So You Think You Want to Become a Storyteller… Applied Storytelling

You’re sitting in the audience at an international technology conference. So far, it’s a never-ending carousel of charts, graphs and statistical data from every speaker who walks onstage. 

But then one guy changes the game. Instead of throwing information at you, he uses a meaningful and very personal story to tie his presentation together. You find yourself engaged in his story. You can see yourself in his story and relate. You feel more connected to this speaker at this moment in time than any of the others at the entire conference. And that right there makes his talk a huge success.

That guy, by the way? He just so happens to be a new client I’ve been helping to develop that speech. His original plan was to be like the other speakers because he thought that was what the audience would want. But when I tell him, “No one cares about your bar charts. They care about you and your perspective on artificial intelligence and where it's going,” we restructure his talk accordingly.

So why did his would-be dud of a speech turn into a winner? It happened because we used Applied Storytelling: purposefully telling a story with a specific result in mind or in a specific situation or scenario. 

Today, I’m back with my partner in crime (aka awesome husband) to continue our “So You Think You Want to Become a Storyteller” podcast series. Mark asks me:

How do you balance being personal and vulnerable with being your best self in a professional setting? How important is story in scenarios that happen on a regular basis, like team meetings? How do you tailor your story in a very serious situation?

In this episode, I answer those questions and, in the process, reveal how you can choose different stories for different work or business-related scenarios. We talk about stories in the context of job interviews, boardroom meetings, fundraising, social media and email marketing, and more!

• Why storytelling gives you the edge in job interviews and the workplace
• What questions to ask yourself when preparing stories for social media
• How to make stories as effective in written form as they are in verbal form

As a Speaking Strategist and founder of Storytelling School, I’ve had the pleasure of working with over 500 speakers, business leaders, and entrepreneurs worldwide for over a decade. No matter if those folks were getting ready to take the TED or TEDx stage or preparing for a high-stakes presentation with everything on the line, my specialty is High Stakes Short Form Communication. I’ve seen what works when influencing change and what doesn’t. It turns out storytelling is one of the most powerful tools you can have in your arsenal. That’s why I’m building a movement of master storytellers to affect change in the world on a global scale to help people tell real stories that have influence and impact. With effective storytelling, you change people’s lives.

Since competition for potential client attention is fierce, a story can make the difference between being memorable or irrelevant. You’ll find me sharing my matcha tea mishap to discuss perfectionism, my quest for Bruce Lee and Hello Kitty art to explore kindness, or the six months of live blade training I underwent to illustrate presence. I spend my days showing the power of using stories to help cement ideas and bring lessons to life and teaching my clients to do the same.

If you think business owners can’t tell stories or don’t have stories to share with their clients, staff, donors, followers, or investors, I invite you to reconsider your perspective. There’s no better place than in business to tell your stories so audiences, no matter how big or small, can understand how you think and what you value.

Now it’s your turn... If you’re ready to become a master storyteller and effect change in our world, you’ve come to the right place.