Tweet

Storytelling— The Great Motivator of People

Written by: Eileen McDargh

Article Overview: Change your company, your sales and your life with the greatest motivator of people—storytelling!

Storytelling— The Great Motivator of People

In a data-driven world, facts and figures are the order of the day in sales calls, employee meetings, board rooms, and political assemblies. Traditionally, when a person is trying to convince someone else to do something they use the logic of benefits and features —long the sacred domain of anyone in sales.

And they are missing the boat.

What truly moves us as human beings, what prompts us into action, is emotion. Imagination is the conduit of emotion and well-crafted storytelling carries the imagination.

Consider this story:

You place your hand on top of your head, only to feel the sun radiate from your scalp. Sweat trickles down your back and the once ironed shirt clings to your sides. The pavement roasts your feet even through your thick-soled shoes. You've been walking for a 45 minutes, trying to find the office where you are scheduled to make a sales call. Suddenly, a swoosh of cold air swirls at your side as a young couple comes charging out of an ice cream parlor, licking swirls of raspberry and vanilla perched in a sugar cone.

I'll bet you're ready for some ice cream!

What engaged you was the reliving of a common experience. I didn't need to itemize the benefits of cooling off or list the features of ice cream and this particular store. You were drawn in by your imagination. Facts tell. Emotion sells. You imagined how you would win over the odds of heat by taking a break for ice cream.

We follow leaders who capture us by stories that draw us in and give us purpose for being part of the company. We buy products when we see or read of the human experience with that product. (Remember the Maytag Man?) And we accept the call to action if we hear a compelling story about triumph over odds. Think about the solicitation letters you get from non-profits. They are often stories of individuals who suffered greatly until the non-profit's "product" allowed them to regain a semblance of their life.

In short, crafting compelling, honest stories that resonant core values in action is a skill worth learning by any leader, manager, sales executive, or parent.

In his best-selling book Story: Substance, Structure, Style, and the Principles of Screenwriting, Robert McKee, the world's best-known and most respected screenwriting lecturer, argues that stories "fulfill a profound human need to grasp the patterns of living-not merely as an intellectual exercise, but within a very personal, emotional experience." Or as USC leadership guru Dr. Warren Bennis states, "Man cannot live without story any more than he can live without bread."
What's the point you want to make at your next meeting? Is there a story that can be crafted to that point-not a sermon to be intoned?

Who has used your product and reported a wonderful story that came as a result of that product? Or did you even say, "Tell me a story."

What stories are told in the coffee room about what it is like to work where you are? What contribution could you make to this story that could improve the ending?

What future do you want? Create a story about it.

Remember, people are not inspired to act by reason alone. The heart holds hands with the head.

© Eileen McDargh, McDargh Communications. All rights reserved. You may reprint this article so long as it remains intact with the byline and if all links are made live.

Related Articles
  How to avoid the 7 deadly sins of business storytelling
  The Art of Storytelling
  Best Storytelling Tips for Marketing Presentations
  QA with a Story Guru Jon Hansen A Storied Career Interview
  Its 6 AM and I Cant Stop Reading

Article Tags: core values, driven world, employee meetings, human experience, maytag, maytag man, meetings board, missing the boat, raspberry, roasts, sacred domain, semblance, solicitation letters, sugar cone, sweat trickles, swirls, swoosh, thick soled shoes, world facts and figures, young couple



Related Forum Posts
Re: What or Who Sparks Your Business Interest - It's interesting to see what the different motivations are by Age Category. I've noticed this around me: 20 to 29yr olds: Motivator: Money 30 to 39yr olds: Motivator: Success/Ambition 40 to 49yr olds: Motivator: Family comes first 50 to 59yr olds: Motivator: Leaving a legacy i've only gone that far in my analysis. Of course this is a braid generalization but I find that it helps direct my marketing to individuals in different age brackets. The product/service can be the same but the Marketing message (Benefit Statement) to a 20 year will revolve around "Money" vs. a 30-something would be on their "Self Image"
Favourite Business Books - The November PROFIT magazine looks at the favourite business books of Canada's most successful entrepreneurs. The top 4 are: 1) Good to Great by Jim Collins 2) The E-Myth by Michael Gerber 3) Blue Ocean Strategy by W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne 4) How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
Re: 7 Top Blog Design Tips - Hi Tyrone, Great tips! I think these tips can be applied to any web page, as the same rules will apply to them as well. As webmasters we should always be trying to improve or enhance the look of our sites/blogs and make sure that we are attracting and keeping as many visitors as possible. The best thing I think you mentioned was about creating an "About Me" page and posting a picture of yourself. People like to know that there's a real person behind the site. It makes them feel more comfortable and allows them to trust you more. David, thanks for posting about Bravenet.com. I haven't heard of them, but I had used a simple script at one time to do the same thing.
Re: How to Promote Your Blog – The Definitive Guide to Promoting - Great information. Thanks so much for your help. I'm looking into google indexing right now and I'll be improving SEO moving forward. I checked out your blog and sites, too. Great content. Thank you...
Re: Welcome New Moderators in Addition to Our Fine Team! - Hey Terriz, Very nice to meet you . . . . Acapella ? . . . .Very cool. I used to listen to my uncle and his friends sing acapella on a Brooklyn NY street corner. Great memories . . .Great sound. Thanks Barry


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Tweet

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

You Have A Website What Now

The Future of Online Marketing

Promoting your company and self with verve

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.