Story Telling with passion to win hearts and minds

A couple of posts ago I talked about how stories can so powerfully communicate a message. There was one ingredient of story telling that I forgot to mention...Passion!  I was reminded of the oversight yesterday when I watched a brilliant presentation by Chilean author and activist Isabel Allende. With a list of best sellers to her name written over many years her other great passion is The Isabel Allende Foundation. It primarily supports organizations that help women and children in need, by providing education, healthcare, protection and the means to empowerment

lorri Barron (c) 2009

The dual topics of Isabel's presentation were passion and eradicating the abuse of woman across the world. Isabel introduced herself by saying "I tell stories." And she proceeded to tell with passion the stories of two woman and the abuse they had suffered at the hands of men.

I will admit that having stumbled upon a presentation on feminism that was going to take 20 minutes to watch I did not expect to see it through to a conclusion! The reason I did see it through and then wanted to quickly share the presentation with others was....I was completely hooked!

Isabel beautifully demonstrated the story tellers art with elements that I would recognise afterwards. A central character (the hero), a place and time, a challenging situation, an outcome and a conclusion.

But for me what made this a story telling masterclass was her use of passion and emotion to make you experience the situations she spoke of. And how did she do that?

She began with humour. The emotions "ice breaker" that enabled the audience to connect with their feelings.

Using self-directed irony she endeared herself with a story that included personal comparison with the magnificent Sophia Loren. In the process, offering a subtle metaphoric reminder of how the world popularly views women.

This set up the dramatic contrast of the harrowing stories of her real heroes. Told to an audience who had been subconciously primed to feel the pain and the shame of the stories they heard.

With her stories told, Isabel brought the audience back to "feel good" state with concluding humour and a further reference to Sophia Loren's legendary breasts. Anchoring the metaphor maybe? 

And finally...with the message embedded...the final stirring call for action! 

I viewed the presentation at http://www.ted.com/.  Ideas worth spreading is their mission.

I certainly was compelled to share Isabel's idea. 

For more tips and advice on adding persuadability to your message visit us at http://www.persuadability.co.uk/

why can't you see what I'm saying?

If you haven't had a look at Linkedin then give it a try. I'm a great believer in the value of business networking, and if there is a relevant group that I can attend without getting up at dawn then I'm definitely up for that.    One feature of Linkedin which I particularly rate is "Groups." Likeminded members regularly post questions of interest, inviting other members to comment.  There is a bit of a risk that you post a question and nobody responds. That must be a bit crushing....especially in the gregarious Sales group that I belong to. On the other hand you can suddenly find yourself to be an "industry luminary" when you post a question and everybody wants to express an opinion on it.
We have one such question at the moment.   "Have you seen anything genuinely new from a sales trainer recently or is training now simply a commodity differentiated purely on price and service level?" ......Seems a straightforward enough question?

Of course the responses (110 so far ) were always going to be interesting!  We Sales Trainers are passionate about our profession. We encounter sceptics and critics in the marketplace and winning them over comes with the territory. Which is probably why we need the comfort and reassurance of consensus amongst our peers. However as passionate professionals we do tend to argue our case in what you might describe as an explanatory and assertive manner. I begin well enough...offering my first concise explanation. In this case discussing amongst other things, the importance of rapport, empathy and listening skills. When my response fails to gain the nod of approval from a peer I blame it on brevity...and go in again with a more expansive explanation. Followed by another even more expansive explanation. By now my interest in the comments of others has declined. Besides, they are so lengthy I find it difficult to grasp the point.

Only the fittest survive to this stage. I drop out of the debate, convinced that it is the poorer without me. After a while I reflect back on arguments about  rapport and empathy. "Hmmm!....Practice what you preach" seems good advice....but it was great fun! 

Then a couple of hours later I happen upon a quotation that had been posted by a Linkedin member.... 

"A fool finds no pleasure in understanding...but delights in airing his own opinions!"

