Find the most appropriate story to get your message through to your audience.
For communication to be effective, you need to understand what kind of stories work in which kinds of situations.
Different kinds of stories can achieve different goals. To choose the kind of story you should tell in your workplace, you should always start with the outcome you're trying to achieve.
Select one of these desired outcomes you want to achieve with your storytelling.
Stories of those who have gone before with similar new ideas and succeeded. Two or three stories help to get your audience on board.
Example
When I asked Maria why she chose Eichardt's Private Hotel in Queenstown she said 'I went to TripAdvisor and the reviews were astounding. They were not wrong. I would give Eichardt's a 6 if I could.' So we have booked in for our Summer NZ holiday.
Stories that engage people, bring them down from a cynical place.
Example
Complaining about the rain doesn't stop the rain. Complaining about change is the same. When I was working with the Australian Quadriplegic Association I remember Chris, who broke his neck diving under waves at Bondi, saying to me: 'I can't change my body but I can change my mind'. This guy had perspective.
A story wherein the hero displays the kinds of behaviors you're wanting to encourage.
Example
Last week, Kathy from QNZ Head Office in Melbourne sent me an email telling me how she used the methodology. She wrote:
'It was so simple. I spent 15 minutes focusing on the outcome from the audience's perspective and then did a quick CPD map and then, doing the 'Walk Tall' exercise, went to the meeting and nailed it. That would not have happened before. Thank you.'
Inspiring stories usually contain an element of overcoming a large obstacle, against all odds. These can be lofty, but be careful that they are not too lofty to connect and inspire your audience.
Example
Last year a young woman, Kim, contacted me to ask for advice. Just 22 years old, she asked for 10 minutes of my time. Of course, I said yes. This is what I learned about her: She is not afraid to ask. She works for one of the banks. She has already had face time with three members of the Executive Leadership Team. Her goal is 10 minutes with the CEO in the next three months. She has no constraints on asking.
Her approach? 'I only ask once, and I always expect a no. No one loses. My goal is to leave them with some value too,' she told me.
Much like a book or a movie, these stories are simply stories that are enjoyable and/or entertaining.
Example
Two years ago I was coming out of the Tattersalls Club on Phillips Street in Sydney on a cold, rainy, winter's afternoon. Mike, a big man, and a GM in the software industry was walking with me. There are three steps down to the pavement. Mike, for some reason, did not see them… Have you heard of the expression 'arse over tip'?.
After an arm whirling display, Mike landed with a thwack on the wet pavement. He lay flat on his back, the rain falling on his face and smart, gray suit. Even the papers he was carrying were blown away in the rain-driven wind. What did he do? He looked up at me and said (with a glint in his eye) 'I have never looked at you from this angle before.' Mike is a man in supreme control of himself.
Tell a short impromptu story based on your selected story type. Record yourself as you are giving the story so that you can listen back and evaluate it.
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