MODERN SELLING
everyday stories that they can relate to.
sites, problogger.net, has a razor-sharp
understanding of his audience. He’ll
paint this picture: a thirty-something
who lives in the inner-city suburb of
Northcote, loves coffee and rides a
fix-wheeled bicycle. He then writes
with that person alone in mind.. Being
clear on your audience transforms your
impact with clients.
Short and sharp
One hundred years ago, our attention
span was 20 minutes Today we’re
down to just nine seconds, author
Sally Hogshead points out in her
book Fascinate. We’ve become lean,
mean scanning machines. This habit
is hardening as a survival tactic in
a digital age that swamps us with
information. So for your story to work it
has to be succinct, anywhere between
30 seconds, and up to 2 minutes. To
craft a punchy story my clients write
up their stories down. The discipline of
spending some time on story crafting is
critical. A long-winded story will turn off
any audience and fast.
Authenticity is non negotiable
‘In marketing spin you take one truth
and spin everything around’ declared
a marketing expert in a recent Gruen
Transfer episode (an Australian show
that lifts the lid on advertising).
Business storytelling is the complete
opposite of that. Everything about your
story needs to be authentic. Stories
are not spin. ‘Stories need to be both
factually true as well as authentically
true’, states Steve Denning, the father of
business storytelling. Denning shares
this example, ‘On the Titanic’s maiden
voyage 700 people arrived in New York.
This is factually true but it leaves out
the detail that the ship sank and 1500
people died’. Authenticity in storytelling
is vital.
Everyday, not epic
Motivational speakers often inform
our preconceptions about storytelling.
They narrate epic stories that involve
scaling Mount Everest or sailing around
the world solo. But in business what
works is not epic stories but everyday
stories. Stories about shopping in
Bunnings, or going to a restaurant with
friends. Everyday stories work because
your clients relate to them. They see
themselves in your stories.
An epic story has your audience in
passive spectator mode. They enjoy
the spectacle of your story, but they are
not involved in it. An everyday story
engages your audience in a different
way. Your audience emotionally invests
in your story and relive their own
experiences through your story. A key
to engaging with your clients is sharing
Practice and then practice some
more
In the work I do with business
professionals on storytelling, I am often
asked about ‘natural’ storytellers. The
truth is natural storytellers practice and
everyone can get better at storytelling
with preparation and practice.
Way back in the first century, Seneca,
a Roman philosopher nailed it when he
said ‘Luck is where preparation meets
opportunity’. This is just as true with
storytelling. Write your stories down
so they have a purpose, and are short
and tailored to your audience and then
practice them aloud. Practice is the
difference between amateurs and pros.
Every day we have an opportunity to
engage our clients - or not, have our
advice acted on - or not, have our
ideas implemented - or not. The right
story is the difference between failure
and success. Discovering business
storytelling is like life after Google – you
wonder how you ever lived without it.
Yamini Naidu is the world’s only
economist turned business storyteller.
Best selling author, key note speaker
and mentor she works with leaders
globally helping them shift from
spreadsheets to stories. Her new book
‘Power Play: Game changing influence
strategies for leaders’ is now available.
Visit www.yamininaidu.com or email
[email protected]
September 2016
ModernBusiness
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