Persuasive Storytelling

It’s infinitely easier to lead people who know where you’re taking them and are excited to go there, than to cattle-prod them into action. But far too often, when announcing a new initiative or trying to facilitate change, we just launch into a series of directives with little thought for how the audience is likely to feel or respond.Tackle hardship head onIdentify the “hero’s journey” of your business. At what stage is your business on its journey?Use storytelling as a method for driving t...

In some fundamental ways, humans haven’t changed all that much since the days when we were sitting around communal fires, telling tales. Although we don’t always recognize them as such, stories, symbols, and rituals still have tremendous, primal power to move us and shape our lives. This is no less true in the workplace than it is in our personal lives.SymbolsFirst, study your organization’s culture. Identify symbols that are infused with emotion. Then work to amplify or dismantle them, as ne...

Whether you’re starting a new company, leading an army to battle, or trying to keep a family vacation on track, good storytelling comes in handy. Nancy Duarte studies and teaches effective storytelling in business contexts and she has observed that the principles really don’t vary from context to context. In fact, they’re so consistent that she and her partner have outlined a five-part “venturescape” to help you tell the story of any journey you’re on in a way that will get buy-in and foll...