Storytelling Made Simple
Storytelling is HOT right now! We know from research that including stories in a presentation or interview adds value for your audience. Storytelling makes you more memorable by engaging the right hemisphere of your listeners’ brain, increasing attention and retention. This is good news. “Stories” may be personal anecdotes or examples such as customer/client success stories. I’m often asked, “How can I include a brief, yet relevant story in my presentation or interview?” Here’s how:
The 4 C’s to Storytelling:
- CONTEXT – Set the scene
- CHARACTER – Become the character (voice and all)
- CONFLICT – Present the problem to be solved
- CLOSE – Communicate the point of the story
Here’s an example: (CONTEXT) Last quarter our sales team was struggling. Morale was low, motivation was low, and team spirit – low! One day, my boss walks into the lunchroom and says to us, “I know it has been rough for all of you but I believe in our potential as a team. Let’s put our heads together and turn this ship around” (CHARACTER). We had lost a major client and it was devastating. We didn’t know why we had lost them. All we knew for sure was that there was a “re-org.” We couldn’t seem to get any straight answers (CONFLICT). The point of this story is that a strong leader will inspire a vision at the darkest of times, and encourage their team to step into the light (CLOSE).