Seattle: Oct. 10, Doug presents Story Theater at NSA-NW chapter meeting.

Open to the public. www.nsanorthwest.org

New York: Oct. 15, confirmed One-Day workshop on Strategic Storytelling for Business, Training and Sales. Rare opportunity!

www.storytelling-in-business.com, click on Products, then Registrations. Early registration discount is still open!

Chicago:  Oct. 30, and/or Nov. 2:

4-Person Coaching Day with Doug Stevenson. This is a one-day event, limited to 4 people. Will take place in Schaumburg. $680.

Contact Deborah for registration.

Salt Lake City: Oct. 21, 3:30 - 9 pm; Doug presents Story Theater at NSA-Mountain West chapter meeting.

Open to the public. www.nsamw.org

Denver: Nov. 14: Doug presents Story Theater at NSA-CO chapter meeting. Open to the public.

www.nsacolorado.org

719-573-6195

“Have you ever been speaking, and you look out into your audience and see ’screen saver eyes’?  You know - that glassy-eyed look that let’s you know you’ve lost their attention?”

They all laughed and nodded in agreement!

If you’ve ever seen “screen saver eyes,” the two most important questions to ask yourself are:

• What did you do to lose them?
• How do you get them back?

This is an age-old problem. It is made worse by the need to teach vast volumes of information in short periods of time, and even more compounded by one of the most dangerous technological breakthroughs in history: PowerPoint!

Don’t you think PowerPoint is inappropriately named? Shouldn’t it be called WimpyPoint? PowerPoint has no power at all. The speaker has power. PowerPoint is a visual aid. Unfortunately, hundreds of thousands of intelligent audience members have been lulled into sleep by the fourth slide. Why?

Many speakers put almost every word of their presentation onto slides and then read them. It’s as if the speaker has relinquished his intelligence and memory to the slide show.  The entire presentation is on the slides.  Here’s what I have learned:

• Overly wordy slides are boring
• No eye contact is boring
• Not speaking extemporaneously is boring

If you must use PowerPoint, or if PowerPoint serves a specific purpose in your presentation, you can find more advice and tips in my eArticle: Powerful PowerPoint That Doesn’t Steal the Spotlight.

If you’re guilty of losing your audience’s attention it’s because you’re not stimulating their whole brain. People lose interest when all you do is deliver content, without making it interesting or stimulating. In other words, when you speak from your left logical brain to their left logical brain, you are simply delivering content - disseminating information - and that is boring.

People want stimulation. Right and left brain stimulation. Whole brain stimulation.  They want an experience!

We are all stimulation junkies. We want action. You know what I mean: lights, sound, action! Like in the movies. If you can make any part of your presentation like a movie, (auditory, visual and kinesthetic), and make your movie relevant, you will regain their attention.

How can you make a movie? Tell a story. Stories are inherently auditory, visual and kinesthetic. They activate the listener’s movie screen - their imagination - and engage their attention.

One of the primary principles of The Story Theater Method and the Dynamite Speech System is that you can’t teach anything if you don’t have people’s attention.

The bottom line is not about teaching - it’s about attention. It’s not about delivering content - it’s about engaging people so they care enough about what you’re saying to listen.

There are a number of ingredients that a story must have for it to engage someone’s attention and live up to its promise as an interesting mini-movie. They are:

• A clear and easy-to-follow narrative that flows logically forward
• Interesting characters that we can relate to
• Real life situations that we can relate to
• An obstacle or problem that must be dealt with for a successful outcome
• Drama (tension) and possibly comedy (release of tension)
• Resolution
• A relevant point (lesson learned or moral of the story)

As you choose your stories, choose them strategically to fit the situation or topic you are speaking on. They must fit seamlessly into the speech or training. If they are simply used for filler, they may seem like a waste of time. Make every moment in front of your audience count.

Once you have identified a story that makes the point you need to make, craft it using my Nine Steps of Story Structure template. Then memorize and rehearse it out loud and on your feet. Don’t make the mistake of practicing sitting down or by going over it in silence in your head. You must hear it and “physicalize” it for it to come alive.

To study Doug Stevenson’s  Story Theater Method, purchase his book and audio Six Pack or study with him in person by attending a 4 person Story Theater Retreat in Colorado Springs. If you’re interested in hiring Doug to present a keynote or workshop for your company or association, call Deborah Merriman at 719-573-6195 or visit www.storytelling-in-business.com.

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This was my first time presenting Story Theater in Germany and we weren’t sure what to expect. However, after doing two Story Theater Retreats and giving two speeches to audiences of Germans, Austrians and Swiss (many of them listening to me through an interpreter), the verdict was clear and overwhelming. The Story Theater Method works as well in Germany as it has everywhere else. Whew! We were in the right place. What a relief. And a blessing.

We also had some time for fun and vacation on this trip.  For my 57^th birthday present, I got to see William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice, at the Globe Theater in London. The Merchant of Venice was the first play that I ever acted in, back when I was 19 years old.  Seeing the play at The Globe was a dream come true.

After our work in Germany, we had 12 days to wander the countryside in a rented car. Our only plan was to drive until we felt like stopping, find a hotel and rest for the night. On a bright Saturday morning, we headed south from Cologne to Koblenz, and then along the Mosel River. Finding a hotel on our first night was pretty challenging, because it was wine festival season and we did not have reservations.

