Smart Guide To Storytelling For Leaders and Salespeople

Smart Guide to
For Leaders
sStorytelling
www.story-lab.net
and Salespeople

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Copyright © 2016 Story-Lab
All Rights Reserved.
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stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or in any means
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– without prior written permission.

“
Scratch
the surface
in the boardroom, and
we are all just
cavemen with a
briefcase, hungry for
a wise man to tell us
stories. Alan Kay

CONTENTS
Chapter ONE
WHY STORYTELLING? 6
Chapter TWO
WHAT IS A STORY?
13
Chapter THREE
6 STORYTELLING TECHNIQUES YOU CAN USE
IN YOUR NEXT PRESENTATION. 18
FREEQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS 27
FINAL THOUGHTS 28
4

Chapter ONE
1Why
Storytelling?
www.website.com

WHY STORYTELLING
If I told you that storytelling can assist managers
in becoming the leaders others like to follow, make
companies a place where people like to work and
help salespeople gain the trust and confidence
of their prospects, you might wonder why more
companies aren‘t making it a standard practice.
But many companies are. Companies like Microsoft,
IBM, Boeing, Nike, Coca Cola,Bayer,SAP and many
others are training their people to capitalize on the
ways storytelling can influence, motivate and inspire
others in business settings.
Neuroscience has contributed to the growing
interest in storytelling as a business tool, and
is showing how it can do for human relations what
technology is doing for innovation.
See for yourself. On the following pages is a two-part
exercise similar to one we give participants during our
business storytelling workshops. The purpose of this
exercise is to demonstrate just some of the scientific
findings that have created interest in storytelling’s
functionality. It is highly recommended that you take a
few minute to go through this exercise before reading
about some of theways you can put storytelling to
work.
“
The story is a machine
for empathy. In contrast
to logic or reason, a
story is about emotion
that gets staged over a
sequence of moments, so
you empathize with the
characters.
Ira Glass
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Better Chemistry Through Stories

Part I:
Have someone read you the list of words on this slide.
Each word should be read once every two seconds.
Track
Door
Clean
Bu/on
Water
Television
Hamster
Blue
Tree
Handle
Now try to recall as many words as you can. How many are
you able to recall?________
7
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Better Chemistry Through Stories

Part II:
Have someone read you the story below. It should only be
read once.
For the longest ,me, our daughter Alice wanted
a new pony. We surprised her with one on her
10th birthday. She named her pony Whitey since
it had this beau,ful white mane and matching
tail.
Yesterday, we took my daughter to the barn to
take pictures of Whitey. The first thing I no,ced
was that familiar animal-barn smell. It brought
me back to the days when I used to ride horses
compe,,vely. As I sat in my wheelchair watching
Alice pet her new pony, I prayed that what
happened to me wouldn’t happen to her.
Afer the story is read, answer the questions on the next page.
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Better Chemistry Through Stories

Answer the following questions about the story you just
heard.
1. What is my daughter’s name?
2 .What did she want for the longest
9me?
3. What birthday did my daughter just
celebrate?
4. What did she name her new pet?
5.Why did she give it that name?
6. Where did we take her yesterday?
7.What was the first thing I no9ced?
8 .What did I used to do?
9. Where was I siIng as I watched my
daughter?
10. What was I praying for?
How many questions were you able to answer correctly?_____
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HERE'S WHAT JUST
HAPPENED
If you’re like most who have participated in this exercise,you scored higher on
Part II than Part I. Heres why:
In the first exercise when each word on the list was read to you, two areas of
your brain lit up.These are called the Broca and the Weincke Area’s respectively.
Together, these parts of your brain serve
as your word and symbol repository. They
help you produce and decode language. When
either or both areas are damaged, as in severe
cases of stroke, language can become less or
even totally undecipherable.
When the story was read to you, the parts of
your brain that process sensory inputs also
lit up. These additional areas worked together to
produce an image of what was being described.
This additional brain activity was responsible
for enhancing your recall. This explains why memory experts tell us that when tryng
to memorize any list, it is best to relate the elements of that list to each other in the
form of a mental picture, no matter how ridiculous. Some suggest you break the list
down into mini pictures and envision them in the different rooms of your house. As
you imagine touring each room in some sequential order, recalling the list is made
easier than rote memorization.
Additional brain activity is just one of the reasons recall was easier in Part II vs. Part
I. You may not have realized it, but your brain was also hard at work processing the
storied information in a way that further enhanced your recall. Can you guess how?
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Better Chemistry Through Stories

