The Story Factor
Big Ideas from the book
Truth, naked and cold, had been turned away from every door in the village. Her nakedness frightened the people. When Parable found her, she was huddled in a corner shivering and hungry. Taking pity on her, Parable gathered her up and took her home. She dressed Truth in story, warmed her and sent her out again. Clothed in story, Truth knocked again at the villagers’ doors and was readily welcomed into the peoples’ houses. They invited her to eat at their table and warm herself by their fire….
Well, the truth is that the storytellers do get invited to the dinner table while logical ones have struggle hard!
That’s the thing about storytelling and many left-brainers (yours truly included) don’t get it. This month on AtomicIdeas, the book theme is all about learning the art (and science) of storytelling and the one book that drives a lot of point is The Story Factor by Annette Simmons.
BigIdeas from the book 👇
The myth of logic
The power of story is to shift behaviour
Jesus, Mohammed and all the other religious founders understood the power of story to influence and change people’s behaviour. They did not rely on a litany of facts to convince but used story instead.
Logic does not persuade
Powerpoint presentations rarely convince. Many a presentation cuts out rhetoric and focuses on hard facts.
Logic draws up the battle lines
Influence is classically described as a power struggle with two points of view in opposition. Persuasion, manipulation, bargaining, bribery or coercion are inferior methods of influence as the greater the ‘push’ the greater the resistance.
Pushing hard against a persons’ beliefs are more likely to further cement their point of view
Story as holders of meaning
We store information in stories
Stories and storytelling lies at the core of intelligence. Neurologists believe 70% of what we learn comes through stories. Furthermore, we store memory in stories and information gets translated into wisdom when it’s converted into a story.
Stories hold meaning
We are all searching for meaning in this world – to try to make sense of our lives and the world we live in.
Stories create meaning out of data
To help bring alive data and facts we need to wrap a story around them (otherwise the audience will create their own story around them).
The 6 types of stories that matter
The six types of stories that are effective in different situations. These stories are:
The "I Am" story:
This story tells your audience who you are and what you believe in.The "I Know What You're Thinking" story:
This story acknowledges your audience's concerns and shows that you understand them.The "I Can Help" story:
This story shows how you can solve your audience's problems.The "I've Been There" story:
This story shares a personal experience that demonstrates your credibility and expertise.The "They Did It" story:
This story tells the story of someone who has achieved success, and it inspires your audience to follow in their footsteps.The "We Can Do It" story:
This story creates a sense of shared purpose and motivates your audience to take action.
The “I am” stories
Who I am and Why I am here are the key stories one first needs to tell, as without being trusted, then they will not want to listen to our point of view.
Remember: Trust is a key driver of influence.
Back story – Our ‘backstory’ is one of our greatest assets in building credibility and trust. Demonstrating (via a story) of how we are who we are is more influential than just saying who we are now.
We connect through our frailties
We know that true strength is found not in perfection but in understanding our limitations. It suggests real authenticity (e.g. when we hear of a tough boss who stayed up all night to nurse his sick dog, it makes them appear more human).
When we expose these inconsistencies we demonstrate our authenticity – and this allows a deeper point of connection with the listener. This connection then forms a bridge for further communication
Why I am here stories
People are sceptical. When we fail to influence it’s often because people filter our words through negative suspicions.
If people understand what we might gain, then it lifts the veil of suspicion. If we hide our gain, then our message is tainted by a lack of incongruity. It’s okay to have personal goals as long as it is transparent (Deceit is the greater crime).
Story helps reduce these barriers to our message. Merely saying ‘trust me’ is less effective than telling a story about trust.
The vision stories
A real vision connects with people at a deep level. It provides a driving personal purpose/reason that overcomes the daily struggles and makes the effort worthwhile.
Teaching stories
Whatever role in life, at times we need to teach people skills/experience that we have. Often the teaching is more about the mindset/underlying meaning than the actual skill. And storytelling is an ideal vehicle for this.
A Haitian cab driver shared his Grandfather’s favourite saying, ‘The man who beats his horse will soon be walking’. The indirectness of this story (told to a manager who kept criticising her team) got through more powerfully than any direct communication did.
Values in action stories
Values are the underlying drivers of behaviour. We do things that are important to us (i.e. in line with what we value). Telling a story of success or failure captures the deeper essence of that value than merely stating it.
I know what you are thinking stories
Having an insight into how another person is thinking or feeling is key to drive engagement.
If we can name their objections first, then our counter arguments are much more likely to be listened to. Telling such stories can help neutralise concerns without direct confrontation.
Happy storytelling!
-ashish.