Feedback from students, clients and audience members tells us if we’re on the right track. In my case, it also let’s me know what ideas or concepts are most important to them. Just the other day I received the following email and I thought it was important that I share it with you.

“I want you to know that your program in Indianapolis (and the CD’s I purchased) have made a tremendous impact on my professional career.  I really can’t remember a time when I have had so many take-aways from a program.  Story telling is a core part of how I train, but truthfully, even though I THOUGHT I was a good story teller, I had  NO IDEA what I didn’t know. It is easy to go by instinct and do what feels right, but your information has put an amazing framework around this part of my delivery that will really deepen the impact I can make to my audiences.  It is really about having people leave these programs feeling engaged, committed, and wanting to take action, and your methods will really help make that happen.   Thanks for creating your incredible approach to story theater AND for sharing it!”

Best Regards, Jan Green, Training Manager

What struck me in her testimonial was the sentence, “I had no idea what I didn’t know.”

Storytelling in business is very serious business. Stories have great power. They can influence and inspire in a way that no other medium of communication can. When you take storytelling seriously by studying the art and craft of story structure, you can change hearts and minds and get results. When you take the time to learn what you don’t know about using dramatic silence and branding in your stories, you can make your message more memorable.

Simply “going by instinct” and “doing what feels right” is fine if you want to be average. I used to do that myself. Because of my extensive acting background, from the very beginning of my speaking career I was able to get up and tell a story simply by winging it. And most of the time, the story was fine. But occasionally, I’d blow it.

I’d be telling the story and suddenly realize I’d forgotten an important piece. So I’d stick it in anyway, completely out of sequence, and keep going. But I knew I was sloppy. And it bothered me. It was not only unprofessional, it was embarrassing. I knew if I wanted to get paid to speak, I’d have to up my game.

Story Theater is storytelling technology for business. I liken it to Microsoft WORD. WORD is a software program that does certain things. And it always works the same way no matter who is using it. Once you learn how to use it, you can write a letter, write a book or write a term paper. It doesn’t care how smart or talented you are. It just sits there and does what it was designed to do. It makes you look better.

Story Theater will make you look better. It will fill in the blanks on what you don’t know that you don’t know. It will help you achieve your potential as a speaker, trainer, leader or business owner.

There are a number of ways you can study the Story Theater Method.

• Buy the book,  Doug Stevenson’s Story Theater Method.
• Buy the companion to the book, The Story Theater  Audio Six Pack.
• Hire me to present a keynote. Learn more at: www.storytelling-in-business.com
• Hire me to conduct a half-day or full-day training.
• Attend a four person Story Theater Retreat in Colorado Springs.

There is a very good reason why Daniel Pink wrote an entire chapter on story in his book, A Whole New Mind. According to Pink, “Stories are easier to remember, because in many ways, stories are how we remember.”

I their book,  Made to Stick, Chip Heath and Dan Heath list six principles that make and idea, concept or point stick. The sixth principle is story. They state, “The story’s power, then, is twofold: It provides simulation (knowledge about how to act) and inspiration (motivation to act). Note that both benefits, simulation and inspiration, are geared to generating action. We’ve seen that a credible idea makes people believe. An emotional idea makes people care. And the right stories, make people act.”

In the last few years, there have been many bestselling books that talk about the power of telling stories. But none of them have talked about storytelling technique. When you are ready to learn HOW to be a better storyteller, I am ready to guide you forward.

As I write this blog post, it is 12:45 PM mountain time in Colorado Springs, Colorado. I’d like to make you an offer. Send me an email by Midnight Saturday night with the words Doug’s Special Book Offer in the subject line. I’ll reply with an email describing the Special Offer and how you can get started on the path to great storytelling.

My email address is:    doug@dougstevenson.com

If you want to make a difference, make a more memorable impression or sell more of your product or service, send me an email today.

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Doug Stevenson is the Guru of Storytelling in Business. He speaks, trains and consults worldwide to corporations and associations who want a competitive presentation edge through storytelling mastery and Emotional Eloquence leadership skills. He works with salespeople, leaders, professional speakers, trainers and fundraisers.

Doug is the author of Doug Stevenson’s Story Theater Method, creator of Emotional Eloquence® and the author of a home study course on how to create a motivational speech titled: How To Write and Deliver a Dynamite Speech – 21-Step Dynamite Speech System.

Learn more at www.storytelling-in-business.com or call 1-719-573-6195.