HOW EMOTION GIVES
MEMORY A BOOST
Albeit fictional, the story in Part II of this
exercise told you why I was concerned
for my daughter‘s safety.The notion of
my accident was included to generate
an element of surprise and sadness.
Stories that cause us to feel happy,
sad, mad or surprised increase recall
because they generate even more
brain activity.
Think about this the next time you
start to fill up your presentation with
facts separated by bullet points or
you casually communicate an important
point. Very few presentation techniques
will do as much to get your point
remembered as well as a story that triggers
an emotional response.
It is important to become aware of the
fact that any information you provide
in a presentation competes wth the
flurry of information that hits your prospect’s
windshield each and every day.
Additionally, as soon as you end your
presentation, your audience will start to
forget what you said, especially when
other candidates are giving competitive
presentations.
“
They
will forget what
you said. They will forget
what you did. But they
will never forget the way
you made them feel.
Maya Angelou
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Better Chemistry Through Stories

BUT HERE‘S THE BEST PART!
BUT HERE'S THE BEST PART!
In addition to fascilitating recall of important points, there is one very
hidden, yet extremely powerful benefit to telling stories.
Go back and read the paragraph in the second part of the exercise
above. How would you describe the person telling it?
You might have answered with words like “kind,” “protective,”
“caring,” among other adjectives. There‘s really no correct answer
to this question. The point is that stories often imply certain
characteristics of the story teller. Stories, unlike other forms of
communication, provide information that is not explicitly stated.
In other words, you can use stories to help people come to their
own conclusions about your beliefs and values without having to be
explicit. People generally respond better when they can decide who
you are, outside of your direct attempts to influence them.
There’s a whole lot more that neuroscience is discovering about the
power of stories, and plenty of searchable resources on the subject.
At the very least, however, the two exercises in which you just
participated should help you appreciate some of the more important
benefits of storytelling for leaders and salespeople.
Storytelling
reveals meaning by not
committinng the error of
“defining it.
Hannah Ahrendt
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Better Chemistry Through Stories

Chapter TWO
What Is A
Story?
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Is This A Story?
We had a problem with our whole purchasing
process. I was convinced that a great deal of money
was being wasted, and that it would con;nue to be
wasted – that we didn’t even know how much money
was being thrown away. I thought we had an
opportunity to drive down purchasing costs, not by 2
per cent, but by something in the order of $1 billion
over the next five years. A change this big meant a
big shiE in the process. This would not be possible,
however, unless many people, especially those in top
management, saw the opportunity, which for the
most part they did not. So nothing was happening.
If you answered “no,” you are correct. If you answered
“yes,” you are not alone. It is a common mistake that we
see our workshop participants make. See why on the next
page.
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Better Chemistry Through Stories

WHAT IS A STORY?
There are many different ways to define what a story is and how it
differs from other forms of communication, like a statement of fact, an opinion
or an assertion. However, the common denominator of most definitions is that
a story recounts some moment in time that helps us mentally see something
that happened.
So there are two reasons why the example on the previous page is not a
story:
• The moment in time is non-descript. In the line, the teller says “we had a problem.”
There is no “when” this problem occurred. Unless a moment in time is defined, we may
have a description or a report of something that happened, but we don’t have a story.
We are all familiar with the classic story opening, “Once upon a time". We strongly
advise against using this as a way to start any story in a business setting. But if what you
are talking about or listening to does not recount a “once in time,” it is not a story.
•There is nothing to see. Stories are acted out either on a stage, a film screen, or in
the theatre of our minds. Unless we can see something happening, there is no story.
Stories must bring into play things our mind’s eye can envision, hear, smell, touch, or
taste. Otherwise, understanding is limited to language processing alone.
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Better Chemistry Through Stories