Every hotel we went to was booked. At one, the receptionist, a wonderful old grey haired Grandma type, told us she was sold out, but got on the phone and found a room for us in another hotel. This became the first instance, but not the last, of German kindness and hospitality. We were greeted at our hotel with a welcome glass of wine and had a wonderful meal before bedding down for the night.

The next day we continued to wander south along the lovely Mosel River, then headed southeast towards the Black Forest.  Deb picked out a town on the map that looked good for our next night - right on the Rhine River. If it’s on the Rhine, it must be quaint, right?

By the time we stumbled into town it was dark and I was getting cranky. I was getting used to a frothy German beer at dinnertime and it was well after 7:30 pm. After driving around in circles for another 30 minutes, we realized that this was not the quaint river town we were expecting.  We finally saw a hotel, but it was not good. We found another one a block away. It was shut down for the night. Things were looking pretty grim. It seemed like we’d made a mistake and were in the wrong place. But, there was a Greek restaurant across the street and we needed food.

I had to look through the window of the restaurant to see if the place was still open. I saw one couple eating and one waitress at a counter, so we went in.  We struck up a conversation with the couple at the next table. Lucky for us, the husband spoke great English. He said, “Ask me anything. I’ll help you any way I can.”

Not only did he help us find a hotel two blocks away, but he also told us about some old castle ruins that are not in the tourist guidebooks, and an idyllic old German town called Wissembourg (which happened to be in France). Plus, he gave us his own map of the region, one that proved indispensable for the rest of the trip.

As we walked out of the restaurant, I said to Deborah, “That was interesting. It’s like we’re on a scavenger hunt and he just gave us the next clue for our journey.” To which Deborah replied, “We were in the right place after all.”

The ruins of the castle were up on a hill overlooking the vineyards. To get to it you had to ride an old, and I mean old, ski lift through a lush grove of trees just starting to turn into their fall colors. Wow!

Later that afternoon, we drove down the Weinstrasse (Wine Road) to Wissembourg and boy was he right. This was the classic old German town of your dreams. We spent two nights there and enjoyed a wonderful day wandering the streets, taking photos and shopping.

Heading east across the Black Forest was beautiful. The two lane mountain roads wound through quaint little villages that sold Cuckoo Clocks. Deborah kept reminding me that we needed to find a place to take a hike in the woods while it was sunny and bright. So we drove and drove and when it was lunchtime, I pulled off the road at a little Bierhaus.

Deborah ordered the fish from the river that ran through town and I had a Wurst with Kartoffle (sausage and potatoes). While we were lunching, I noticed a lady pull in to the parking lot, look at a sign and then disappear up a path beside the restaurant. When I investigated further, I discovered a 2-kilometer wellness walk right there behind where we were sitting. This was our hike!  Furthermore, it was an experience that we had never had before. This trail was designed for walking barefoot, over mulch, sand, pebbles, mud, pinecones and grass.  A foot massage in the woods!

Once again, we were in the right place to find the next clue.

Back in Munich, after experiencing Oktoberfest and drinking 1-liter beers (without getting tipsy) we decided for our last night to walk over to the Marianplatz and watch the famous Glockenspiel do its thing at 5 o’clock. We found a seat at a table next to two Americans. It turned out that one of them lived in Denver, 60 miles north of Colorado Springs. By the end of the conversation we were exchanging emails and considering the possibility of how my Story Theater Method could help his company.

And again, we were in the right place.

This wonderful trip was just like my life: full of hundreds of times when meaningful coincidences, (Carl Jung calls then synchronicities), have happened. Not only are these synchronicities happening all the time, they can be counted on. It’s as if life is a mysterious scavenger hunt and you have to live each day to discover the next clue. But the lesson is this: Know that you’re always in the right place to receive the next clue.  Even when it is not obvious, we are actually in the right place all the time.  At each turn, with each encounter, we get the clue for the next piece of the journey.  The trick is to look for the clue - expect it - and then, do what the clue tells you to do.

It’s absolutely amazing to me that I just returned from speaking in Germany. Years ago, when I was beginning my speaking career, I marveled at how people got to give speeches in Seattle or Atlanta, much less in another country. I realize that all along the way, I have received clues for what to do next to lead me on this journey.  Sometimes I made the decision to follow the clues, and other times I didn’t even notice them or I rejected them.

My revelation from this journey is that you are always in the right place to receive the next clue, and even if you ignore or reject the clue, it will come back around until you finally recognize it as YOUR next clue.

Many years ago I got a clue that I was supposed to be speaking about Story Theater rather than customer service and change.  I had to get that clue many times before I finally GOT it. Once I recognized the clue and made the change, it eventually led to me speaking in London and Singapore and Australia, and now Germany.

Know that you’re in the right place to receive the next clue.  Is there a clue that you are ignoring?  Are you holding onto your current “right place?”  Being in the right place is not a permanent place.  You are in the right place to receive the next clue that will take you to the next right place.

Know that you’re in the right place. Follow the clues.

(Note:  The above story demonstrates theme weaving and using a Phrase That Pays.  For more information on these Story Theater principles, refer to the index of topics for the past issues of the Story Theater Newsletter.)

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One was in a Story Theater Retreat here in my home studio, and the other was in a one-day Storytelling in Business workshop for a training company. One of the students was a high-energy female, full of movement and energy.  The other was a male student who was more subdued, but equally enthusiastic. In both cases, the “speaker’s smile” was ever present.

