4 Tips for Powerful & Pointed Stories for Leaders

What areyousaying?

4 Tips for Powerful & Pointed Stories for Leaders

Liz Keever www.lizkeever.com

Business is Building Relationships

“Over the years I have become convinced that we learn best—and change—from hearing stories that strike a chord within us…Those in leadership positions who fail to grasp or use the power of stories risk failure for their companies and for themselves.” John Kotter, Harvard Business School professor & author

Stories Can…

§  Build trust

§  Share core values

§  Establish credibility

§  Share common bonds

§  Create understanding

Stories May Be…

Personal (Narrative) Organizational

Funny Poignant

Short Long

Real Mythical

Today, you’ll Learn:

1.  Elements of a Good Story

2.  Effective Story Structure

3.  How to Drive the Moral

4.  Techniques to Tell it Powerfully

5.  How to Transition into and out of the Story

Elements of a Good Story

Teller Authentic and genuine

Audience Appropriate and on target

Moment Never the same way twice

Mission Serve the greater purpose

Source: “The Four Truths of the Storyteller” – HBR, Peter Gruber – Dec. 2007

TIP #1

STRUCTURE

Effective Story Structure

Beginning

•  Where

•  When

•  Who

•  Why

Middle

• Conflict

• Obstacle

End

• Resolution

So what? • Lesson

• Realization

• Point

TIP #2

MORAL

NOT What You Want Listeners to Think

“What  was  your  point?”  

“Where  are  you  going  with  this?”  

“What  does  that  have  to  do  with  anything?”  

What’s the POINT?

•  Lesson learned?

•  Conclusion?

•  Guiding Principle?

•  Point of View?

•  Moral?

TIP #3

DRAMA

Techniques to Tell a Story Powerfully

•  Action Be animated.

•  Roles Be the character in the story.

•  Suspense Unfold the drama, develop the story.

•  Present tense Bring the listener to “now.”

•  Sensory details Share smells, tastes, sounds, textures.

•  Emotion How you felt during the experience.

•  Short sentences Crisp, clear and succinct.

•  Change up Pace Keep it surprising.

TIP #4

TRANSITION

Transition into & out of a Story

Be clear on the Point or “moral” of the story

“slow and steady wins the race”

Use transitional language to get into the story

“This is similar to a situation years ago…”

Tell the story succinctly and with some drama

“As a brand-new employee, I’m doing a routine check when…”

Articulate the lesson learned

“What I learned that day was…”

Make the connection into the business application

“I see the same situation happening here and I…”

How to Do It

THINK

PRACTICE

Stories are How we Learn

A human being is nothing but a story with a skin around it. Fred Allen