What is storytelling?
6 min. reading timeDo you know the program: 'Ik vertrek'? Week after week we see a Dutch family leaving for Slovakia or some other place to renovate a second-hand castle and turn it into a Bed and Breakfast. Every logical person knows that this undertaking will cost twice as much as budgeted for, and that there is roughly a 75% chance that the family in question will return disillusioned after six months. It is the emotional brain that gets in the way of the rational brain. That's the power of emotion. As a storyteller, your job is to stimulate both the rational and emotional parts of your audience.
Storytelling goes far beyond simply telling an amusing story and then moving on with the rest of the day’s happenings. At Speech Republic, we believe that the most powerful tool for creating lasting change and connection is at our fingertips; it's your stories that make the difference.
How can you stop content dumping and really start using storytelling as a powerful tool for your business or organization? Let’s take a look:
Storytelling means making a difference
Storytelling has nothing to do with what you do with your hands or how high or low your voice sounds. Impactful storytelling is based on three fundamental elements.
- Are you showing who you are? (more ME)
- Are you really saying something that matters? (More SOMETHING)
- Does your message reflect the world of your audience? (More YOU)
The moment you can answer these three questions with a resounding "Yes," the likelihood of impact is high.
It is as simple as: Let ME tell YOU SOMETHING!
Three tips for using both personal storytelling and visual storytelling as powerful tools:
1. Know where you want to go
We've all heard it before; a story that describes every detail and and that makes you secretly wonder, “ What’s the point?!.” As a storyteller you can share the most wonderful personal stories, statistics or visuals, but if you don't know where you want to go with your story, chances are that you’ll end up content dumping.
So: Think clearly about the difference you want to make with your story and make sure you can capture your message in a call to action of about ten seconds. Because: 'If you can't say it in ten seconds, you can't say it in ten hours.'
'If you don't know where you're going, you're probably not gonna get there.'-
- Forrest Gump
2. Harness the power of conflict
What does every bestseller, every Hollywood blockbuster, every Disney movie and therefore every good story have in it that makes everyone willing to spend their precious time on it: Conflict. A James Bond movie would never be a success if 007 had no enemy to fight, and Little Red Riding Hood would never have become a hit if Little Red Riding Hood had not encountered the Wolf. In short: Every story thrives on a healthy dose of conflict. Take a cue from the way Disney does storytelling and, as a speaker, name what you are fighting against and what is the hang-up that no one dares to name.
3. Take your audience through an experience
Have you ever been on a roller coaster? Now imagine that you are listening to a technical story about its construction process. You’ll likely sit and listen for a few seconds, but you won’t (re)live the experience of the actual rollercoaster ride. As a speaker, marketeer and communicator, you have the power of the (spoken)word to take your audience on a journey. What would it mean for your Brand’s Storytelling if you could communicate from the perspective of being ‘in it’ and not just talking ‘about it.’
Don't just stick to facts, figures and other Left Brain information but leverage the fact that the human brain can actually experience. How will your clients experience your new strategy in the real world? How will your employees experience a ‘new way of working’ both now and a year from now? What does risk management mean in daily practice for your stakeholders? Take your audience on a sensory experience. You can read how to do just that in our blog 'the power of details'.
Make it personal; show your passion.
'Why are you even telling me this? That's the question a speaker, marketeer or team leader should ask themselves more often. After all, to connect with your audience, you need to show them who you are. That you're not "just another suit.” So: Ask yourself this question, five times; "Why am I telling you this? You’ll see that you’ll start to drill down to the core of your story. That core is essential. Why do you sell what you sell? Why do you believe in your company's strategy? Why do you believe there needs to be a culture change? Take a cue from Richard Branson, Steve Jobs and Barack Obama and make a personal connection to your topic. Without your passion, there is no story. Without ‘I’, there is no impact.
These five questions are important when preparing your story. Ask yourself:
- Who is your audience?
- What is your Call to Action? What is your story in less than 10 seconds?
- Which examples prove that what you are saying is true? How can you share these in a colorful way?
- What are you fighting for? What is the biggest misconception about your topic?
- Why are YOU telling this story?
It is simple: I say ANYTHING to YOU.
