Allusions in Stories

Peter Guber demonstrates the power and proper use of allusions in chapter 6 of Tell to Win when he tells the story of how Bill Clinton persuaded him to help with his campaign.

Clinton chose to use the movie High Noon in his discussion with Guber. Clinton did not have to tell the whole story, he knew his audience was familiar with the story line and would get the connection he was drawing to his own campaign needs. Guber says "And because I had personally experienced the emotional dram, urgency, and ultimate exhilaration of Kane's struggle through the movie, this familiar story immediately triggered my empathy for Clinton's experience in the his campaign. I was moved emotionally to support the man we'd all come to call the Comeback Kid."

Allusions can be powerful and efficient, making your point with few words because of prior knowledge. Where can you use allusions in your business stories?

Tell to Win Book Thoughts

Tell to Win by Peter Guber is a must read for anyone who uses stories in business. And if you are in business you should be using stories so it really is a must read for anyone in business.

Each chapter in Tell to Win demonstrates an important story point. Guber first states the point and then tells several stories to reinforce his message. Then at the end of each chapter he lists several ahha bullets from the chapter.

While these summaries can aid research after reading the book I find my highlighting and chapter notes more useful. Is it because we see and need different things from each chapter? Or is it his summaries don't tie to the stories close enough for me and the way I interpreted the story? No matter, by giving the bullets and statements AND the stories Guber has covered different teaching methods thereby speaking to a wider audience then a single method would. Using the different types of stories does the same thing.

As you put together your next presentation or marketing story think about that - use different stories or methods of teaching to convey your message.

Business Storytelling: Stories in the Medical Field

This evening I read the newsletter from my local library. On October 26th Dr. Lisa Sanders will be coming to the Lucy Robbins Library in Newington to talk about her new book, "Every Patient Tells a Story".

Obviously I'm intrigued and will look to get a copy of the book to see what she has to say about doctors listening to the stories patients tell. She writes a column for the New York Times Magazine and the column was the inspiration for the show House. If you are a fan of the show you will recognize the story principle although Dr. House is gruff and sometimes deceitful in obtaining the story of his patients to help him diagnose.

I hope more doctors listen to their patients and ignore the HMO time constraints. It will definitely lead to better care.

More on Goldilocks on Management

I've made some progress through the book and I'm still a bit disappointed at the way the fairy tales are portrayed. I do however truly enjoy the real life examples that are used with each fairy tale. In some cases I feel the authors are stretching the fairy tale trying to make it fit. If they had just written the book using the real life examples with the moral spelled out I think the book would have been better for me.

I did however find one tale so far that I like the adaptation and use, The Ugly Duckling. They stayed true to the original tale and explored the problems of an employee who is not in the right job, a true misfit. And of course like the ugly duckling when the employee is in the right environment he blooms in to a beautful useful swan.

Still more to read so I will let give you a final wrap up when I'm all done.

Goldilocks on Management

Right after my podcast on storytelling uses in business a friend sent me a book, Goldilocks on Management. I had never heard of the book by Gloria Gilbert Mayer and Thomas Mayer but was excited to see what they had to say. Flipping through the book my excitement increased as a I saw they used many of the same well known tales that I have used to make business points.

I read the introduction, we were on the same page, my excitement grew. Their theories and beliefs were similar to mine. I have not finished the book yet and will update this blog as I read along but my hot start cooled some when I read the first tale in the book, Little Red Riding Hood.

It was not what I had hoped for; it was more of a parody. I prefer to take the tale and find the lesson within it changing little. On an earlier blog posting I gave an example using the Emperor's New Clothes. I guess you might say that I am a bit of a purist and prefer to see the lesson as close to the original as possible. Of course that does not mean my way is the only way or even the best way. The Mayer's book may turn out to be just as powerful. I'll let you know as I read along.

Happily ever After
Carol

Made To Stick

In some senses I feel like a Johnny Come Lately having just finished reading "Made To Stick" by Chip and Dan Heath. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and learned a lot. If you have not read the book yet I highly recommend it.

This post and several others will reference the book and share with you some of the insights the brothers expressed and that I thought were particularly relevant to business stories.

