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When I was driving home from California yesterday, I heard the news that legendary\u00a0<\/p>\n
newsman Don Hewitt had died. One story said that when he got the go ahead to produce 60 Minutes,<\/em> CBS told him, \u201cDon\u2019t make us money. Make us proud.\u201d He did both, of course.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Hewitt had a simple rule for that long-running program: Tell Me a Story.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n That\u2019s good advice for marketing your business or captivating an audience, too. When I read this piece by\u00a0 Paul Hellman, I asked for permission to share it with you. To my delight, Paul agreed.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n ********************<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n 1) “Do you think he has a gun?” I asked my friend.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n It was past midnight. We had driven to an isolated place\u00a0where a big, muscular guy was waiting for me. He wanted\u00a0money.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n “This guy doesn’t need a gun,” my friend said. “He could\u00a0kill us with his bare hands.”<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n (Let’s pause for a second to talk about stories. Ever use\u00a0them at work? They’re one of the best ways to capture\u00a0attention. But first, you need a good opening.)<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n 2) (Same story, different opening.) I knew I was in trouble\u00a0when my friend drove off. It was the middle of night, in the\u00a0middle of nowhere.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n “Come back,” I yelled. “I have no money.”<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n (A good opening hooks us. “What happens next?” we wonder.<\/p>\n Try opening with a problem.)<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n 3) “Every night, 20 new people hate my guts,” the big\u00a0muscular guy said. “On a good night, 30 people.” Then he\u00a0spit. “I could care less.”<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n (You can also start with a character.)<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n 4) “A few hours ago,” the big muscular guy told me, “we\u00a0watched you get out of your car, leave the parking lot, and\u00a0walk down the street. That was your mistake. You should have<\/p>\n never done that.”<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n (Begin your story anywhere; it could be the first thing that\u00a0actually happened, or it could be the middle.)<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n 5) “It’s your own fault,” my mother said. “I would have\u00a0never parked there.”<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n (It’s ok to embellish. My mother, for example, never said\u00a0this, for the main reason that she’s been dead for several\u00a0years. But it’s certainly something she might have said.)<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n 6) When I returned to the parking lot after dinner, my car\u00a0had vanished.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n (Think about what you want to reveal in the opening, and\u00a0what you want to leave out.)<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n 7) “Apparently, you can’t read,” the big muscular guy\u00a0said. “Otherwise you would have seen the sign in the\u00a0parking lot. ‘If you walk off the premises, your car will\u00a0be towed.'”<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Tip: Use stories. Try different openings. Be careful where\u00a0you park.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n p.s. The tow guy demanded cash ($112) for my car. My friend,\u00a0who had driven off, came back and took me to an ATM.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n (c) Copyright 2009 Paul Hellman. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Consultant, author & speaker, Paul Hellman has helped\u00a0thousands of professionals improve their effectiveness at\u00a0work.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Paul’s columns have appeared in The New York Times, Wall\u00a0Street Journal, Washington Post,<\/em> and on public radio and TV.\u00a0His latest book is Naked at Work<\/em><\/strong>.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Visit http:\/\/www.expresspotential.com\/<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Email paul@expresspotential.com<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n