I'm just off to revisit those responses...particularly the ones that seemed to contradict with  my opinions!  

For more thoughts, tips and advice on persuasive communication visit http://www.persuadability.co.uk/

Tell a story and get your audience to really understand

There are some great new programmes currently on TV. And for me BBC 2 takes all the "medal positions" with "Empire of the Seas" with Dan Snow, "How Earth Made us." with Prof. Iain Stewart, and Virtual Revolution with Dr Aleks Krotoski. As well as fantastic television imagery what makes these programmes so compelling is the presenter. Clearly the show producers have chosen them because of their terrific understanding of the subject. Also because they are highly engaging presenters. And I'm sure there is also a reason somewhere in there which connects with widening the appeal of the programme. Something clearly lost on the computer geeks complaining in their Guardian blog posts about the "dreamy shots of Dr Aleks walking across a concourse!"
The other thing that makes them such compelling presenters is that they all tell stories.

Dan explained how a combination of totally overwhelming naval supremacy and a visionary approach to finance drove Britain's acquisition of an empire. Prof. Iain showed why the trade winds circle the earth and how they effectively blew Columbus to America and then blew him back again. Dr Aleks beguiled us with the origins of the internet, both technical and cultural, empowering me with an informed view on the arguments for freedom of information.
Their stories are told around familiar elements: 

• Central character or hero. 
• Location and Time.
• Some kind of challenge.
• Solution or Outcome. 
• Something unexpected or special about that outcome.  
• A conclusion.

When we listen to stories we allow our more open, imaginative, and creative right brain in on the conversation. What we hear we act out in our minds....setting the story within our own map of the world. We experience it and because of that we better understand it.
When planning your next presentation see for yourself how easily the storytelling format can be applied to your message. And see also how much you will enjoy telling that story to your audience as they experience your message.
Remember what Confucius said - What I hear I forget. What I see I remember. What I do I understand.   .....he'd have been great on TV too!

For more helpful tips and advice on how to influence and persuade others visit http://www.persuadability.co.uk/

Seven great habits to improve your speaking voice

"Enunciate!....Enunciate!"  50 plus years later I can still hear that empassioned call from Miss Lawler as she urged Old Oak Junior Mixed school choir to give it our all! Thinking about it, her words have probably been "recorded" in my sub-conscious all this time....which possibly explains why I find voice such a compelling element of communication.

But it is the case that audiences are as much if not more influenced by the sound of a voice than by the words that voice utters.  And with so much of that influence happening at a subconscious level.

You only have to catch the latest TV commercials for Barclays Bank to get an example of that. Where Stephen Merchant lends his "so honest and trusting" sounding West country dialect to a market sector much in need of restored trust.

So if you are routinely influencing others...whether that be in a buyer's office, the board room or from a conference stage then you should be making the best of your voice. Here are some excellent habits that will have a big impact on your voice:

• Sing in the shower. Give your lungs and larynx a good work out, it will also add power to your voice.

• Find a willing young listener and read children’s story books. They are a great way to practice dramatised delivery of words and comfortable regulated breathing

• The dreaded “gruffness” is nearly always due to digestive mucous in the tubes caused by eating too late or food that is too rich. So avoid both.  Avoid coffee and chocolate, these dehydrate you.

• Lubricate your throat. Warm water with lemon is highly recommended.
• If you need to clear your throat cough gently. Do not “slap” the vocal chords.
• Good breathing creates resonance which creates vocal power. Trying to squeeze power from the throat or unnaturally lowering the voice in a growl will strain your voice.
• Practice breathing evenly from the diaphragm and not the chest. It frees up the chest to add sound capacity and resonance. And it gives greater stamina.
For many of us in business we have to speak to impress. It is a physical activity. The more we practice the better we become. And if we try and perform without putting in the training then we only have ourselves to blame if we get "crocked!"

For more tips and advice on how to improve the persuasiveness and presentation of your business messages please visit http://www.persuadability.co.uk/