Stories can be an incredibly powerful way to get a message across and to more fully engage an audience during the selling process or in various components of business development or management. They can be incorporated into presentations, case studies, press releases, direct marketing, testimonials, advertising copy, sales brochures, Web copy, and even instruction manuals.
Let’s face it, most people would rather listen to a good story than a good sales pitch or a lecture!
But aside from the potentially entertaining aspect of a good story, science is also involved as stories have proved to have a significant impact on audience emotions – critical factors in evaluations and decision making!
If you’re becoming more interested in exactly how (and why!) stories should be a regular component of your sales or leadership plans, you might like to watch this TED Talk video featuring David Phillips, one of the world’s most known speakers in communication, presentation skills, storytelling, and self-leadership.
During his TED talk, Phillips suggests we do the following three things:
- Believe in our ability to tell effective stories
- Give intentional thought to which stories you might like to tell during sales calls or team interactions (and why)
- Write down your stories so you can practice and refine them
To simplify the third bullet, you can download a short “Storytelling Worksheet” which will help you to incorporate the six key guidelines the experts say comprise an effective story.