The Different Types of Stories
If you‘re looking for a book on Amazon you
will find stories classified by their genres:
adventure stories, science fiction,fantasy,
mystery, horror, romance, historical
fiction, true stories etc. But for business
storytelling, it is far more useful to think
in terms of story types.
We think of story types falling along a
continuum. On one end are what we refer
to as "Little-s" stories.” At the opposite
end are "Big-S" stories.”
“
History is finite.
There's only so much
you can learn about
a six-block historic
district in New York
city.
Kat Georges
“Li$le -s” Stories
“Big-S” Stories
Anecdotes
Examples
Recounts
Legends
Epics
Novels
Fairytales
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Better Chemistry Through Stories

Big-S stories are usually stories we attend
to voluntarily. We‘ll even pay admission to
hear or see them performed. We typically
expect them to provide some form of entertainment.
On the other hand, Little-s stories are not
necessarily sought for enjoyment. Instead
they they are provided, often unexpectedly,
by a speaker who uses them to exemplify
or elucidate a point being made.
We can learn a great deal about
storytelling from the way Big-S stories are
structured and delivered. However, in a
business presentation or meeting, the
closer we come to telling a Big-S story,
the more likely we fall prey to either losing
or turning off our audience. Simply put,
there‘s a place for Big-S storytelling and
it's not in a business meeting. Once you
are seen as someone trying too hard to
entertain your audience, you credibility will
be lost and very difficult to regain.
"Big-S" storytellers apply plot
structure, character development,
beats, scene design and myriad
other storytelling principles and
practices— they’ve probably read
Robert McKee’s fabulous book Story:
Substance, Structure, Style, and
the Principles of Screenwriting. At
the other end of the spectrum is
"Little-s" story- telling, where we
find the stories we tell on a daily
basis in conversations: anecdotes
concerning real-life experiences.
Businesspeople don’t need to be
screen-writers or novelists. In fact,
applying too much craft in communicating
with stories can lead you
into a big trap.
Shawn Callahan, Putting Stories To
Work
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Better Chemistry Through Stories

Chapter THREE
36 Ways To Use
Storytelling In
Your Next
Presentation
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6 Ways To Use Storytelling In Your Next Presentation
In this chapter, you will be introduced to just some of the ways Little-s stories
can be used to accomplish various objectives in a business setting. This is
just a small sampling of tips, techniques and patterns that can turn any
presentation from Blah to Bravo. If you can apply what is outlined here, you will
immediately start benefiting from the communicative powers of storytelling.
Don't Use
The "S" Word
The"Then,
Now and
How"
Formula
Humorous
Dialogue
Start
HIGH
The 2+2
Formula
Comparisons
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Better Chemistry Through Stories

Avoid The "S" Word
1
You‘ll find that there aren‘t
many so-called "rules" when
it comes to storytelling.
However, there is one that
is very important and should
be followed religiously: Don‘t
use the "s" word.
Don‘t use the "s" word is
short-hand for don‘t start any
story by announcing you‘re
going to tell a story.
How you would react if, at
the beginning of a stand-up
routine, you heard a comedian
say,"I have a joke to tell you!!"
It‘s a little like saying "Please
laugh when I‘m done.“
Start a story by announcing
you have a story and you‘ll
risk the same reaction. The
most important thing you need
to do when telling a story is
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to begin with a statement
that promises, "This is going
to be worth listening to.“
Advertising that you have a
story merely sends a signal to
your audience that this might
be a good time to check your
phone for any new emails.
Fundamental to anything
communicated in a business
setting is the fact that
nobody wants to be pushed
into reacting a certain way.
Instead, they have to be
pulled in.
Here are 2 suggestions on
how to begin a story:
1. Start with a question, eg.
"Have you ever read your
entire homeowner‘s insurace
policy?". From here you can
launch into the time you did
and what you discovered.
"Have you ever....?", "Do
you have....?" or "When was
the last time you...?"are also
good starter questions that
can set up a story you‘d like
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Better Chemistry Through Stories
to tell. Right away, questions
can hook your audience into
wondering what you‘re going
to say next.
2. Start with a moment in
time eg. "Ten years ago,
my company learned a
very valuable lesson about
customer service," or "October
10, 1999 is a day I will never
forget." Much like starting with
a question, beginning with a
a time marker, intrigues your
audience into wondering,"What
happened next?".
Starting any presentation
with a story is a great way to
captivate your audience. It is
during the first few seconds
of any presentation that
they are asking themselves,
"Why should I listen to this
person?". Make the most of
this very short time-window
with an opening that promises
a reward. The "s" word
will almost always do the
opposite.