Here is the first nugget. About 3/4 of the way through they write about an experiment conducted to gauge people's responses to pleas for donation. The results proved Mother Theresa was right "If I look at the mass, I will never act. If I look at the one, I will."

The lesson for non-profits or anyone seeking donations is to remember what Mother Theresa said. If you ask for a group in need or a large problem responses are lower than if you tell a story about one person who needs help. The conclusion the brothers make "When it comes to our hearts, one individual trumps the masses."

Researchers surmised that "If people felt overwhelmed by the scale of the problem, their small donations might have seemed meaningless." Please keep that in mind as you write appeal letters, prepare phone scripts or prepare oral presentations. Keep the problem manageable and people will be more likely to donate.

It kind of feels like it is going against logic. Shouldn't we let others know about the magnitude of the problem? Well based on this research the answer is no. We relate one to one not one to many so keep that in mind when you prepare your communications.

Proof of the Power of Story

In a recent National Storytelling Magazine there was an article by Kendall Haven who has just written "Story Proof: The Science Behind the Startling Power of Story". In the book he sought to prove "that stories are more efficient and effective structural vehicles when used to motivate, or to teach and communicate factual, conceptual, and tacit information. Stories belong as the bedrock of management, leadership, education, outreach, and general communication efforts."

I have not read the book as of yet but through the article he refers to much of the research he conducted or found to support his hypothesis. Based on the work he has done it looks like he has proven his point beyond doubt and that businesses and others would be wise to look at their communication efforts through the lens of story.

You can bet this book is on my must read list. When I complete it I will blog more about it.

www.carolmon.com

Sidney Poitier

This past weekend I was killing some time at my sister's and picked up "The Measure of a Man" by Sidney Poitier. In the introduction Mr. Poitier talks about some of the changes he has seen in his life spending about a page on the importance of story, family lore, folk lore. I wish I could give you the exact quotes here but my sister is not finished with her copy and I have not yet gotten a copy. I will eventually read the whole book and give you my impressions on his use of story. I'm looking forward to it since he understands the power and influence stories have on all of us human beings.

If you get a chance and read the book or at least look at his discussion on story be sure to post something here.

Anansi Boys

I've said it before, we all tell stories, but what we need to realize is that not everyone tells them well. There are lots of ways to learn to craft and tell a better story. One such way is by reading fiction.



An interesting, although a bit unrealisitc, is the book "Anansi Boys" by Neil Gaiman. Anansi is a trickster spider from Africa that shows up in many African folk tales. There are many websites that describe who Anansi is; some even have the text of stories for your reading pleasure.



Currently I am listening to the CD of "Anansi Boys" (the actor reading is great), it is fun, light. What is especially intriguing are the references to Anansi and the inclusion of several of the African tales. So far we've met two brothers, one's name is Spider and is summoned by Fat Charlie (the other brother) by simply asking a spider, any spider, to speak with his brother. I can't wait to see/hear what the author does with this slightly magical twist



Listening, reading, telling, all good ways to learn the rhythm and techniques to convey your message wrapped in a story. The great part is you can enjoy the tale and by repetition begin to understand the mechanics of constructing a powerful narrative of your own to make your message memorable.



Corporate Storyteller, Carol Mon

www.carolmon.com

Never Eat Alone

Yesterday I was reading Keith Ferrazzi's book "Never Eat Alone" which is about the importance of networking. There are lots of tips on building a network and using it to help yourself and more importantly help others. Keith is a man who understands the importance of storytelling to communications.

Periodically throughout the book Keith identifies people who are super connectors, they seem to know everyone. On page 220 he adds the Dalai Lama profile into the Connectors' Hall of Fame. A couple quotes that point to the power of story,

"The answer: Powerful content communicated in a compelling story can energize your network to help achieve your mission."
"The Dalai Lama doesn't have a single degree. He does, however, deliver a simple but profound message of world peace and compassion packaged incolorful stories and anecdotes - a message that earned him the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989."
"The most gripping stories are those concerning identity - who we are, where we've come from, and where we are going."

Ferrazzi is not a storyteller per se but he definitely grasps the power of story and uses anecdotes generously throughout the book. Not just a master networker but a master storyteller/communicator too.

If you do any networking to increase business I strongly suggest you read this book.