I call it the “speaker’s smile” because it was there all the time when they were presenting, but when they were off the stage, the smile came and went based on the topic of conversation. The problem of the “speaker’s smile” becomes pronounced and incongruent, especially in the context of storytelling.

Every story has its highs and lows. If it’s a good story, it will have an obstacle - a problem to be dealt with and overcome. In the telling of the story, if the storyteller’s face is not congruent with the emotion of the moment, the moment seems false. That was the case with each of these students. At the moment of truth in their stories, when they were describing the difficulty they were facing, they both described it with a smile.

Great speaking is first and foremost about speaking the truth. It’s about addressing the most important issues head on. For me, as I’ve matured as a speaker, my ability to be honest and confrontational is what has set me apart from my competition. I tell it like it is with emotion that is congruent. If I’m talking about the unlimited potential of each individual in my audience, I’m smiling. If I’m talking about self-limiting beliefs, I’m not.

During my acting experience, I learned to take on the persona of the character I was playing and to feel and express any emotion in front of an audience. When I made the transition from acting to speaking, at first it was hard for me to show a range of emotions. I thought I had to be positive all the time.

What I eventually realized is that the end result of a motivational speech needs to be positive, but the speech itself has to contain a range of emotions.  With the development of The Story Theater Method, I have come to understand how our stories, when portrayed with emotional honesty, have the power to take people to a deep place - a place where they can heal their deepest wounds. Because Story Theater stories are so real, so honest and so visceral, the storyteller allows the listener to experience their pain, so that the listener understands their own story better.

If you have been reading my articles for the last eight years or listening to my CDs, you have heard me say that emotion is the fast lane to the brain. That means when the speaker feels and expresses genuine emotion that is congruent with the content being presented, it stimulates an emotional response in the listener. The emotional response is called a “sympathetic experience.”

This “sympathetic experience” takes the listener out of their left logical brain and into a more holistic interpretive state where they are simultaneously seeing, feeling, hearing and experiencing your message with head, heart and intuition. During this heightened state of awareness, they are simultaneously in your story and also imagining their own story.

This deep level of connection cannot take place when the person standing in front of them is smiling all the time, regardless of what they are saying. The “speaker’s smile” is like a subtle lie that takes away from the message being conveyed. The listener doesn’t necessarily know on a conscious level why they don’t believe the speaker. They just know that there is something unbelievable about the speaker and they don’t connect.

Please understand, I am all in favor of smiling when speaking. I do it a lot. If you stand there with a sour face and all you do is dump on people, people won’t want to listen to you. The problem is not the smiling; it’s the false belief that speakers are supposed to smile all the time - to always be happy, high-energy and positive.

Do you smile all day long in all circumstances? Of course not. You smile when you are happy or pleased. You smile when your emotional state warrants a smile. In other words, a smile comes from the inside. Rather that stepping in front of an audience and plastering on a smile, feel the emotion of the moment. Let your face reflect your emotion. In doing so, you will always be authentic.

If you are new to speaking, or don’t speak very often, be careful not to plaster on the  “speaker’s smile”. You can and must be yourself. Your best shot at becoming a successful speaker is to be real. Speak your truth. Stand in your power and say what you have come to say. Don’t be concerned about pleasing everyone in your audience because that’s not your job.

Smile because you are happy. Smile because you are excited about what you have to say and about the opportunity to share your wisdom with an audience. Smile when a smile is appropriate. At other times, trust that your face knows what to do. Trust that your audience knows how to interpret your authentic emotion. Just trust.

To study Doug Stevenson’s  Story Theater Method, purchase his book and audio Six Pack or study with him in person by attending a 4 person Story Theater Retreat in Colorado Springs. If you’re interested in hiring Doug to present a keynote or workshop for your company or association, call Deborah Merriman at 719-573-6195 or visit www.storytelling-in-business.com.

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After working with hundreds of students on their stories and presentations, I have come to one definitive conclusion. Most people are already funny. So what’s the problem? The problem is they (and perhaps you?) have spent so many years trying NOT to be funny (i.e. trying to be taken seriously) that they have forgotten what their funny looks, sounds and feels like. My job is to reveal to them what is already there. And it’s not always easy.

The Challenge - To Be Funny on Demand

The challenge of humor is to be as funny on demand, in a speech or presentation, as you are when you’re just goofing around with your friends and co-workers. That means you must be able to objectively identify your natural humorous behavior and wit when it happens naturally. You have to know what it is. In other words, you must objectify your neurosis, categorize your quirks and capitalize on your insanity. To be funny on demand, you have to stop trying not to be funny and let your natural goofball play in public.

Let’s face it, we’re all a little weird. Whether you are an uptight anal-retentive neurotic or a “loosey-goosey” cornucopia of creative excesses, you are, (to those who observe you from the outside), uniquely quirky and weird. If you intend to be funny, your unique sense of humor and comedic rhythms are good. That means that you have something to work with. You don’t need material, you ARE material!

Two Ways to Be Funny Immediately

Two elements that will help you to take what you have going for you and make it funnier are: exaggeration and playfulness.

