“Storytelling can be used to drive change,” says billionaire entrepreneur Richard Branson as he sits by a campfire sharing stories with his team. “Telling a story is one of the best ways we have of coming up with new ideas.”
Branson is one of 35 billionaires, business legends and famous TED speakers who I interviewed or feature in The Storyteller’s Secret, a book to help business leaders understand the language of narrative and the role it plays building a career, growing a brand, selling a product, or launching a movement.
The big lesson: Ideas that catch on are wrapped in story. But there’s a difference between a good story and a transformative one that moves hearts and minds.
Transformative storytellers across a wide variety of fields have mastered three keys of communication:
1. Reframe your internal narrative.
The story you tell yourself is the most important one of all. You cannot inspire others unless and until you’re inspired yourself.
Mark Burnett came from London and landed in Los Angeles with $200 to his name. The year was 1982. Burnett’s first job was a nanny. The former British paratrooper’s first task was to empty a dishwasher. He later sold T-shirts on the sidewalk in Venice Beach.
Burnett didn’t see those jobs as beneath him or a waste of time. He studied the habits of the wealthy and learned how to pitch products. Those skills came in handy when Burnett pitched the idea of a reality-adventure show called Survivor. “All success begins with the ability to sell something, whether it’s a shirt or an idea,” says Burnett.
2. Share stories of triumph over adversity.
Storytellers who inspire embrace their own story of triumph over adversity and, by doing so, challenge us to dream bigger.
Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz often tells the story of growing up in a Brooklyn housing project and watching as his family struggled after his father was injured on the job.
They had no health insurance and found it difficult to make ends meet. The story underpins Schultz’s initiatives, such as offering health insurance for all employees.
“The more uninspiring your origins, the more likely you are to use your imagination and invent worlds where everything seems possible.”
If you’ve overcome adversity in your life, in your career, in your business, it’s important to share that story because we are hardwired to love rags-to-riches stories.
And we love them because we need to hear them. Embrace your history, because it’s the stuff from which legends are made and legacies are left.
3. Make personal stories 65% of your presentation.
Human rights attorney and author of “Just Mercy,” Bryan Stevenson, received the longest standing ovation in the 30-year history of the TED conference.
In Stevenson’s now famous talk he told three stories: a lesson his grandmother taught him, meeting Rosa Parks, and an incident in a courtroom which gave him the energy to keep fighting for the unjustly convicted.
“Why did you start with a story about your grandmother?” I asked Stevenson. “Because everyone has a grandmother,” he said. Stevenson’s point is that in order to create a bond with another person, you need to tell personal stories that accomplish two things: 1) reinforce the theme of your talk and 2) create empathy between you and your audience.
“Narrative is hugely important in effective communication,” says Stevenson. He should know. Stevenson argues and wins cases before the U.S. Supreme Court, one of the toughest audiences any of us will ever face.
When I studied Stevenson’s TED talk, I quantified every line and discovered that 65% of the content fell under what Aristotle called ‘Pathos’ — emotional stories. I first thought it would be an anomaly, until I discovered that most of the popular TED talks followed the same formula.
Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg delivered a presentation on women in the workplace. Stories made up 70% of her presentation. The emotional connection with her audience was so strong, Sandberg’s talk went viral and launched the book and the movement, “Lean In.” I argue that you never would have heard of “Lean In” had it not been for a presentation heavy on pathos.
Sandberg reminds us that stories inform, illuminate and inspire. Facts don’t spark movements; stories do.