Another way to look at stories

I recently had the pleasure of sitting in on a Bruce Wilkinson lecture. He delivered a lot of good information but there was one thing that really rang true for me. He said "If a picture is worth a thousand words then a story is worth a thousand pictures."

I agree whole heartedly with his sentiment. A good story not only helps communicate your message but makes if far more likely that your listener will actually remember it.

www.carolmon.com

Anecdote Circles

Below is a link to an e-book that covers the topic of how to set up an Anecdote Circle. There is a lot of great information included especially why AC's are important and how they can help organizations. In my own work I have see the power of the story sharing that can occur.

http://www.anecdote.com.au/files/Ultimate_Guide_to_ACs_v1.0.pdf

Frequently a problem with story sharing can be a time hog, someone who goes on and on. Rarely have I experienced this but it is always a possibiltiy and controlling it as a facilitator can be tricky. The authors offer a great technique for taming the hog. In a circle, place the over talkative person next to you, not across the circle, apparently this discourages the overbearing. Great idea, I can't wait to try it at my next sharing.

www.carolmon.com

Humans Think in Story Format

Below is a link to a medical study done supporting the theory that humans order and retain information in story form. The article appeared in Medical News Today. The experiment was conducted to see if people would break down information into bite size chunks to help process it. Specifically they tested for what they call "event structure perceptions". The test subjects naturally broke down the information into smaller chunks or events. Much like stories are broken down into segments making it easier to remember the various points. Here is the link.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/69609.php

Let me know what you think.

www.carolmon.com

Face-to-Face Storytelling

I just received an announcement about a face-to-face storytelling event on August 13. Although this event is not face-to-face that will be the subject discussed on this phone conference. The description on the website is: Face-to-face - exploring the advantages of live, in-person interaction to generate new ideas and create engagement among your most valuable players.

The website is below if you are interested in learning more about Worldwide Story Work or register for the teleconfernce.

http://worldwidestorywork.ning.com/events/event/show?id=1105993%3AEvent%3A12523

Copywriting with stories

A friend sent me a link to an e-book by Charles Brown, "The Plot Thickens: Why Case Studies Create New Customers, How to Sell Your Products or Services Using Story Telling Techniques". If you are looking for a different and proven method of selling then you will want to check out the following link.

http://dynamic-copywriting.net/Plotthinkenspdf.pdf

Let me know what you think. Mr. Brown makes some great points and breaks down the process making it easy to start thinking AND writing in story form.


Happy reading
wwww.carolmon.com

Sales Stories

Yesterday I caught a short bit on the Today Show about the 105 year birthday of Harley Davidson. Tiki Barber was doing the reporting and visted the Harley plant. There the spokeswoman, when asked you must have some stories here, replied "We have 105 years of stories." As they toured around the museum she told short narratives about the various hogs, engines, bike parts etc.

Funny thing is that I am not a bike fan and can't imagine owning one but after watching this report (story) I wanted to be part of the experience, riding down the open road, part of the fun, the history. Story gave me the facts but more importantly it gave me the emotional experience and I wanted that to continue.

Harley Davidson knows it has a good story and it's personnel know how to use those stories to help sales.

What stories does your company have? How can you leverage them to increase sales?

www.carolmon.com

The Moth

Just today a friend sent me a note on The Moth. For traditional tellers this may be a bit of a stretch for what a story is but for business and casual tellers this group might be just the spark you need.

The basic concept is that non-professional performers are asked to contribute personal stories limited to 5 minutes. Essentially people are taken out of the audience and get a chance to share their tale. This is pretty much the grass roots of storytelling, people sitting around in the evenings sharing stories. It is fun, interesting and a great way to build community. Check out their website for more information www.themoth.org.

You just may pick up a few tips for telling your business story that helps build a cohesive, highly-productive team.

Good luck
Carol
www.carolmon.com