I have been thinking a lot about how we tell stories.
Whether you pitch a new piece of business or deliver annual results, it’s essential to understand the craft of storytelling. How do you present your ideas, your argument, or your “ask” in a compelling and convincing way?
Each good story generally has three elements.
1. A setup, the situation which draws people in
“We were in the forest, surrounded by bugs and trees” or “We were facing a potential downturn in the market. Demand was low.”
2. The problem or the challenge
“We heard the sounds of a group of bears in the forest” or “We needed to come up with a creative idea to reinvigorate our sales.”
3. A resolution
“We learned that the bears were just our friends playing a trick on us” or “We developed a new product, something we knew the market would be interested in buying.”
On a recent episode of one of my favorite podcasts “Pivot,” Professor of Marketing at NYU Stern Scott Galloway said, “You have to be an outstanding storyteller so that you can take your thoughtful ideas and bring scale and leverage to them.”
I recently spoke at a program about how to use the art of storytelling in our daily work. As marketers, storytelling impacts everything from our pitch material and awards submissions to discussions surrounding budget. For other professionals, it comes into play as to how you ask for business, how you build business relationships, and how you show up on social media.
Today, we are bombarded by messaging, data and new technology. Mastering the art of storytelling is the only way to break through the clutter.
Stories have a feel-good biological impact. A good story can release cortisol, dopamine, oxytocin, and endorphins.
Collecting data, particularly on KPIs or sales, is a great part of what marketers do today, but we need to remember to ask about and tell the story behind the numbers.
In times of crisis, the best leaders are those who can explain things in human terms, set the stage, and tell the story.
