It was only seconds ago that you were introduced
to the executive's new assistant and you and she had a delightful, brief
introductory conversation. But for the life of you, you can't remember her
name. Been there? Done that?
What if, when she told you her name, you said
something like, "What an interesting name, is there a story behind
it?" And she shared her story. (What we do instead is launch off into a
conversation about ourselves, but that's a topic for another article!) The
story behind the name would have helped you to remember her name. Why? Because
emotion (the story) is much easier to remember than information (the name).
Stories. We've been asking for and telling
stories all our lives. But stories aren't just for kids or for sharing details
about our latest adventures. They can persuade and influence others to buy into
our ideas and create common bonds to motivate and more easily educate. They are
the language of business.
For every thing there is a story, and the story
behind the thing changes everything. Whether that "thing" is the idea
you're pitching to your executive committee, the ballroom space you'd like to
sell to the meeting planner, or the venue or speaker you're recommending, there
is a story behind the data. And the better you are at telling the story, the
more likely you are to influence your listeners.
Be
a storyteller.
To be powerful, stories need to be true, specific
and simple. Stories about people also need to be relatable; listeners need to
be able to put themselves into the shoes of the person the story is about. For
this reason, be careful about making yourself the hero of too many stories.
Stories about things need to be interesting and
they tend to be more interesting when they're short. (Practice telling your
stories and take out the stuff that doesn't add value to the point you're
making.)
Here are two examples:
Let's
say your hotel offers 24-hour
room service. That's nice. Expand the feature by adding the emotional impact of
the value of the 24-hour
service. Talk about the meeting attendee who, after her flight was delayed 3
hours, arrived at your hotel at 2:15 a.m., exhausted and starving, and her
first question was, "Is room service still open?" Talk about how she actually started
crying when she found out she could still order a full meal, including the
salmon and glass of wine that she had been fantasizing about for the last 4
hours of her flight! The story elevates your feature and helps the meeting
planner see the value of your 24-hour room service for her attendees.
Imagine this: You're on a site visit and instead
of the sales person talking about the square footage of the ballroom and how
many air walls there are (all information you can get from the venue's
website), you're listening to a story about how the new carpet was selected
because the colors represent peace, earth and good luck. The informative story
not only adds interest, it also elevates the feature to create a memorable,
pleasurable experience that sets this venue apart.
Stories (and storytellers) can change skeptics
into committed and engaged followers. They can help buyers see the benefits of
saying yes to your project or product, and can help you stand out from the
competition.
Think about the points you'd like to convey and
look for stories that demonstrate those points. Tell those stories to create
quick, memorable experiences that bring your information to life and make it
easy to visualize and remember. Become a storyteller and you'll become a more
convincing and compelling communicator. Oh, and remember to ask the other
person for their story, too.
_______________________________________________________________
To learn
more about how SpeakerSue can help your team extend your brand image through
story telling and other communication tools, contact Sue@SpeakerSue.com. Named
"Best in Class 2009- 2010" by PCMA and a "Platinum" speaker
by MPI (since 2001!), Sue's keynotes and educational workshops receive rave
reviews. Attendees leave Sue's sessions prepared to position themselves for
greater success. Books include: Power Sales Writing (McGraw Hill) and How to
Say It to Sell It! (Prentice Hall). Visit Sue's blog: SpeakerSueSays.com and
follow her on Twitter: SpeakerSue.
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