Polaris Associates, Inc. Blog

The Real Secret About Stories

Karen Dietz — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 17:29:38 GMT

Even though I coach people to be fabulous storytellers to grow their business, I don't even really like the word storyteller. Why? Because it conjures up an image of someone standing before a group and telling them a tale.

What most people don't get is that the real power of storytelling in business is not only telling your story, it's in asking for theirs. In other words, the power of stories lies in story sharing!

Sure, you want to tell the story of your business, its products/services/customers. But don't stop there. Evoking stories in others and then deeply listening to them gains trust, respect, attention, and loyalty. This is what we naturally do in conversations, isn't it? Someone tells a story and it reminds you of one you'd like to tell. It's frustrating when no one gives you the opportunity and you probably feel cheated of an chance to share your thoughts and insights.

Your prospects and clients are the same way -- they want to share their stories with you. You create a powerful bond with both groups as you share and swap stories back and forth. So next time you're at a networking event, or doing a presentation, or interacting in anyway with your customers and prospects, ask them for a story.

What do you say to evoke a story? Topics can be about anything: their work, what they are excited about, an issue they are facing, a recent encounter they had, etc. Avoid generic statements like "Tell me about your company." That will get you a lot of blah blah blah. Instead, use the prompt "Tell me about the work you love doing at your company." You'll receive lots more information and be establishing a relationship.

Try the following story prompts if you want to know about their work/company:

Tell me about ... (your best customer, how you got started, how you got introduced to your company, what the results your clients experience)
What happened when ... (you faced a tough customer, your project was successful, a client had a success, etc.)
Share with me about a time when ... (you'd thought you'd give up, you saved the day for a customer, you were most proud of the work you did, etc.)

Try the following story prompts if you want to know about their experiences with your company:

Tell me about ... (how you got introduced to our company, what happened when you bought our product/service, what brings you here, etc.)
What happened when ... (you used our product, you called our company, we saved the day for you, we did something unexpected for you, etc.)
Share with me about a time when ... (you were really frustrated with us, we knocked your socks off, etc.)

Some stories may be hard to hear, but for sure it will be informative and help build trust.

They might ask you for the same type of story in return, so be prepared to share! You'll be amazed at the info you learn and the relationships you develop.

When it's time to share a story, what stories should I tell about my company? Go to our previous post: http://www.polaris-associates.com/www.polaris-associates.com/blog?mode=PostView&bmi=502069

What Stories Do I Tell? Your Core Biz Stories

Karen Dietz — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 17:23:14 GMT

Being able to tell a compelling story is an essential business skill that bears paying attention to, no matter how experienced or successful you are. As the saying goes, "Whoever tells the best story wins."

Brain research (Story Proof, Influencer) has shown time and again how sharing stories immediately engages people and their imaginations. It is the most efficient method for transmitting knowledge, and is a powerful tool for enrolling others in your businesses products/services and turning them into loyal customers.

Every business professional who connects to their audience through telling their business stories will score big on the engagement meter. Why? Because they are viewed as authentic and trustworthy -- two core qualities in gaining clients.

What stories do you need to tell to grow your business? There are a set of core stories to master:

The How I Got Started Story -- about the founding of your organization (or how you got started in this business) and the need it is fulfilling
People & Results Stories -- about customers/clients and the results they’ve experienced, along with stories about people within your organization and the difference they have made
Recovery Stories -- those about mistakes that have been made, and the recovery / lessons learned from those experiences
The Future You Are Creating Story -- why should we invest in you? How will the future be different through our engagement together?
The My Commitment story -- the story of what gets you up in the morning, what inspires and moves you, why you are doing the work you are.

Training is required though. Just because we can speak doesn’t mean we don’t need to go to Toastmasters to learn presentation skills. Even though we can all, at some level, tell a story doesn’t mean we don’t need to learn to tell them in ways that inspire others through coaching and training.

Having a successful business takes deliberate development and necessitates being true to your stories. You are never too old or too young to share your stories, show up authentically, build trust, engage people in your company and vision, and see the bottom line grow.

Don’t wait. Don’t miss the incredible opportunities waiting for you. It’s all low hanging fruit. Spending time on developing your stories now will allow you to leverage them for years to come.

The Trick To Learning A Story

Karen Dietz — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 16:29:20 GMT

Many people think, "Hey I've got my story! Now I'll just put it on my website; or read it, record it, and post it. Then I'll be done!"

But of course, it doesn't work that way. What people really want is for you to tell the stories about you and your organization directly to them -- whether it's in a presentation or a conversation.

Learning the right phrases/analogies/metaphors to use, the best structure, creating a powerful message is all part of developing the content and delivery of a compelling story. But once that is done, how do you learn the story so you can remember and tell it at a moment's notice?

A colleague of mine was talking with me this weekend about preparing for a presentation she was giving soon and we were going over the content. At one point she said, "And of course, to learn a story you HAVE to write it down!"

"Whoa!" I exclaimed. "Maybe for YOU that's important, but that's not the only way to learn a story. Yes, some people need to write it down, but there are plenty of others who can simply visualize the story and follow the chain of images to tell it. Some people just need to repeatedly listen to a story to learn it. So it really depends on your learning style as to which method will work for you."

