative relationships, or inspiring employees.” As kids, we loved stories. The simple truth is adults love them too!
