Ducks in a Row: Tell Me a Story
by Miki Saxon
Do you use stories automatically in discussions and conversations? I do and have for years.
Brain research has proven that stories get your point across better and it is remembered longer.
Many cognitive scientists believe stories are so accessible because they’re the way we make sense of the human world. … Stories grab our attention because there is nothing of more interest to us than the actions of other people.
While people are often the bane of managers, their growth, triumphs and ah-ha! moments, small and large, provide much of the joy found in performing a management role well and stories are one way to increase the joy.
Stories increase the joy because they boost management success; simple enough.
How do you know which story to tell?
By taking the time to know your audience and choosing a story that will resonate with them—even if you have to take a little creative license.
For example, if your audience is comprised of mostly twenty-somethings and the main character in your story is sixty-something they may focus on the age and dismiss the important part. So update the story with slight changes that makes it feel more relevant.
Of course, if their eyes glaze over during the telling you can be pretty sure you chose the wrong story. Rather than continue to the bitter end, break it off and come back to the subject from a different point and at a different time.
How do you know if the story worked?
The same way you know if any of your efforts work—watch the results.
Flickr photo credit to: Svadilfari on flickr
March 24th, 2016 at 12:15 am
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