Everybody Loves A Good Story

So, if everyone loves a good story, why don’t we use more of it in business?

Copywriters use intriguing story openers to get people to read their copy, people love movies, we all love to sit in groups and listen to other people’s stories and yet, in business, we dry up and try to be all clever and give out soundbites.

Don’t get me wrong, soundbites are good, but do you want to capture your audiences attention or, do you want to bore them to death?

Now it’s true, that some personalities (like mine) are more into stories than say someone of left brained who would prefer to stick to the facts – preferably raw, but I’m going to dare to say that they are a minority.

It doesn’t have to be funny!

Stories fall into many different categories including motivating, inspiring, action packed and even funny but, your aim in storytelling is to provoke reaction or more specifically, to get people to take action. If you’re an after dinner speaker, that action could be as simple as to just get people to laugh. If you’re inspiring, inspire and, if you’re motivating, motivate but it doesn’t have to be funny.

In the future, I do want to focus some more on the importance of storytelling in business but for today, I just want you to watch Jeanne Robertson in action. I first heard her speak in about 2003 and she makes me laugh every time.

And if you’re not in the mood for laughing, this is exactly why you need to watch her video. The benefits of laughter outweigh any “pick me up pill” you could purchase from the pharmacist or, those prescribed by your doctor.