The Power of Stories
We can count on certain things when groups of people get together. It doesn’t matter if it’s a business gathering, family gathering or a party with friends. Someone is going to tell stories.
Those stories usually recount good times from the past, triumphs over difficult times and a few sentimental recollections about people we wish were still here.
We love stories. Many of us grew up with them, told them to our children, listened to elders tell the same one every year at family reunion or holiday times, relived them at class reunions or annual business events. They’re a part of who we are.
Are you telling yours? You have at least one, and someone can learn from it.
Stories help us make a point when being direct could cause problems.
Stories connect us when we believe we have nothing in common.
Stories convince us to buy when a hard sales pitch would turn us off.
Stories are how we keep our history alive.
Most sales and marketing professionals will tell you that ‘facts’ tell but ‘stories’ sell.
Some of the most powerful advertising campaigns have moved mountains of products and services through stories.
Case in point: the credit card commercial about a man and his father tracing their family roots back to a foreign country. The commercial shows them having fun, bonding and meeting wonderful people, only to find later that they’re in the wrong country! The problem is happily solved when they pull out the trusty credit card and head off to a new adventure.
What’s the message? Knowing your history, spending precious time with a parent, having fun even if you’re in the wrong place.
It makes us feel good and it works. You have the power to do the same thing.
What is your product or service? What do you do that no one else can? Whose hero are you? All of those things have stories attached to them. Start telling them!
Tip: If you have a little trouble getting started, think about the last time someone thanked you for something you did or complimented you on a job well done. What were they referring to? There’s a story there.
Tip: During holidays or family gatherings find something to recall about the last time you were with this same group of people that made it memorable.
Tip: At business functions, recall the successes of the year. Be specific with the details about who played a part or how the team came together.
Most importantly, if there’s someone who made your year special, tell him or her in detail what that act of kindness, generosity, compassion or thoughtfulness meant to you.
Knowing the difference we made in someone’s life is a story we usually don’t mind hearing over and over again.
©2007 Annetta Wilson Media Training and Success Coaching. All rights reserved.
About
The Author...
About the Author
Annetta Wilson is a business strategist specializing in media training, communication and presentation skills coaching. A talent coach for CNN, she has also coached for Walt Disney World. She works with high-profile individuals and teams to transform them into communication powerhouses! Annetta is a Certified Trainer, a Certified Professional Behavioral Analyst and an award-winning journalist with more than 30 years experience in the broadcast industry.
Visit her Web site at www.YourCoachForSuccess.com for your free report, “Three of the Biggest Mistakes People Make in Public Speaking”.
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