The terrific thinker and writer, Dan Pink, has said that, “If a picture is worth a thousand words; a metaphor is worth a thousand pictures.” I’d say the same is at least as true of a relevant, well-told story. Growing up, my Mom always discouraged stories—but I think she meant a different kind…the not exactly true kind. In my life and work, I’ve discovered that using words to create connections—especially words that evoke emotion and enable people to create a picture of something in their minds – is incredibly effective at motivating others to “own” the actions they say they want to take and the outcomes they intend to achieve as a result of those actions.
Last week, I had the great fortune to sit next to our CEO, Joe Mechlinski—who is an outstanding storyteller—while he shared a true story with our team that blew me away. The purpose of his story was to remind each of us of the importance of every decision we make and the proximity to life’s edge that we walk at all times. The story involves a young man who made a poor decision and now is paying a heavy price…as are others. It was stirring, it made me think; and—now—it’s made me act. In one sense, the message was one we’ve heard many times – seize the day, life can change in an instant, etc. All true. But, if Joe had just reminded us of those possibilities generically, I’m pretty sure I would have forgotten the mere mention of them by now. Because he chose to remind us through a story, through a relevant, well-told story, I remain consciously affected by it a week later…and I’m not close to letting go of what I feel. More importantly, I’ve made a handful of intentional choices to do what is needed to have the impact I want or need to have. I’ve not perfected cold fusion, but I’ve made more of a difference by being more active than I would have been had Joe not stoked the fire of intent and impact and what we do matters.
Among the actions I am taking is my active encouragement to you to invoke the power of storytelling for good with someone you know. The story you tell needs only to be relevant and told with sincerity and the appropriate feeling. Everyone has this capacity as each of us tells a story of some sort every day about something that matters to us. I know you can do it, but—just in case—here are a few things to help you along:
• Tell your own story—this is helpful on two levels:
• Pick something that has happened to you/you’ve experienced as these are the stories we tell best and resonate most
• Actually tell your story—people love to know more about you and appreciate and respond to leaders being vulnerable
• Be relevant—This is the most important component of story choice…it’s got to apply to how you want people to feel and react. If you’re not sure, find a friendly audience and test it out—in fact, do that anyway. It also never hurts to tell people why you’re telling them a story as that establishes context and directs their association.
• Be concise—You’ve seen me make this point in before…and it never gets old. There’s little that’s more figuratively painful than being on the listening end of a long and winding tale. We need some context and facts, but no we don’t need every fact. Good story selection, testing and practice allows us to hone our story down to just the right degree of detail so that we a) get to the point, and b) others are still engaged enough to absorb it.
I’m sure that you’ve got an issue right now you’d love to create or renew energy around. Think about the connection you want people to have to this issue and a story you’ve experienced that helps promote that connection. Test it, practice it, and tell it. It will make a difference in how people feel and what they choose to do. That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it!
Jeff Lesher, Principal at entreQuest, blends his deep knowledge of organization design, human capital, and leadership with a pragmatic approach drawn from his own business experience and eQ's philosophy to help eQ's clients focus on their core purpose and move people effectively to action.