Five Steps to Brilliant Storytelling

Make no mistake. Storytelling is for EVERY business. You don’t need to be a best-selling author or an Academy award winner to tell a great story.

So what makes a good story? For me a great story exudes authenticity and vulnerability and a dash of humility.  But above all, a story must invoke emotion. Examples of success and failure sit side by side in a great story. Great stories are often funny, quirky and even crazy. And most of them are really, really simple. I love stories that challenge my way of thinking and showing up in the world. They help me look at a person, a company or a product in a totally new light. Brilliant stories can be found in the everyday happenings of everyday life. Follow these five steps to help you create a bank of brilliant stories that will be sure to delight and ultimately create raving fans for your business.

1. Point - What is the purpose of your storytelling?  What do you want your audience to THINK, FEEL and DO after they have read or heard your story? Be precise here. If you want a prospect to buy your product after reading your story, ask them to. If you want your staff to improve their service, ask them to. Make your point, illustrate with a story (and facts to back it up), give them a reason and finally make your point again. Simple right?
   
   
2. Audience - Which audiences do you most want to influence with your stories? Staff, customers, suppliers, referral sources, shareholders? What kind of stories work best for each audience?
   
   
3. Story gathering -  Decide who you will gather your stories from and develop a bank of them. Stories from your staff and customers can be worth their weight in gold. Brainstorm a list of the story ideas with staff. Don’t filter or judge. Maybe you have stories of customers you have helped with unusual requests or stories of how a staff member bent over backwards to deliver or a funny story on how your business got started? And don't forget to collect images and photos along the way.
   
   
4. Medium – What are the best ways to get your stories out? Stories can be told in so many ways - in speeches and presentations, books, ebooks, articles, blogs, podcasts, social media, newsletters, books, media interviews and in media releases. Some people love telling stories. Others simply like writing them. And others love storytelling in picture or film. Determine the best medium and select at least a few from this list.
   
   
5. Do it –  The only way to be brilliant at storytelling is to learn the skill and practice it or to pay someone else to do it for you. If you’ve chosen to write your stories, then you may need the services of a professional writer. If you’ve chosen to tell stories using digital media you may need the services of a digital media expert. If you’ve chosen to communicate your stories verbally you may need some training on how to present and speak.

This is just a brief introduction to the concept of storytelling. If you really want to master the art, then you might want to get some professional help. I’ve personally dealt with and thoroughly recommend www.anecdote.com and www.onethousandandone.com.au.  I also love www.ted.com - a place where one can observe the finest, most thought-provoking and life-changing storytellers in the world.

And if you’d like to book me to tell a story or two to your audience, then give me a call or email me at carolyn@connectmarketing.com.au I have a range of educational and informational topics I can speak on that will help make your event stand out!

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