The "Then,Now,
How" Formula
2
The "Then, Now and How"
Formula is something that
was developed by the highly
acclaimed speaking coach,
Craig Valentine. He writes
more about this formula and
other storytelling techniques
in his bestselling book, World
Class Speaking, co-authored
by Mitch Meyerson. Here‘s
how it works:
First, talk about the way
things used to be. Describe
the problems that were once
present and, if possible,
escalate the difficulties that
the problem presented. Then,
discuss what happened to
solve that problem and finish
by explaining how things are
now.
Let‘s say you were wanting
to introduce a method that
you discovered to reduce
employee turnover at fast
food restaurants. Here’s an
example of the “Then, Now
and How,” formula at work:
Then: "Like you, we were
having an employee turnover
problem. We were losing
employees almost twice
as fast as our nearest
competitor. In fact, we had
the highest employee turnover
rate in the fast food category.
As I’m sure you can imagine,
this cost us a great deal of
money in recruiting fees, lost
time and employee morale.
Now: Today,we have the
lowest turnover rate in our
category. Our average
employee turnover rate used
to be 5X per year. Last year,
it was .9X. The average in our
category is 2.5X.
How: We tried X, Y and Z to
reduce employee turnover,
but to no avail. But then, we
realized we had been looking
in all the wrong places for
the answer. The solution we
found is one I think you can
21
benefit from since it takes
advantage of something you
already have in place and
costs a lot less than those
turnover losses.
The “Then, Now and How”
formula accomplishes a
number of things that an
opening like “Today, I’d
like to show you how you
can reduce turnover,” just
can’t. For one, it establishes
a connection with prospects
by showing them they are
not alone with their problem.
Additionally, by the time you
get to "How," you wil have
your listener‘s full attention.
Use the“Then, Now and
How,” storytelling formula
anytime you are proposing
a change, whether you are
introducing a new product
or suggesting a a new way
to solve an old problem.
Additionally it can give a
bland case history some
new life. Steve Jobs often
used this formula during his
keynotes. You can see how
he did this by looking him up
on Youtube.com.

Humorous Dialogue
3
Too often, speakers try to get
audiences laughing by telling
jokes or delivering overly
rehearsed one-liners. Unless
they are trained comedy writers
with a talent for comedic timing,
this approach rarely gets laughs.
As a general rule, audiences
become annoyed by speakers
who try too hard to be funny.
If you watched any of the
Presidential debates, you might
have seen Senator Rubio hold
up a bottle of water while saying
“I made sure to bring water this
time.” Rubio was referring back
to the time he embarrassed
himself by reaching off camera
for a bottle of water in the middle
of a nationally televised rebuttal
to Obama‘s State of the Union
speech.(see Rubio). This could
have been funny had it been
seen as a spontaneous crack.
However, it was plain to see
www.story-lab.net
this was staged and overly
rehearsed. I’m not sure what
was harder to watch, his
cumbersome reach for water or
his joke that didn’t get a laugh.
If you‘re looking for humor, the
best place to find it is within
the stories you tell. More
specifically, it can usually be
found within the dialogue of your
story. Consider this example for
instance:
“I started out working for a pretty
tough boss. He watched over
everything I did and was
quick to criticize. One day, he
told me that he’d like to stop
correcting me. "Go ahead! You
have my full permission," I said.
This may not generate a guffaw,
but it’s easier to deliver and will
be far more welcomed than a
canned joke, especially in a
business setting.
Furthermore, when it comes to
getting a laugh, finding humor
in dialogue is relatively risk-free.
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Better Chemistry Through Stories
Everybody knows jokes or oneliners
are told to make people
laugh. But nobody knows
whether a line delivered through
dialogue is told to make people
laugh or because that bit of
dialogue is integral to the story.
If your audience laughs, great.
And if they don‘t, nothing is lost.
The only caveat here is to not
try imitating foreign accents or
the opposite sex unless you are
really good at it. Failure could be
deadly.
“
If you try to be funny,
you are not being
funny.
John Gordon Sincliar