In comedic terms, exaggeration simply means that you go farther. Take your idea, gesture or example and keep going - broaden it. Many funny folks exaggerate physically with their body or face. I have yet to work with a student who wasn’t able to find laughs simply by pausing at a specific moment and using their face or body to react to a line that they have just spoken. The aspect that many of my students are uncomfortable with is the time that is takes for physical comedy to work.

Physical comedy, whether it’s a gesture, a freeze or a facial expression, takes time. You have to deliver your sentence, fill the next moment with a physical reaction and then you can go on. And it always takes longer than most speakers think. If you observe yourself closely, you may discover that you are more animated off the platform than on it. In other words, you exaggerate naturally, and then tone it down for performance. That’s backwards. Exaggerate and you will get laughs.

You Can’t Be Funny While Trying to Be Taken Seriously

Playfulness is a quality, but also is an ingredient in comedic performance. Funny people have fun while they perform. The playfulness occurs on two levels. The first level is with yourself. The second level is with the audience. When the speaker has fun with his or her own personality, material and style, it gives the audience permission to laugh along with the speaker. We know this as self-deprecating humor. I call it self-loving humor. Without loving yourself, it is hard to make fun of yourself in a way that creates connection and safety with the audience. Once this level of safety has been created, your audience will allow you to be playful with them, as well.

I like to tease and poke fun at members of my audience. In order to do that, I have to pretend that they have given me permission to treat them like my buddies. I assume a familiarity and intimacy.  I know that this is assumed rather than earned, but I go ahead and joke and play with them as if I’ve known them for years. I can get away with this because of my playful style and joyous personality. They know I’m just having fun and don’t have a mean bone in my body. And…my joking and teasing is appropriate and strategic. It’s never off color or rude.

So loosen up, exaggerate and get playful!

****************************************************************

Doug Stevenson, president of Story Theater International, is the creator of The Story Theater Method and the author of the book, Doug Stevenson’s Story Theater Method, formerly titled Never Be Boring Again. He works with individuals and organizations to help them choose, craft and deliver compelling speeches, presentations and stories, thereby engaging attention and improving retention.

His programs include, Get Out of Your Own Way, Emotional Eloquence - The Lost language of Leadership, Storytelling in Business is Serious Business and It Was A Dark and Stormy Sales Presentation - The Serious Business of Selling with Stories

His keynote speaking, corporate training and executive coaching clients include Microsoft, Hewlett Packard, Lockheed Martin, Oracle, Bristol Myers Squibb, Aetna, Amgen, State Farm, Volkswagen, Century 21, The Department of Defense, The National Education Association and many more.

Doug can be reached at 1-800-573-6196 or 1-719-573-6195 or at: www.storytelling-in-business.com

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Some of them will have tears in their eyes. They’ll want to engage you in long conversations and tell you the story of their life. They’ll want to give you things that have meaning to them. In other words, they will connect with you and let you know that you made a difference in their life.

This is what you want, right? This is why you spent so much time on your speech. This is why you wanted to share your story in the first place. So, in the moment when you are standing there and people are lined up after your speech waiting to talk to you, here are a few hints on how to handle all of the praise.

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Have a comfortable and firm foundation from which to stand there and receive.

Keep an open posture and an open heart as you graciously listen to what they have to share with you.

Be patient and maintain eye contact. Love the one you’re with. At that moment, no one else is important.

Simply receive. Say thank you. Say thank you again. Each time they praise you, accept it with a simple thank you.

If they linger too long, more than three or four minutes, simply take their hand and say thank you and mention that there are other people in line and you want to “honor the other people in line as well.”

If you do have time, ask them a question to gain feedback on your presentation, like “what one thing did I say that has made a difference for you?” or “what did I say that will stick with you?”

One thing you should not do is negate their praise with a self-effacing statement. Don’t say, “It really wasn’t my best speech,” or, “I’m really not that good,” or, “Thank you but…”

At that moment, it’s really not about you. It’s about them. You just gave them a gift, now it’s their turn. Let them give you a gift. At that moment, they only have their thoughts and feelings to share, and because they may not be in the habit of speaking to people like you, be sensitive to their situation. Make it easy for them. Stand and receive. Breathe. Say thank you over and over again.

And my last piece of advice is this. Get used to it.

************************************************************* 

Doug Stevenson, president of Story Theater International, is the creator of The Story Theater Method and the author of the book, Doug Stevenson’s Story Theater Method, formerly titled Never Be Boring Again. He works with individuals and organizations to help them choose, craft and deliver compelling speeches, presentations and stories, thereby engaging attention and improving retention.

His programs include, Get Out of Your Own Way, Emotional Eloquence - The Lost language of Leadership, Storytelling in Business is Serious Business and It Was A Dark and Stormy Sales Presentation - The Serious Business of Selling with Stories

His keynote speaking, corporate training and executive coaching clients include Microsoft, Hewlett Packard, Lockheed Martin, Oracle, Bristol Myers Squibb, Aetna, Amgen, State Farm, Volkswagen, Century 21, The Department of Defense, The National Education Association and many more.

Doug can be reached at 1-800-573-6196 or 1-719-573-6195 or at: www.storytelling-in-business.com

While money is a prime motivator for staying engaged at work, it is not recognition for excellence or achievement. Money is a reward for showing up and doing your job. Everyone who shows up and does his or her job gets a paycheck.

