I always find it fascinating when my clients ask me, “How do I tell a good story?” I say, “The same way you tell them all day long every day when you’re talking with family and friends!” Think about it. Other than formal business presentations, we tell stories. We don’t offer a recitation of data and facts. We tell stories. We instinctively use story structure. It’s the way our brains are wired and our minds comprehend information. I discussed this in my last blog. Stories are the way we make connections with everyone around us.
Of course, my clients aren’t asking how to interact with their family members. They’re asking how to tell a good story in their next presentation. So, let’s look at what the science tells us about how to tell a great story.
There are a number of story structures detailed by screen writers, authors, researchers and practitioners. What the science tells us is that the human mind seeks the following elements to make sense of incoming information:
Character: The person or people involved.
Intent: What the character is after and why. Goals.
Actions: What actions the character is taking.
Struggles: Challenges or problems faced by the character(s).
Details: The when and where the story takes place. Setting the scene.
Ty Bennett in his book The Power of Storytelling, outlines a simple, straightforward structure using the story elements that works very well when creating business-related stories:
The Setup: Who, what, when, where, why. Characters, Intent, Details.
The Struggle: Challenges or problems. Actions that create the struggle.
The Solution: The outcome. The lesson learned. The new direction or path. The new recommendation. The moral of the story.
Remember, stories connect with our audiences emotionally and emotion is strongly linked to memory. Plus we make nearly all our decisions emotionally. Stories make you more memorable and more persuasive.
In the next chapter, I’ll talk about where to find business stories. In the meantime, try creating a brief story in your next presentation. Instead of just a data point, share a story that highlights that data point. Use the structure above. Do what you do naturally, tell a great story.