All Rights Reserved. Printed in the United States of America. Except as permitted under the United States Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the author.

The answer to the question, “What’s the point?” needs to be concise and simple, not a lengthy explanation. Can you state the point of your story in five or six words?

Sharpen the Point and Make it Stick

Think of a spear that has a sharp point on the end. If you throw it at the ground, the sharp point will pierce the dirt and make the spear stick. If the end of the spear is round or dull, it will bounce off the ground. It won’t stick. The same is true with the point of your story.

In this storytelling article, I want to focus on sharpening the point of your stories.

An integral part of my Story Theater Method is the Nine Steps of Story Structure. You can use these nine steps to craft any story and make it easier to follow and more effective at making a point. The last three steps are designed to ensure that your point is memorable – that it sticks in the minds of your listeners.

The reason we use storytelling in a business context is to affect behavioral change. Stories are teaching tools. When stories are strategically and correctly crafted, using my storytelling technology, the lesson of the story has a profound effect on the listener and causes them to think or act differently. Without this end result, what’s the point of telling a story? What’s the point of training at all if people don’t use what they learn to be more productive and more profitable for the organization providing the training?

Stick The Landing

Steps 7, 8 and 9 of the Nine Steps are:

• Make the Point
• Ask the Question
• Repeat the Point

These three steps are called “Stick the Landing.” The term comes from gymnastics. Imagine a tiny 14-year old, 14-pound female gymnast who jumps up on the pommel horse and goes flying though the air and doing amazing twists and gyrations at warp speed. When she has completed her mid-air routine, she’s supposed to land in one spot – not wiggle or waver at all – and then, stand tall with her arms raised overhead, sporting a huge, sparkling smile. That finale is called “sticking the landing”.

If a gymnast sticks the landing and doesn’t take additional steps on the mat, he or she gets a high score. Even though they performed eight complex gyrations in the air, if they don’t stick the landing, it costs them points off of their score. It’s the same with your story. If your point is not sharp and concise, it will cost you. If people don’t remember your point, they don’t act on it. Nothing changes. It might cost you in productivity; it might cost you in profit. It might cost them in failing to make the changes needed for a better life.

Mental Velcro

In a previous newsletter article entitled “Mental Velcro”, I discussed using the Phrase That Pays to brand your message with a short statement like “Walk Your Talk” or “Lead By Example”. These short, verb-oriented phrases instruct your listener on what you want them to do. There is a big difference, however, between lecturing people on what to do and giving them an experience through a brilliantly crafted story that moves them to accept your invitation or challenge of what they can do.

In a recent coaching conversation with a client who was ready to make the move from a leadership position in a large corporation to professional speaking and training, I asked him what his core message was. (For more information on the Core Message, see the Dynamite Speech System). He had no idea. I asked him what lessons he wanted to teach or what points he wanted to make. This got him talking for about five minutes, but I still didn’t know exactly what he wanted me to learn from him.

Then I asked him to identify the problem that he wanted to address, and he listed five. I asked him to pick one. He settled on the problem of rejection getting a person down and making them want to quit. He told me about his experience making sales calls and how, over time, he learned to handle the rejection and simply get back in his car and drive to the next appointment, rather than blowing off the rest of the day.

Get Back in the Car

I asked him if the metaphorical lesson he wanted to teach was to get back in the car. That phrase is verb-oriented so it worked fine as a call to action. He liked the phrase, but felt that the car part was too literal and limiting, because many salespeople sell on the phone or one-on-one in a business setting.

As we continued our coaching call, I asked him to let his mind wander to similar experiences that had nothing to do with selling. I asked him what he did for fun or pleasure – what kind of adventures he’d been on.

What came to mind for him was an experience when he was 13 years old at Boy Scout summer camp. They went horseback riding and his horse started to trot when he wasn’t expecting it, and he fell off. When he landed, he broke his arm. From that time on, he was afraid of horses.

The following summer at camp, he tried to get out of it when the group went horseback riding. And even though all of the other kids were giving him a hard time about it, he refused to try again. So while all of the other scouts went riding, he had to sit in the campsite by himself. As he was sitting there feeling sorry for himself, his scoutmaster sat down next time him for a chat.

You guessed it. His scoutmaster counseled him on all of the times he’d been faced with challenges in his life and how there were always going to be big scary horses that would throw him to the ground. “The true test of courage,” his scoutmaster said, “is to get back on the horse and confront your fear.”