As speakers and leaders, we have an opportunity to play an integral part in the recognition process when we give speeches and presentations. I’m not talking about an awards ceremony, however. I’m talking about emotionally engaging everyone in your audience in a way that makes them all feel recognized.

In my Emotional Eloquence program, I teach how to Speak from Your Head with Your Heart Wide Open.

An Emotionally Eloquent speaker knows that there are two components to any great speech. The first component is content. Content covers all of the points that need to be made, information that needs to be conveyed and data that needs to be shared. Content is all of the head stuff.

The second component is motivation. The motivational pieces of a speech are designed to get people to care about the content pieces - to create emotional buy-in. The second component is devoted to creating the “why” beneath the “what”, and to help people understand the context and philosophy behind the decisions that have been made. This is the heart stuff.

When a speech is designed with both components in mind, the speaker is free to speak from their head with the content pieces and to speak from their heart with the motivational pieces. They say what needs to be said in a way that lets their audience members know the speaker cares about them and appreciates their contribution.

The inclusion of the motivational/emotional dimension makes the difference between an Emotionally Eloquent speech and one that falls flat. Recognition takes place in the motivational aspect of the speech. It happens when the speaker takes a few minutes to speak to the heart and soul of each audience member and to acknowledge that he or she recognizes and appreciates their good work.

I recall a speech I made to a library district group at their annual meeting. Everyone who worked in the library from the top management to librarians to the guy who cleaned the bathrooms was there. Towards the end of the speech I shifted into heart mode and spoke to them about my appreciation for the work that they were doing. I made a joke about how they must all have gotten into the library business to get rich and they all laughed. For about five minutes I talked about them from what I believed to be their perspective. I put myself in their shoes and imagined that I was one of them, working in a library five days a week.

I doubted that they received much recognition, because most people don’t. And yet I knew that the service they provided to the community was very worthwhile and necessary. They ordered the books that they thought people would want to read and made them accessible to anyone regardless of income. They read stories to children and instilled in them a love of words and books and reading. And they did it all for very little money. So I surmised, they must do it for love.

All it took for me to create a genuine heartfelt motivational mode was to speak to them with my heart wide open, with gratitude and compassion. I concluded with something like, “So on behalf of all of the thousands of people who walk in and out of the doors of your library with homework to do, questions that need answering and books to read and enjoy, THANK YOU!”  They loved it.

In order to increase engagement, communicate to your audience or employees that you are aware they are giving it their best shot and that you believe in their ability to live up to any challenge. Be careful, because the words you use to convey this message are not enough. It is the heartfelt honesty with which they are conveyed that is essential. If you don’t believe it, don’t say it.

Think about your next audience for a moment. Who are they? Are they good people? Do you like and respect them? What could you say, with your heart wide open, that would touch them emotionally?  If you were one of them, what do you think you would want and need to hear that would empower you to feel better about yourself and your organization? Feel that; then share it.  Speak from your head with your heart wide open.

You probably do this one-on-one many times a day. It’s a natural part of being a good leader. You catch someone doing something right and you acknowledge it with genuine appreciation. That’s what recognition is all about.

Your ability to do the same thing when you present to a group of people is part of Emotional Eloquence. Emotional Eloquence is your ability to give voice to your heartfelt thoughts and feelings. Learn to be emotionally eloquent and you will not only inform, you will also motivate and inspire.

The next time you are given an opportunity to speak to a group, either as a leader or as a professional speaker, remember this aspect of Emotional Eloquence: Speak from Your Head with Your Heart Wide Open.

*****************************************

Doug Stevenson, president of Story Theater International, is the creator of The Story Theater Method and the author of the book, Doug Stevenson’s Story Theater Method, formerly titled Never Be Boring Again. He works with individuals and organizations to help them choose, craft and deliver compelling speeches, presentations and stories, thereby engaging attention and improving retention.

His programs include, Get Out of Your Own Way, Emotional Eloquence - The Lost language of Leadership, Storytelling in Business is Serious Business and It Was A Dark and Stormy Sales Presentation - The Serious Business of Selling with Stories

His keynote speaking, corporate training and executive coaching clients include Microsoft, Hewlett Packard, Lockheed Martin, Oracle, Bristol Myers Squibb, Aetna, Amgen, State Farm, Volkswagen, Century 21, The Department of Defense, The National Education Association and many more.

Doug can be reached at 1-800-573-6196 or 1-719-573-6195 or at: www.storytelling-in-business.com

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The answer to the question, “What’s the point?” needs to be concise and simple, not a lengthy explanation. Can you state the point of your story in five or six words?

Sharpen the Point and Make it Stick

Think of a spear that has a sharp point on the end. If you throw it at the ground, the sharp point will pierce the dirt and make the spear stick. If the end of the spear is round or dull, it will bounce off the ground. It won’t stick. The same is true with the point of your story.

In this storytelling article, I want to focus on sharpening the point of your stories.

An integral part of my Story Theater Method is the Nine Steps of Story Structure. You can use these nine steps to craft any story and make it easier to follow and more effective at making a point. The last three steps are designed to ensure that your point is memorable - that it sticks in the minds of your listeners.

The reason we use storytelling in a business context is to affect behavioral change. Stories are teaching tools. When stories are strategically and correctly crafted, using my storytelling technology, the lesson of the story has a profound effect on the listener and causes them to think or act differently. Without this end result, what’s the point of telling a story? What’s the point of training at all if people don’t use what they learn to be more productive and more profitable for the organization providing the training?

