The following link has a brief article about the importance of stories in the non-profit world. Andy Goodman is the author and he not only discusses why stories but gives a brief overview on how to create a story and what type of story.
http://tinyurl.com/6xcl966
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Business Stories: Tell to Win
Peter Guber is a hollywood giant who has written a book, Tell to Win. He was interviewed recently for Fast Company and said "I realized that the secret sauce to success is the ability to take facts, bullet points, and data and orchestrate them into an emotional offering so that your audience metabolizes them and then the information becomes resonant, memorable, and actionable."
Some where along the line people starting putting together presentations with fancy computer graphics, graphs, and charts thinking that numbers, ROI, would be enough to sell their ideas. Peter is right the ROI will never convince people, because let's face it it comes back to what's in it for them, that's a bit more emotional then just the numbers. Yeah, profit is for them but not the only motivating factor.
I especially like his commentary on stories in social media read on:
"Narratives that work in social networks are the exchange of stories that are told well. They get paid forward and go viral. And if you only have 140 characters, you have to be elegant in creating that emotion. And when emotion is bonded with information, it becomes more resonant and memorable. That's the way our brains work."
Read the whole piece here:http://www.fastcompany.com/1734124/peter-guber-tell-to-win?partner=leadership_newsletter
Some where along the line people starting putting together presentations with fancy computer graphics, graphs, and charts thinking that numbers, ROI, would be enough to sell their ideas. Peter is right the ROI will never convince people, because let's face it it comes back to what's in it for them, that's a bit more emotional then just the numbers. Yeah, profit is for them but not the only motivating factor.
I especially like his commentary on stories in social media read on:
"Narratives that work in social networks are the exchange of stories that are told well. They get paid forward and go viral. And if you only have 140 characters, you have to be elegant in creating that emotion. And when emotion is bonded with information, it becomes more resonant and memorable. That's the way our brains work."
Read the whole piece here:http://www.fastcompany.com/1734124/peter-guber-tell-to-win?partner=leadership_newsletter
Monday, March 7, 2011
Business Stories: Stories for Presentations
I've often said the difference between a key note speaker and a storyteller is how much one is paid. Good speakers, trainers, or any type of presenter needs to use stories to keep the audience engaged and learning. Stories help us learn information in context, making it far more memorable.
The New York Times interviewed Marjorie Kaplan, president of Animal Plant and Science networks. Part way through the interview Ms. Kaplan talks about the importance of stories for presentation skills. All staff were trained in storytelling techniques. An interesting note is that the training was to help in all meetings, to give confidence for staff to speak up and to help them be able to get their points across. Stories are obviously important to them because of their business but she also says "...I think storytelling gets you closer to yourself. I think the best presenters are people who are themselves."
What a great way to look at stories in presentations. It made me stop and think about my own presentations. Whenever I get to a story piece I feel far more energized and authentic. People also comment that I felt genuine to them and they liked the comfortable feeling during my presentation. On the flip side I think of presentations that have not gone as well, it is because I told fewer stories and gave more straight information. Thank you Ms. Kaplan for making me see stories in a slightly different light.
The full interview is here if you are interested in reading more. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/06/business/06corner.html?_r=1&ref=business
The New York Times interviewed Marjorie Kaplan, president of Animal Plant and Science networks. Part way through the interview Ms. Kaplan talks about the importance of stories for presentation skills. All staff were trained in storytelling techniques. An interesting note is that the training was to help in all meetings, to give confidence for staff to speak up and to help them be able to get their points across. Stories are obviously important to them because of their business but she also says "...I think storytelling gets you closer to yourself. I think the best presenters are people who are themselves."
What a great way to look at stories in presentations. It made me stop and think about my own presentations. Whenever I get to a story piece I feel far more energized and authentic. People also comment that I felt genuine to them and they liked the comfortable feeling during my presentation. On the flip side I think of presentations that have not gone as well, it is because I told fewer stories and gave more straight information. Thank you Ms. Kaplan for making me see stories in a slightly different light.
The full interview is here if you are interested in reading more. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/06/business/06corner.html?_r=1&ref=business
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Business Stories: What Hollywood Says
Here is a link to an article "In Film and in Life, The Story is King". I found this paragraph a great summary.
....the stories that drive professional life — the narrative that is part of pitches, résumés, introductions and every conversation about business goals and achievements — work best when they are grounded in emotion. By and large, they require a hero. Dramatic tension and even a few props help.
There is no scientific data included in the article; it is what one man has determined after a lifetime of work in the entertainment business. He espouses the power of story and cites examples of how stories are used, especially in persuasion. He concludes we all use stories but those who take more care and use them purposefully get better results. Take a quick read, it is a short article.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/27/business/27steal.html?_r=2&src=busln
....the stories that drive professional life — the narrative that is part of pitches, résumés, introductions and every conversation about business goals and achievements — work best when they are grounded in emotion. By and large, they require a hero. Dramatic tension and even a few props help.
