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Spur creativity through effective story telling
That a leader must be a great communicator is an old saw that is continually repeated. But less well-known is the fact that a great leader must also be an arresting storyteller. Be it political leaders who moved nations, like Mahatma Gandhi, Winston Churchill or John F. Kennedy, spiritualists like Ramakrishna Parmahamsa and Vivekananda, or business icons like Jack Welch and Warren Buffett, they all possessed this elusive quality of being able to rouse great passion and mot
ivation for their cause and capture the imagination of the people through their narrative intelligence.
Storytelling is an ability that is critical for leaders, irrespective of their position in the hierarchy. You not only need to tell the right story at the right time, but also need to drive home the point effectively, according to Stephen Denning, keynote speaker and author of books - Squirrel Inc and Leader’s Guide to Storytelling. The right spin on a story can help diffuse the challenges of gaining understanding and support, and transform boring data, figures and abstract targets into vivid images and relatable goals. A magical narrative can also spark the imagination of the people, transmit values, pull them together in adverse situations and help lead people into the future, believes the author.
Just like logical analysis and detailed business reports feed the mind, stories offer fodder for the heart. They are also great for reaching out and communicating to people in times of crisis, for conflict resolution, for motivating people, and for communicating knowledge, values and ethics. While stories may be a great way to drive home the point, there are certain things you must bear in mind when crafting stories for your audiences
Storytelling techniques can also be used in everyday situations to improve your impact, win over hostile audiences, to mobilise support and funding, and make better sales pitches. For example, let us take the case of Chris who sells a commodity that is widely available from a number of competing companies.
To retain his competitive edge, Chris adopts an aggressive sales pitch. He takes the lead in customer discussions, and apart from waxing eloquent about the product features and getting information from customers about how they intend to use of the product, he also provides them with short stories about how other customers are using it, giving the prospective client a better insight into the product applications and a wider perspective.
This kind of storytelling technique has worked successfully for Chris, helping him attract and retain customers in a competitive market.
Storytelling is not a substitute for analytical thinking. It merely supplements it and enables the lay audience to relate better to what is being said. Your stories must be supported by the right facts, goals and vision if it is to get audience buy-in.
The most loved stories are those that are simple and speak about things that matter to people. They are human-centric and appeal to our hearts as well as our minds.
Stories must ring true if you expect the audience to relate to them on a personal level. Ideally, it must be the right mix of fact and emotion. While too much of emotion can be dismissed by people, numbers, facts and data are easily forgotten. To quote another example, G.E’s success stories are as popular and as oft quoted as Jack Welch’s business tactics, and one often wonders how popular Welch’s cutthroat propaganda would have been without the support of these success stories.
You don’t necessarily have to tell a story that your audience wants to hear, but understanding the likes, dislikes and tolerance levels of your audience is central to effective storytelling. Interact with your audience and listen to what they have to say and do. When your rapport with the audience is high, there is a very good chance of your delivering an effective narrative.
Avoid repeating your stories. You should look for new stories to support your message. If you must retell an old tale, look for ways to make it more effective, learn what portions work better with the audience, what portions fail. See how you can add more colour or a different twist. The story has to evolve with each retelling. No one likes to hear the same, word for word account of a story over and over again.
Stories make messages easier to remember and help explain abstract concepts in a simple down to earth manner. Effectively managed, storytelling can be a powerful medium that helps drive organisational change and spark creativity. So if you have a great story to tell your people, go ahead and do it, very likely, it will have a happy ending.
BINDU SRIDHAR
faqs@cnkonline.com
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