Stick The Landing

Steps 7, 8 and 9 of the Nine Steps are:

• Make the Point
• Ask the Question
• Repeat the Point

These three steps are called “Stick the Landing.” The term comes from gymnastics. Imagine a tiny 14-year old, 14-pound female gymnast who jumps up on the pommel horse and goes flying though the air and doing amazing twists and gyrations at warp speed.  When she has completed her mid-air routine, she’s supposed to land in one spot - not wiggle or waver at all - and then, stand tall with her arms raised overhead, sporting a huge, sparkling smile. That finale is called “sticking the landing”.

If a gymnast sticks the landing and doesn’t take additional steps on the mat, he or she gets a high score. Even though they performed eight complex gyrations in the air, if they don’t stick the landing, it costs them points off of their score. It’s the same with your story. If your point is not sharp and concise, it will cost you. If people don’t remember your point, they don’t act on it. Nothing changes. It might cost you in productivity; it might cost you in profit.  It might cost them in failing to make the changes needed for a better life.

Mental Velcro

In a previous newsletter article entitled “Mental Velcro”, I discussed using the Phrase That Pays to brand your message with a short statement like “Walk Your Talk” or “Lead By Example”. These short, verb-oriented phrases instruct your listener on what you want them to do. There is a big difference, however, between lecturing people on what to do and giving them an experience through a brilliantly crafted story that moves them to accept your invitation or challenge of what they can do.

In a recent coaching conversation with a client who was ready to make the move from a leadership position in a large corporation to professional speaking and training, I asked him what his core message was.  (For more information on the Core Message, see the Dynamite Speech System). He had no idea. I asked him what lessons he wanted to teach or what points he wanted to make. This got him talking for about five minutes, but I still didn’t know exactly what he wanted me to learn from him.

Then I asked him to identify the problem that he wanted to address, and he listed five. I asked him to pick one. He settled on the problem of rejection getting a person down and making them want to quit. He told me about his experience making sales calls and how, over time, he learned to handle the rejection and simply get back in his car and drive to the next appointment, rather than blowing off the rest of the day.

Get Back in the Car

I asked him if the metaphorical lesson he wanted to teach was to get back in the car. That phrase is verb-oriented so it worked fine as a call to action. He liked the phrase, but felt that the car part was too literal and limiting, because many salespeople sell on the phone or one-on-one in a business setting.

As we continued our coaching call, I asked him to let his mind wander to similar experiences that had nothing to do with selling. I asked him what he did for fun or pleasure - what kind of adventures he’d been on.

What came to mind for him was an experience when he was 13 years old at Boy Scout summer camp. They went horseback riding and his horse started to trot when he wasn’t expecting it, and he fell off. When he landed, he broke his arm. From that time on, he was afraid of horses.

The following summer at camp, he tried to get out of it when the group went horseback riding. And even though all of the other kids were giving him a hard time about it, he refused to try again. So while all of the other scouts went riding, he had to sit in the campsite by himself. As he was sitting there feeling sorry for himself, his scoutmaster sat down next time him for a chat.

You guessed it. His scoutmaster counseled him on all of the times he’d been faced with challenges in his life and how there were always going to be big scary horses that would throw him to the ground. “The true test of courage,” his scoutmaster said, “is to get back on the horse and confront your fear.”

Get Back on the Horse or Confront Your Fear

He decided that the horseback-riding story had a broader metaphorical appeal. He also felt that the point about getting back on the horse and confronting your fear was stronger than getting back in the car. So again I asked him to pick one. “If you want to sharpen your point and make it stick, you have to pick one,” I said. “Choose one or the other.”

Get back on the horse is a clear and concise point. Confront your fear is a clear and concise point. Both are valid. Both work. The story is stronger however, and the point more memorable, if he only uses one point, rather than both. In the story, he is afraid of horses, so fear is evident. Not getting back on the horse means that fear wins. Getting back on the horse is the metaphorical action that implies confronting the fear. And it is more memorable and unique to that particular story.

He chose Get Back on the Horse.

Now, let’s stick the landing. Here’s how to do it.

Step 7: What I learned from that summer camp experience was… get back on the horse.

Step 8: How about you? Have you ever had something happen to you that hurt, physically or psychologically? And because of that one experience, you’ve been afraid to ever feel that pain again, and it’s costing you. It’s preventing you from moving forward, from experiencing life to it’s fullest?

Step 9: My challenge for you is…get back on the horse.

In Step 7 you share what YOU learned.

In Step 8 you formally transfer the lesson to THEM with a “How About You” type question.

In Step 9 you challenge THEM to implement the lesson.

Most stories start strong and then lose focus at the end. When you Stick the Landing, you’ll finish strong.

To study Doug Stevenson’s  Story Theater Method, purchase his book and audio Six Pack or study with him in person by attending a 4 person Story Theater Retreat in Colorado Springs. If you’re interested in hiring Doug to present a keynote or workshop for your company or association, call Deborah Merriman at 719-573-6195 or visit www.storytelling-in-business.com.

The Story Theater Retreat in Colorado Springs

The Story Theater Method

Presentations Skills and Storytelling Products and Packages

Feedback from students, clients and audience members tells us if we’re on the right track. In my case, it also let’s me know what ideas or concepts are most important to them. Just the other day I received the following email and I thought it was important that I share it with you.

