What skill can put you at ease in social situations, make your business memorable and\u00a0 keep your curiosity on high alert?<\/p>\n
You probably grew up with it and are still drawn to it.\u00a0 It is, quite simply,\u00a0 a universal connector that helps us understand each other and ourselves, makes us desire things, gives us a sense of possibility.<\/p>\n
This magical tool is storytelling and it belongs in every entrepreneur\u2019s toolkit.<\/p>\n
So what does it take to be a great storyteller? The fundamentals are pretty simple.<\/p>\n
\u00b0 Curiosity.<\/strong> Bernice Fitz-Gibbon, who not only wrote innovative ad copy, but also trained many successful copywriters, wrote, \u201cI have never known anyone who bounced out of bed in the morning, delighted and astonished by the world in which he found himself, who was not a success. A vibrantly alive curiosity and a perceptive awareness will put you right up there with the best of them<\/strong>. This intense interest in people and things\u2014this sense of wonder\u2014can be acquired.\u201d<\/p>\n Without curiosity, you\u2019ll miss all the good stories happening around you that might be put to work on your behalf.<\/p>\n \u00b0 Attention.<\/strong> TV\u00a0 journalist Steve Hartman created a popular feature on CBS called \u201cEveryone Has a Story.\u201d He looked for his subject by throwing a dart at a map and then headed to wherever the dart landed. Once there, Hartman began calling people at random from the phone book until he found someone who agreed to talk to him.<\/p>\n Some of Hartman\u2019s stories were funny, some were poignant, some were buried deep, but he never came away empty-handed.<\/p>\n Hartman\u2019s premise is that stories exist everywhere, but only storytellers seem to be paying attention. Follow their lead. Listen for inspiration. Listen for evidence. Listen for material.<\/p>\n When someone says, \u201cYour teleclass was so exciting that I was awake until 3 AM with all these new ideas,\u201d weave it into your marketing.<\/p>\n \u00b0 Edit.<\/strong>\u00a0 Editing is critical in all forms of storytelling. The difference between a boring and an enthralling storyteller is in the editing. We all know people who start telling a story and then wander off to side stories about the characters or unrelated events or random thoughts.<\/p>\n So what does an editor really do? According to Sarah Tieck, the job of an editor is to ruthlessly look for what\u2019s relevant and then eliminate the rest.<\/p>\n In many ways, editing uses the same skills as are needed to identify priorities in the goal-setting process. It\u2019s also a bit easier to do in writing than in speaking where you don\u2019t have the benefit of reviewing your words.<\/p>\n \u00b0\u00a0 Bring it alive.<\/strong>\u00a0 Don\u2019t you just marvel at all the ways chef Jamie Oliver describes food? That\u2019s what a great storyteller does. Passion and a good vocabulary are the fuel.<\/p>\n Except for Prairie Home Companion<\/em><\/strong>, there\u2019s not much storytelling in radio anymore. If you listen to Garrison Keillor\u2014a master storyteller\u2014you\u2019ll hear how he adds just enough detail so we can imagine the scene.<\/p>\n In marketing, part of the storyteller\u2019s job is to help the audience of potential customers imagine how your products or services will be useful to them.<\/p>\n Storytelling can do that more vividly than just listing benefits.<\/p>\n \u00b0\u00a0 Watch your audience.<\/strong> Bores do not notice their listeners fidgeting in their seats or gazing around the room looking for an escape. Alas, the self-absorbed among us are oblivious to this.<\/p>\n There\u2019s a woman I know who is the personification of this. She\u2019s not particularly creative and I suspect even Steven Hartman would have a hard time finding a story to tell about her, but that doesn\u2019t stop her from talking about the only subject she cares about: herself.\u00a0 She doesn\u2019t notice that people can barely stay awake during her\u00a0 monologues.<\/p>\n A good storyteller, on the other hand, understands body language and looks for clues. After all, storytelling always involves at least two people: the teller and the listener. Both are important. Connecting with your audience is a basic function.<\/p>\n In Funky Business<\/em><\/strong>, the authors make this observation: \u201cTrue leaders are CSO\u2019s \u2013 Chief Storytelling Officers. They provide the focus, inspiration and meaning that the organization has been crying out for\u2026. Funky leaders give rise to and spread stories.\u201d<\/p>\n Polishing your storytelling skills can be as good for your business as it is for your social life. Even better, it\u2019s a fun and creative way to approach your marketing and promotion.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" What skill can put you at ease in social situations, make your business memorable and\u00a0 keep your curiosity on high alert? You probably grew up with it and are still drawn to it.\u00a0 It is, quite simply,\u00a0 a universal connector that helps us understand each other and ourselves, makes us desire things, gives us a…<\/p>\n