Episode #15: Five Steps to Great Storytelling

Best intentions, higher callings, righteousness – all good stuff but without good communication, our efforts fail. Instinctively, we all know storytelling is a great communication tool, but the word itself is a problem. We associate it with bedtime stories and therefore the idea sounds a bit childish.

The other problem with storytelling is that we are not very good at it. It is too simple, so we gravitate to more complex solutions – frameworks, theories, models, four box quadrants, pyramids, Venn diagrams – anything to appear more convoluted and pseudo-intelligent. If we present something complex, we must be smart. On the other hand, anyone can tell a story. Ah…but can they?

How many really good stories have you heard told in business lately? Have you been captured by the speaker, as they have taken you into a story that has you emotionally and logically involved? We might tell this story from the point of view of our own experience in the first person or we may refer to the adventures of someone else, told in the third person.

The Five Step Storytelling process focuses on moving people to action.

Step 1. We begin by clarifying the “Why” it matters. The story draws out the immediacy and relevance for the audience of the problem or issue. This is critical step, because everyone is surfing through hundreds of emails, Facebook and Twitter posts, LinkedIn updates, Instagram messages, etc. They are dealing with family, work, financial and health issues. There is a tremendous competition for the mind space of our audience and we have to smash through to be heard. If we don’t have a powerful “Why”, game over right there.

Step 2. The next step is to tell them the “What” – the information they need to know, which they don’t already have or have not focused on sufficiently enough as yet. This will bring forth data or perspectives which are pertinent, immediate and grip the attention of our audience. Imparting key points linked with evidence is essential because we are all skeptics today. There is so much false information floating around, we are permanently on guard against feeling cheated or foolish. We must communicate to the audience what they need to do, to overcome the problem we have highlighted.

Step 3. Having isolated out the issue, imparted some evidence to provide more compelling reasons to take this issue seriously, we now tell the “How” to move forward. This will explain in some detail, what needs to be done, so that the listener can take action immediately.

Step 4. To deal with any potential doubts or concerns, we tackle them head on by exploring the “What Ifs”. We join the listener in the conversation going on in their mind about the fears they might have about what is being suggested. We address these in the story, so that there are no barriers to taking action.

Step 5. Finally, we repeat the “Action Steps” we recommend, succinctly and clearly, so that these stay fresh in the mind. Like this piece, compressing the steps into numbers like three, five or seven work best, as they tend to be easily recalled. Keep it short, keep it memorable.

Remember to keep these five steps to great storytelling in mind: clarify the “Why” it matters; tell them the “What” - the information they need to know; tell them the “How” to move forward; explore the “What Ifs” and repeat the “Action Steps” we recommend.