“I want you to know that your program in Indianapolis (and the CD’s I purchased) have made a tremendous impact on my professional career.  I really can’t remember a time when I have had so many take-aways from a program.  Story telling is a core part of how I train, but truthfully, even though I THOUGHT I was a good story teller, I had  NO IDEA what I didn’t know. It is easy to go by instinct and do what feels right, but your information has put an amazing framework around this part of my delivery that will really deepen the impact I can make to my audiences.  It is really about having people leave these programs feeling engaged, committed, and wanting to take action, and your methods will really help make that happen.   Thanks for creating your incredible approach to story theater AND for sharing it!”

Best Regards, Jan Green, Training Manager

What struck me in her testimonial was the sentence, “I had no idea what I didn’t know.”

Storytelling in business is very serious business. Stories have great power. They can influence and inspire in a way that no other medium of communication can. When you take storytelling seriously by studying the art and craft of story structure, you can change hearts and minds and get results. When you take the time to learn what you don’t know about using dramatic silence and branding in your stories, you can make your message more memorable.

Simply “going by instinct” and “doing what feels right” is fine if you want to be average. I used to do that myself. Because of my extensive acting background, from the very beginning of my speaking career I was able to get up and tell a story simply by winging it. And most of the time, the story was fine. But occasionally, I’d blow it.

I’d be telling the story and suddenly realize I’d forgotten an important piece. So I’d stick it in anyway, completely out of sequence, and keep going. But I knew I was sloppy. And it bothered me. It was not only unprofessional, it was embarrassing. I knew if I wanted to get paid to speak, I’d have to up my game.

Story Theater is storytelling technology for business. I liken it to Microsoft WORD. WORD is a software program that does certain things. And it always works the same way no matter who is using it. Once you learn how to use it, you can write a letter, write a book or write a term paper. It doesn’t care how smart or talented you are. It just sits there and does what it was designed to do. It makes you look better.

Story Theater will make you look better. It will fill in the blanks on what you don’t know that you don’t know. It will help you achieve your potential as a speaker, trainer, leader or business owner.

There are a number of ways you can study the Story Theater Method.

• Buy the book,  Doug Stevenson’s Story Theater Method.
• Buy the companion to the book, The Story Theater  Audio Six Pack.
• Hire me to present a keynote. Learn more at: www.storytelling-in-business.com
• Hire me to conduct a half-day or full-day training.
• Attend a four person Story Theater Retreat in Colorado Springs.

There is a very good reason why Daniel Pink wrote an entire chapter on story in his book, A Whole New Mind. According to Pink, “Stories are easier to remember, because in many ways, stories are how we remember.”

I their book,  Made to Stick, Chip Heath and Dan Heath list six principles that make and idea, concept or point stick. The sixth principle is story. They state, “The story’s power, then, is twofold: It provides simulation (knowledge about how to act) and inspiration (motivation to act). Note that both benefits, simulation and inspiration, are geared to generating action. We’ve seen that a credible idea makes people believe. An emotional idea makes people care. And the right stories, make people act.”

In the last few years, there have been many bestselling books that talk about the power of telling stories. But none of them have talked about storytelling technique. When you are ready to learn HOW to be a better storyteller, I am ready to guide you forward.

As I write this blog post, it is 12:45 PM mountain time in Colorado Springs, Colorado. I’d like to make you an offer. Send me an email by Midnight Saturday night with the words Doug’s Special Book Offer in the subject line. I’ll reply with an email describing the Special Offer and how you can get started on the path to great storytelling.

My email address is:    doug@dougstevenson.com

If you want to make a difference, make a more memorable impression or sell more of your product or service, send me an email today.

*********************************

Doug Stevenson is the Guru of Storytelling in Business. He speaks, trains and consults worldwide to corporations and associations who want a competitive presentation edge through storytelling mastery and Emotional Eloquence leadership skills. He works with salespeople, leaders, professional speakers, trainers and fundraisers.

Doug is the author of Doug Stevenson’s Story Theater Method, creator of Emotional Eloquence® and the author of a home study course on how to create a motivational speech titled: How To Write and Deliver a Dynamite Speech – 21-Step Dynamite Speech System.

Learn more at www.storytelling-in-business.com or call 1-719-573-6195.

The Story Theater Retreat in Colorado Springs

The Story Theater Method

Presentations Skills and Storytelling Products and Packages

Think of a spear that has a sharp point on the end. If you throw it at the ground, the sharp point will pierce the dirt and make the spear stick. If the end of the spear is round or dull, it will bounce off the ground. It won’t stick. The same is true with the point of your story.

An integral part of my Story Theater Method is the Nine Steps of Story Structure. You can use these nine steps to craft any story and make it easier to follow and more effective at making a point. The last three steps are designed to ensure that your point is memorable - that it sticks in the minds of your listeners.

The reason we use storytelling in a business context is to affect behavioral change. Stories are teaching tools. When stories are strategically and correctly crafted, using my storytelling technology, the lesson of the story has a profound effect on the listener and causes them to think or act differently. Without this end result, what’s the point of telling a story? What’s the point of training at all if people don’t use what they learn to be more productive and more profitable for the organization providing the training?