Start HIGH
4
When leaders and salespeople
introduce themselves
to a new audience, it is
customary to start with their
background summary. The
“How I Got Here" (HIGH)
story method will allow you
to do the same thing but in
a way that provides your
audience with a reward for
listening. Use the HIGH story
method and you will quickly
establish the credibility you
want and the trust you‘ll
need.
Instead of providing a
chronological summary of
your background, the HIGH
story method presents your
audience with a lesson
you learned along your
career path. This meth is
betterdemonstrated than
explained:
www.story-lab.net
When I introduce myself at
our Storyteling For Leaders
workshops, I often start out
talking about an unexpected
incident that awakened me
to how storytelling can create
connections between people.
I begin by talking about the
insecurities I suffered as a
newly promoted manager in
charge of a number of people.
"Back then, I wondered how
anyone would ever take
direction from the likes of me,"
I add.
I tell my audience about the
books I read, the classes
I took, and the advice I
sought in order to gain more
confidence. But nothing
resonated with me as much
as something I overheard in a
restaurant of all places.
Two older gentlemen were
talking and one said to the
other, "Show me someone
who knows how to admit
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Better Chemistry Through Stories
their own vulnerabilities, and
I'll show you a good leader."
I then talk about how that
single sentence started
me along a discovery path
and helped me become the
manager I never thought
possible. I then give
examples of how I used
storytelling throughout my
career to show my employees
that I was not just their boss. I
was also a human being.
I conclude my introduction
by stating, "Today I want to
share with you a number of
leadership short-cuts like
this - short-cuts to the long
leadership road I‘ve travelled.
The best stories are those
that allow people to identify
with a conflict or problem that
you’ve encountered. The High
story method will help your
audience quicky see you as
both accomplished and real.

The 2+2 Formula
5
This is a formula gleaned from
a Ted Talk, entitled, The Clues
To A Great Story, given by
Pixar’s Andrew Stanton, the
creator of Finding Nemo and
Wall-E. Look it up when you
get a chance.
During this talk, Stanton
explains that audiences don’t
like to be told that 2+2 equals
4. Rather, he said, "They
like to discover the answer
themselves."
jokes. People prefer to draw
their own conclusions rather
than to have them explicitly
revealed. Anytime you tell a
story, it’s important to allow
your audience to employ their
imagination, to see what they
choose to see, and to react
they way they choose to react.
This runs contrary to the
presentation maxim,"Tell
them what you‘re going to tell
them, tell them, then tell them
what you told them.“ A more
engaging way to involve your
audience is to "Show them
and then shut up.“ It‘s always
better to give your audience
the paint, the brush and the
canvas, but let them create
the painting.
The 2+2 Formula really
underscores one of the
fundamental reasons why
stories are more interesting
than factual explanations. It‘s
also why comedians don’t
explain punch lines to their
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Better Chemistry Through Stories