"Wow," she said. "I never thought of it that way."

What does this mean for you? Simply that when building your storytelling skills, you also need to determine your best method for learning and remembering your stories so you can easily recall and tell them.

What learning style are you -- Kinesthetic (I have to do it and get the physical feel of it) or Auditory (I have to listen to it) or Visual (I have to see it)?

Most people are a combination of the three with one or two that are dominant. For me my strongest learning styles are Kinesthetic & Visual. If I can see the images in my minds eye, and then feel the images physically, then I'm half-way home.

My best method for learning stories is to think about the story I want to tell and how I want to tell it. Then I get out my 3x5 index cards and create a BRIO (brief reminder of image order), a technique I learned from storyteller Doug Lipman www.storydynamics.com. On each card I write a keyword of the image, or draw a stick figure/diagram/picture of it. No artistic talent is required. These are just my own scribbles. This is my visual learning style.

Then I go on a walk and start telling the story out loud. This is where I get to see if the order I THINK they images should go it actually work out that way. 99% of the time they DO NOT, and as I walk I reorder them.

What I love about this method is that by walking and practicing out loud, I kinesthetically build the story into my body. I find I can recall that story when I need to, and tell it in ways that I know will get results. Once I get to this point, I'm then ready to practice telling the story with a listening partner.

But maybe you are like my friend who has to write down the story first, and then practices it out loud at home until she feels she's got it nailed. Or maybe you need to listen to a recording of a story over and over again (the auditory style) until you are ready to practice it out loud.

Try them all out and see which one works best for you. And here's another secret I'll share with you -- the BEST way to learn a story is not in front of a mirror. Storytelling is a shared experience and it is only in the presence of someone else that we can really understand what grabs another person about the story we are telling.

In the end, a story is best learned by telling it to a trusted listening partner -- someone who you can tell the story to, guage their reactions, and adjust the story in real time to see what works and what doesn't. Don't miss this crucial last step!

Enjoy,

Karen

Tips For Telling Your Core Stories

Karen Dietz — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 16:53:08 GMT

Everybody has compelling stories to tell, and at some level, we are all natural storytellers. Not everyone can tell a story, however, that captures people's attention, inspires them, and moves them to action.

If you are a leader who needs to influence stakeholders, staff, customers, and others, then the following tips can help you tell your story, and tell it in inspiring ways that produces results.

#1 -- Share Your Experience. Most people when they first start out telling stories begin by telling us about a story. That means giving us facts and details but not your experience of what happened. Telling us about a story is not really storytelling, it's just narrating information. The best storytellers relive their experiences when telling and that's what makes their stories powerful.

#2 -- Give Brains Something To Chew On. Effective storytellers know that their job is to feed their audience images and sensory material. Share with us what you saw, felt, tasted, smelled, or heard. Engaging your audience's imagination is the most effective way to immediately connect with them, keep them engaged, and create a meaningful experience that produces results.

#3 -- Use Contrast. Bring lots of contrast into your story -- contrast between right and wrong, black and white, the serious and the funny, normal life and what's different. Contrast helps build strong images and helps the audience create meaning from your story.

#4 -- Know Your Most Important Message. What's the point of your story? What do you really want to share with people? Knowing what message you are conveying helps you craft the story, remove extraneous details, and stay on point.

#5 -- Be Authentic. Show up, be real, avoid manipulation, and tell the truth in ways that inspire people. That means giving up PowerPoint, or at least making it a seldom used tool :).

#6 -- Tell Your Story. Oral storytelling is the most powerful form of storytelling because it engages the whole brain and is the richest channel of communication. Once you have your outline, or written your story down, tell it in the presence of a trusted friend, partner, or in a safe workshop environment. That's the only way to know what's working, what's not, and what to change.

Story Application Tools

Karen Dietz — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 12:53:52 GMT

Hey Everyone -- I recently uploaded to my website several story application tools for organizations. They are all free and downloadable. Check 'em out at http://www.polaris-associates.com/Default.aspx?pageId=268852

I hope these are helpful. What other kinds of application tools would you like to have?

Inauguration

Karen Dietz — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 12:40:07 GMT

I'm watching this amazing Inauguration -- mesmerized by the people, prayers, poems and messages. Truly some amazing stories are being created and told today. Obama certainly does know the power of stories and how to use storytelling elements effectively in his communication. And so do many of the other speakers I'm watching today.

Org Narrative Tools

Karen Dietz — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 14:58:41 GMT

For years professionals working with stories in organizations have generated fabulous work explaining the power of working with stories in organizational life. Included in these good works are specific tips for some applications. And if you search the net, you can find some additional tools to help you out. But they are not plentiful. Today I just posted on my website several tools to download for free that hopefully start filling the gap. Enjoy and give me your feedback too! What other application tools would you like to see?

Creating Org Story Tools

Karen Dietz — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 13:18:33 GMT

Heading to Palm Springs today to work with colleague Lori Silverman in creating practical application tools for those who want to use oral stories and written narratives effectively in organizational life. I'm looking forward to publishing them in the next several months and making them available for all on the web. Stay tuned!