Get Back on the Horse or Confront Your Fear

He decided that the horseback-riding story had a broader metaphorical appeal. He also felt that the point about getting back on the horse and confronting your fear was stronger than getting back in the car. So again I asked him to pick one. “If you want to sharpen your point and make it stick, you have to pick one,” I said. “Choose one or the other.”

Get back on the horse is a clear and concise point. Confront your fear is a clear and concise point. Both are valid. Both work. The story is stronger however, and the point more memorable, if he only uses one point, rather than both. In the story, he is afraid of horses, so fear is evident. Not getting back on the horse means that fear wins. Getting back on the horse is the metaphorical action that implies confronting the fear. And it is more memorable and unique to that particular story.

He chose Get Back on the Horse.

Now, let’s stick the landing. Here’s how to do it.

Step 7: What I learned from that summer camp experience was… get back on the horse.

Step 8: How about you? Have you ever had something happen to you that hurt, physically or psychologically? And because of that one experience, you’ve been afraid to ever feel that pain again, and it’s costing you. It’s preventing you from moving forward, from experiencing life to it’s fullest?

Step 9: My challenge for you is…get back on the horse.

In Step 7 you share what YOU learned.

In Step 8 you formally transfer the lesson to THEM with a “How About You” type question.

In Step 9 you challenge THEM to implement the lesson.

Most stories start strong and then lose focus at the end. When you Stick the Landing, you’ll finish strong.

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Doug Stevenson is the Guru of Storytelling in Business. He speaks, trains and consults worldwide to corporations and associations who want a competitive presentation edge through storytelling mastery and Emotional Eloquence leadership skills. He works with salespeople, leaders, professional speakers, trainers and fundraisers.

Doug is the author of Doug Stevenson’s Story Theater Method, creator of Emotional Eloquence® and the author of a home study course on how to create a motivational speech titled: How To Write and Deliver a Dynamite Speech – 21-Step Dynamite Speech System.

Learn more at www.storytelling-in-business.com or call 1-719-573-6195.

In these challenging economic times, it feel like we need to hammer harder to get anything to happen. I have felt the pressure to push harder, to try harder, to work harder. And it has made me crazy, frustrated and at time depressed.

I just went away for ten days and sat on my 35 acres of land south of Walsenburg, Colorado. I needed to stop hammering away at my perceived problems and shift my mental energy, to change my thinking.

I sat there in my trailer with my laptop, my thoughts and mother nature. I took walks in the woods. I worked on creating a new audio product. And all of a sudden it hit me. I wouldn’t be sitting here in my trailer, on my land, getting to do this creative rejuvenating self-reflection, if I was running around the planet giving speeches right now.

In a blinding flash of the obvious, I shifted from frustration to gratitude. Everything was suddenly in perfect order. I was right where I needed to be doing exactly what needed doing. I put down the hammer.

Are you getting exhausted pounding your hammer? Perhaps you too need to shift your thinking. Put down your hammer.

All my best,
Doug

This workshop is sponsored by the Heart of Texas Chapter of the National Speakers Association. Call David Brooks at 512-343-0111 to register or call Deborah Merriman at 719-573-6195 for more information.

In the newsletter there is more complete information on where I will be presenting, discount product offerings and more. It goes out once a month. The articles that you read here are also there, with much more information.

For instance, it looks like I will be speaking in Germany in June. That means I will add on some retreats and workshops. If you’re in Europe, this may be your only chance this year to study with me. Are you interested?

Story Theater Newsletter signup.

He was presenting a logical and concise case. He explained what his company did and how they did it. And time after time he struck out. People would listen politely and nod their heads. Then they’d get up and leave. No leads. No business generation. No new clients.

He’s heard about my work with stories. He knew stories were more effective than what he was doing but he didn’t feel comfortable telling them because he didn’t know how to do it.

So he drove down from Denver to Colorado Springs to my studio. We re-worked his presentation. I helped him choose the three stories that would sell him and his service. We designed an opening, a strategic sequence and a closing with a call to action.

In his follow up session, he gave me the testimonial that you can watch on the website. Watch it. You’ll hear how he increased his closing ratio from 1% to 40% after spending one hour with me.

If you make presentations to get new clients, I can help you. Watch the video. Then call me.

http://intuitivesandbox.com/storytheater-mm/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=48&Itemid=52

1-719-573-6195