Storytelling for influence part iii
Photo by Pickled Stardust on Unsplash
In Storytelling for influence part i and part ii, I described why stories are so powerful, defined the basic structure and emphasised the need to be absolutely clear on your central message.
One of the wonderful things about stories is that the brain latches on to the details and uses them to make connections both to its own specific experience and to create more general conclusions.
So having previously used an example where the message - the point-of-wisdom - relates primarily to similar contexts (new software), in this article I will address using narrative to make broader points.
I’ll take an example of the kind of anecdotal story you might tell socially and then suggest how this might be incorporated into a work communication.
Here is a very simple story:
I was in a restaurant that had vegan pizza on the menu (situation). I ordered it (action) and it was delicious/horrible (result).
There are many different morals this story could illustrate, for example:
If in doubt, ask an expert
Trust your instincts
Try new experiences
I am adventurous, forward-thinking and open to new experiences
According to the underlying message you want to communicate, you emphasise different elements of the story.
So if I want to communicate the value of expert advice, the story might look something like this:
I was in a restaurant last week and noticed they had a vegan pizza. I asked the waiter if he had tried it and he said it was delicious. He was obviously something of a foodie, so I ordered it. And he was right – it was absolutely lovely.
This might be a useful story to tell a team that is not taking advantage of available advice that could help improve their performance. The story is not really about vegan pizza. You could substitute any dish, or indeed pretty much any experience, and the moral - ask the expert - remains the same.
Or I can make the story about the dangers of following the herd:
…My daughter has been badgering me to eat less meat and dairy and tells me vegan cheese has improved a lot. I asked the waiter and he said it was very popular. So I took the plunge and ordered it. It was absolutely disgusting and I only ate half of it before ordering a plate of chips. That’s the last time I’m taking a recommendation from a waiter or, frankly, my daughter.
This might encourage the team to trust their instincts and not be swayed by the subjective tastes and opinions of others.
Or I could stress the rewards of being more adventurous and not just sticking to the known and loved:
…I was a bit doubtful, but I took the plunge and ordered it. I was really impressed. I would never have known it wasn’t real cheese and, to be honest, it was better than what you get on most pizzas - you know, that rubbery, tasteless stuff they usually have. The whole thing was absolutely delicious.
By emphasising how pleased I am that I took a risk, I might encourage the team to approach an upcoming change with open minds. Again it doesn’t much matter what the dish or the experience was. I could substitute anything unusual.
Or, taken further, I might use the story to communicate that I’m an adventurous and open-minded person. In this case, I don’t mention my daughter and the waiter (both are irrelevant to the message about my virtues) and I underline that I like to try new things more broadly:
I was in a restaurant last week and noticed they had a vegan pizza. I’ve never eaten one before and the idea of vegan cheese sounded a bit weird. But I like to try new things, so I ordered it. It was absolutely delicious and I’m really glad I took the risk. Very occasionally my philosophy of ‘give it a try’ backfires, but I’ve had lots of positive experiences and life is much more interesting as a result.
Done badly, this comes off as boasting. Done well, it encourages people to admire, promote or hire me.
I’m not suggesting that any story can be used to illustrate any point. But the same story can often be used for a variety of purposes, depending on how you manage the details.
I know many people find it hard to come up with the story of something that has happened to them, just when they need it. To that end it can be really worth keeping a log of experiences you have that could make the basis for presentation stories. You then adapt them, depending on what you want to communicate.
As well as mining your own experience, you can also use third-party stories i.e. things that have happened to others - real or fictional (“imagine there’s a man/woman who…”)
Here are some examples of great presenters using stories:
Ken Robinson (the most-watched TED talk of all time)
Atul Gawande (Trigger warning: This brilliant talk includes photographs of a newborn baby in distress. Gawande treats the subject with respect and compassion and the baby was eventually fine but some might find it upsetting.)