Comparisons
6
Included here are metaphors,
similes and analogies.
For our purposes, it is not
as important to know the
structural difference between
these three figures of speech
as it is to know that all three
comparison types quickly and
concisely make an abstract
concept more concrete
and easier to comprehend.
Whatever the form,
comparisons will draw on what
your listeners already know to
help them better understand
what they don’t.
Consider the following
comparison used to describe
a company: “We started
out as the the Toyota of our
industry. We have since
evolved into a Lexus.”
This comparison provides
a quick description of the
person‘s company while
begging the question, "How?“
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Need a way to explain quality
control? You might say
you‘re like the guy who looks
for the penny in the pile of
dimes. Looking for a simple
way to explain your work in
R&D? Maybe you‘re like the
company’s taste tester. What’s
more explanatory? I‘m in
marketing,“ or "I‘m like a GPS
that helps my clients find a
better route to gaining market
share.“
Once, I asked an accountant
how likely it would be for a
certain deduction to trigger
an IRS audit. He could have
answered by telling me that
the risk was high. But instead
he said, "Let me put it this
way. Taking that deduction
would be like walking into a
lion‘s den wearing a pork chop
suit.“ There was no missing his
point!
Story purists argue that since
comparisons do not describe
something that happened in
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Better Chemistry Through Stories
time and space they really
aren‘t stories.True, but like
stories, they conjure up mental
images, simplify the complex
and wrap facts in something
that generates an emotional
reaction. They‘re like quasistories
and for that reason
they ought to be included in
anyone‘s storytelling arsenal.
Coming up with the right
comparison can be
challenging. On the next
page is one of many methods
we teach on how to create
comparisons when you‘re
stumped.

The This = That method for crea-ng comparisons
1. Create two columns on a sheet of paper.
2. In the le; column write down all the things you do or
your product does.
3 In the right column, write down people, places or things
that do something similar.
4. Don’t edit anything in the right column. Merely freeassociate
as many comparisons as you can with specific
ac-ons that you or your product performs.
5. Sooner or later you are bound to find a comparison that
is original and visually describes who you are or what you
do.
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Better Chemistry Through Stories

Frequently Asked Questions
Q
I‘m not really a storyteller. Doesn‘t it take a special
kind of talent?
No. We are hardwired to organize our thoughts in terms of stories. Furthermore, storytelling is
a very natural way of speaking. The only thing you need to be a storyteller is a birth certificate.
Unfortuantely however,when it comes to business presentations, we avoid telling stories. Instead,
we often rely soley on facts and ard data. That said, there are specialized storytelling techniques
that are most appropriate for business settings and these must be learned and practiced over
time.
Q
My audience usually consists of people that make
decisions on the basis of facts and hard data. How is
storytelling going to improve my presentations?
One of the biggest benefits of storytelling is that it wraps facts in a context that generates an
emotional response. Not every fact should be presented through a story. However, knowing how
and when to use stories can enhance any presentation, even those that are given to data-oriented
audiences.
Q
Where can I learn more about how to use storytelling
in business settings?
We highly recommend the book, Putting Stories To Work, written by Shawn Callahan, the CEO of
Anecdote,the world‘s largest busines storytelling organization, with headquarters in Melbourne,
Austrailia. If your team would like to participate in a workshop designed around the principles in
this book, visit www.story-lab.net.. Story-Lab is a U.S. affliate of Anecdote.
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Better Chemistry Through Stories

FINAL WORDS
Contact Us Now
Story-Lab
Chicago, Illinois
312-545-4903
jims@story-lab.net
www.story-lab.net
Connect With Us
https://www.facebook.
com/jimsig/
@jimsignorelli
/company
https://www.linkedin.com/
in/jimsignorelli
This e-book provides a small sample of what we teach
during Story-Lab Workshops.
THREE COURSES ARE AVAILABLE:
STORYTELLING FOR LEADERS
Storytelling For Leaders is a communications
workshop for management teams. At Story-Lab,
using specific storytelling techniques, managers
learn how to better influence, inspire and motivate
others.
STORYTELLING FOR SALES
Storytelling for Sales is an intensive program for
sales teams. During this workshop, sales teams
are given hands-on practice using storytelling
techniques that engage prospects from first call to
close.
STORYBRANDIING
StoryBranding workshops help management
teams create their brand’s most compelling
story. Business Storytelling Workshops are
developed and implemented by Jim Signorelli,
internationally acclaimed author and originator of the
StoryBranding Model.
Individual Coaching is also available.
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Better Chemistry Through Stories

Smart Guide to
Storytelling
For Leaders
And
Salespeople
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