There is no scientific data included in the article; it is what one man has determined after a lifetime of work in the entertainment business. He espouses the power of story and cites examples of how stories are used, especially in persuasion. He concludes we all use stories but those who take more care and use them purposefully get better results. Take a quick read, it is a short article.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/27/business/27steal.html?_r=2&src=busln
Monday, February 21, 2011
Business Stories: More Science on Remembering Stories
In Doug Stevenson latest newsletter he includes a section on the science of stories on the brain. He has several sources listed but a new one to me is the following:
In his new book, Brain Rules, molecular biologist John Medina explains this phenomenon. “When the brain detects an emotionally charged event, the Amygdala releases dopamine into the system. Because dopamine greatly aids memory and information processing, you could say it creates a 'Post It' note that reads, ‘Remember this.’”
Interesting. But what strikes me is the amount of research being conducted on the power of stories as communication tools. Why? Are there people who have refused to use stories and need to be convinced of a better way? I suspect that many people include stories without realizing it. Maybe the studies are to help convince people to be more purposeful with stories. Instead of just telling hap-hazard tales maybe we should strive to craft the message better within the story to make our point even more memorable.
Stories are powerful, if your own anecdotal experiences are not enough to convince you the maybe Brain Rules will help convince you. No presentation or training session should ever go story-less.
In his new book, Brain Rules, molecular biologist John Medina explains this phenomenon. “When the brain detects an emotionally charged event, the Amygdala releases dopamine into the system. Because dopamine greatly aids memory and information processing, you could say it creates a 'Post It' note that reads, ‘Remember this.’”
Interesting. But what strikes me is the amount of research being conducted on the power of stories as communication tools. Why? Are there people who have refused to use stories and need to be convinced of a better way? I suspect that many people include stories without realizing it. Maybe the studies are to help convince people to be more purposeful with stories. Instead of just telling hap-hazard tales maybe we should strive to craft the message better within the story to make our point even more memorable.
Stories are powerful, if your own anecdotal experiences are not enough to convince you the maybe Brain Rules will help convince you. No presentation or training session should ever go story-less.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Business Stories:The Healing Power of Stories
In Steve Denning's latest newsletter he refers to a recent article in the New York Times about a study done on the power of storytelling in the healing process. For years there has been anecdotal information about how powerful stories can be but no hard data, now there is. See the article at the link below, When Patients Share Their Stories, Health May Improve
By PAULINE W. CHEN, M.D.
In the article there is a link to the study conducted on a group of 300 high blood pressure sufferers.
I did not read the entire study results word for word, I skimmed, however there were some caveats about the results (test size, population locations etc) and I hope that means others will conduct larger studies to generate the data needed to convince skeptics.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/10/health/views/10chen.html?_r=2&src=me&ref=health
By PAULINE W. CHEN, M.D.
In the article there is a link to the study conducted on a group of 300 high blood pressure sufferers.
I did not read the entire study results word for word, I skimmed, however there were some caveats about the results (test size, population locations etc) and I hope that means others will conduct larger studies to generate the data needed to convince skeptics.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/10/health/views/10chen.html?_r=2&src=me&ref=health
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Business Stories: Stories in Movies
Many people tell me when they hear the word storytelling they think immediately of an activity for children. I'm also told they identify the activity as something done in libraries. Funny how a word can evoke such strong identifiers and still surround us in so many other ways, movies, music, books, news reports.....
I was reminded of this recently by a feature article in USA Weekend (Oct 2010). There was an article on the stories told in movies. Scorsese, Lucas and Spielberg were interviewed for the article which talked about stories in movies and the development of a ground-breaking middle school class, "The Story of Movies". Films chosen for study had to have children in the key role, include a distinctive style of visual storytelling and have a person who makes a difference in our lives by fighting on our behalf. (The 3 films studied in the class are The Day the Earth Stood Still, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and To Kill a Mockingbird)
At the end of the article Spielberg is quoted "It is quite possible that a child who is taking this course will grow up and tell a great story like Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. Life is a story. We - all of us - are stories. Film teaches that. And if we could be like the main characters in these three movies, we would be better people."
Mr. Spielberg said it beautifully. Let's not forget that we are all stories and that includes our business lives. Stories are not just for children!
I was reminded of this recently by a feature article in USA Weekend (Oct 2010). There was an article on the stories told in movies. Scorsese, Lucas and Spielberg were interviewed for the article which talked about stories in movies and the development of a ground-breaking middle school class, "The Story of Movies". Films chosen for study had to have children in the key role, include a distinctive style of visual storytelling and have a person who makes a difference in our lives by fighting on our behalf. (The 3 films studied in the class are The Day the Earth Stood Still, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and To Kill a Mockingbird)
At the end of the article Spielberg is quoted "It is quite possible that a child who is taking this course will grow up and tell a great story like Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. Life is a story. We - all of us - are stories. Film teaches that. And if we could be like the main characters in these three movies, we would be better people."
Mr. Spielberg said it beautifully. Let's not forget that we are all stories and that includes our business lives. Stories are not just for children!
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