These three steps are called “Stick the Landing.” The term comes from gymnastics. Imagine a tiny 14-year old, 14-pound female gymnast who jumps up on the pommel horse and goes flying though the air and doing amazing twists and gyrations at warp speed. When she has completed her mid-air routine, she’s supposed to land in one spot - not wiggle or waver at all - and then, stand tall with her arms raised overhead, sporting a huge, sparkling smile. That finale is called “sticking the landing”.

If a gymnast sticks the landing and doesn’t take additional steps on the mat, he or she gets a high score. Even though they performed eight complex gyrations in the air, if they don’t stick the landing, it costs them points off of their score. It’s the same with your story. If your point is not sharp and concise, it will cost you. If people don’t remember your point, they don’t act on it. Nothing changes. It might cost you in productivity; it might cost you in profit. It might cost them in failing to make the changes needed for a better life.

In a previous newsletter article entitled “Mental Velcro”, I discussed using the Phrase That Pays to brand your message with a short statement like “Walk Your Talk” or “Lead By Example”. These short, verb-oriented phrases instruct your listener on what you want them to do. There is a big difference, however, between lecturing people on what to do and giving them an experience through a brilliantly crafted story that moves them to accept your invitation or challenge of what they can do.

In a recent coaching conversation with a client who was ready to make the move from a leadership position in a large corporation to professional speaking and training, I asked him what his core message was.(For more information on the Core Message, see the Dynamite Speech System). He had no idea. I asked him what lessons he wanted to teach or what points he wanted to make. This got him talking for about five minutes, but I still didn’t know exactly what he wanted me to learn from him.

Then I asked him to identify the problem that he wanted to address, and he listed five. I asked him to pick one. He settled on the problem of rejection getting a person down and making them want to quit. He told me about his experience making sales calls and how, over time, he learned to handle the rejection and simply get back in his car and drive to the next appointment, rather than blowing off the rest of the day.

I asked him if the metaphorical lesson he wanted to teach was to get back in the car. That phrase is verb-oriented so it worked fine as a call to action. He liked the phrase, but felt that the car part was too literal and limiting, because many salespeople sell on the phone or one-on-one in a business setting.

As we continued our coaching call, I asked him to let his mind wander to similar experiences that had nothing to do with selling. I asked him what he did for fun or pleasure - what kind of adventures he’d been on.

What came to mind for him was an experience when he was 13 years old at Boy Scout summer camp. They went horseback riding and his horse started to trot when he wasn’t expecting it, and he fell off. When he landed, he broke his arm. From that time on, he was afraid of horses.

The following summer at camp, he tried to get out of it when the group went horseback riding. And even though all of the other kids were giving him a hard time about it, he refused to try again. So while all of the other scouts went riding, he had to sit in the campsite by himself. As he was sitting there feeling sorry for himself, his scoutmaster sat down next time him for a chat.

You guessed it. His scoutmaster counseled him on all of the times he’d been faced with challenges in his life and how there were always going to be big scary horses that would throw him to the ground. “The true test of courage,” his scoutmaster said, “is to get back on the horse and confront your fear.”

Get Back on the Horse or Confront Your Fear

He decided that the horseback-riding story had a broader metaphorical appeal. He also felt that the point about getting back on the horse and confronting your fear was stronger than getting back in the car. So again I asked him to pick one. “If you want to sharpen your point and make it stick, you have to pick one,” I said. “Choose one or the other.”

Get back on the horse is a clear and concise point.

Confront your fear is a clear and concise point. Both are valid. Both work. The story is stronger however, and the point more memorable, if he only uses one point, rather than both. In the story, he is afraid of horses, so fear is evident. Not getting back on the horse means that fear wins. Getting back on the horse is the metaphorical action that implies confronting the fear. And it is more memorable and unique to that particular story.

He chose Get Back on the Horse.
Now, let’s stick the landing. Here’s how to do it.
Step 7: What I learned from that summer camp experience was… get back on the horse.
Step 8: How about you? Have you ever had something happen to you that hurt, physically or psychologically? And because of that one experience, you’ve been afraid to ever feel that pain again, and it’s costing you. It’s preventing you from moving forward, from experiencing life to it’s fullest?
Step 9: My challenge for you is…get back on the horse.
>In Step 7 you share what YOU learned.

In Step 8 you formally transfer the lesson to THEM with a “How About You” type question.

In Step 9 you challenge THEM to implement the lesson.

Most stories start strong and then lose focus at the end. When you Stick the Landing, you’ll finish strong.

**********************************************************

Doug Stevenson is the Guru of Storytelling in Business. He speaks, trains and consults worldwide to corporations and associations who want a competitive presentation edge through storytelling mastery and Emotional Eloquence leadership skills. He works with salespeople, leaders, professional speakers, trainers and fundraisers.

Doug is the author of Doug Stevenson’s Story Theater Method, creator of Emotional Eloquence® and the author of a home study course on how to create a motivational speech titled: How To Write and Deliver a Dynamite Speech - 21-Step Dynamite Speech System.

To study Doug Stevenson’s  Story Theater Method, purchase his book and audio Six Pack - or study with him in person by attending a 4 person Story Theater Retreat in Colorado Springs. If you’re interested in hiring Doug to present a keynote or workshop for your company or association, call Deborah Merriman at 719-573-6195 or visit www.storytelling-in-business.com.

The Story Theater Retreat in Colorado Springs

The Story Theater Method

Presentations Skills and Storytelling Products and Packages