The Power of Stories
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By Annetta Wilson
| Published January 2008
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.
Annetta Wilson iis a business strategist
specializing in media training, presentation
and communication skills coaching. A
talent coach for CNN, she has coached for
CBS and Walt Disney World. She makes
it easier for individuals and teams to communicate
more powerfully and effectively.
Annetta is an award-winning journalist
with more than 30 years experience in the broadcast industry, a
Certified Trainer and a Certified Professional Behavioral Analyst.
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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