“The ability to sell our ideas in the form of story is more important than ever.” Great review of The Storyteller’s Secret in Canada’s Hamilton Spectator
Full Review:
BUSINESS BOOKS: If you want to sell your idea, a boring story won’t seal the deal
By Jay Robb
The good news is you’ve decided not to inflict death by PowerPoint.
The bad news is you’re giving your own version of a TED Talk. And you’re going to wing it.
You’ve watched the videos, so you know the drill.
Don’t stand behind a lectern. Don’t read from a script or use speaking notes.
Stand in the middle of the stage. Tell a personal story. Be self-deprecating. Throw a few photos and words up on the screen. Blow people’s minds with a big idea. Wrap things up in under 18 minutes. Be gracious when the audience gives you a standing ovation.
Sounds simple enough, right?
Wrong.
Someone needs to do a TED Talk about how hard it is to do a TED Talk. Show us the weeks and months of preparation, the search for the perfect story, the rounds of rewrites and the rehearsals with coaches who perfect every word, pause, inflection, expression and hand gesture. TED Talks look spontaneous and unscripted, but don’t be fooled into thinking you can do the same without logging serious hours of prep time.
It’s not enough to just get up and tell us a story. Yes, we’re hard-wired for storytelling. But there’s an important caveat. We don’t like boring stories badly told.
The Neanderthals who grunted out lousy stories around the campfire were likely banished to the back of the cave or beaten to death with a bison bone.
Your audience will think the same thing if you’ve overestimated your storytelling abilities. Despite your best intentions, you may leave us longing for your supersized PowerPoint decks.
The harsh truth is that not all of us know how to spot and then tell a story.
To help us do better, Carmine Gallo introduces us to more than 50 leaders who know how to stand and deliver. Gallo profiles master storytellers who’ve given some of the most viewed and highly rated TED Talks.
“A good story can help explain an idea,” says Gallo, communications coach and author of “The Storyteller’s Secret.” “A great story educates, entertains, inspires and ultimately fires up our collective imagination. Tell great ones.”
Great stories are the coin of the realm, whether you’re an entrepreneur pitching to investors or a leader drumming up employee support for a new project.
“The ability to sell our ideas in the form of story is more important than ever. Your ability to package your ideas with emotion, context and relevancy is the one skill that will make you more valuable in the next decade.”
Sir Richard Branson is one of the storytellers profiled by Gallo. A select group of entrepreneurs are invited to Branson’s home in the British Virgin Islands for the Extreme Tech Challenge. They each have 10 minutes to pitch their idea or product.
“They must grab Branson’s attention, convince him that the idea has the potential to positively impact the world, and inspire him to make a substantial financial commitment to the company,” says Gallo, who’s coached some of the entrepreneurs who’ve pitched Branson.
Many initially plan to talk exclusively about financials, numbers and data.
“They are only partly right. These entrepreneurs are neglecting the core findings of neuroscience: emotion trumps logic. You cannot reach a person’s head without first touching their heart.”
Branson is a big believer in the art of storytelling to drive change.
“Telling a story is one of the best ways we have of coming up with new ideas, and also of learning about each other and the world,” he says.
Along with the storyteller profiles, Gallo opens the tool box used to educate, simplify, motivate and launch movements.
Raid the tool box before you ditch the PowerPoint and invite investors and employees to gather around the campfire.
Learn how to tell a great story and they won’t be overcome with the urge to beat you with a bison bone.
@jayrobb lives in Hamilton and works as Director of Communications at Mohawk College.