Power of Stories

Peter Gruber, author of #1 besteststelling New York Times book Tell to Win recently gave a webinar on storytelling that was hosted by Sean Malarkey. You can watch the interview here: [VIDEO] Telling stories to win with Peter Guber – Tell to win book.

Here’s my cliffnotes – actually, I created a mindmap for that webinar, or for 50% of it (if you want to get the second half too, all you have to do is comment on this blog post), and I suggest you download the mindmap:

Click here to download the storytelling MindMap as PDF in full size

And here’s the “textified” version of my mindmap, if you prefer a more structured approach.

1 persuasion & storytelling

1.1 you want to move people to action

1.1.1 storytelling is most effective way to get people to act

face to face is MOST EFFECTIVE

authenticity

not about public speaking, but about SHOWING UP

1.2 we live in a COLLABORATIVE world

1.2.1 digital tribes

1.3 the world’s greaterst leaders – both good and bad – won people over with the power of stories

1.3.1 think of the stories Hitler told the Germans about the jews

1.3.2 think of the stories that Martin Luther King told about his dream of sons of slaves and farmowners, playing together

2 When did Peter Guber had “storytelling” epiphany?

2.1 big shots are as succeptible to the power of story as everyone else (entrepreneurs, business moguls, etc.

2.2 Peter Guber has been using storytelling intuitively for many years already, but at some point he realized that storytelling is can make the difference between success and failure

2.2.1 success and failure are far closer together than you may perceive

2.3 Guber learned from failure

2.3.1 he was major player in baseball & entertainment business and built stadiums

wanted to built stadium in Las Vegas too, met the major of Las Vegas to pitch his idea

used facts & data to convince the major

major said: “you gonna bring rainman back here?” (hint: rainman is brilliant with data, but “emotion stupid”) – Guber wasn’t making a compelling case, he wasn’t moving the major, wasn’t getting him excited – he just bombarded him with power point presentations and bullet points, and numbers and facts

result: major did not let him do that

young insurance woman asked Guber then: “Well, what story did you tell?” and Guber replied: “I didn’t tell a story, I gave him all the facts and numbers, etc.” and she said: “oh…” and the way she said that made him realize what his mistake was – not telling a compelling story

Guber didn’t provide the major a story that…

get the major excited

the major could use to “sell” the idea to all the other constituents that would have to be convinced

voters

council men

businesspeople

3 internet series: “Winning Voices”

3.1 Guber is part of an organization called demand media

See document: peter-guber

3.2 Guber asked people he knew if they’d like to share their stories

3.2.1 Magic Johnson

3.2.2 Pat Riley

3.2.3 Deepak Chopra

3.2.4 Tony Robbins

3.2.5 Stephen Curry

3.2.6 many more

3.3 if you have a voice – get in state to use it

3.4 if you have a mission, something to sell, move – understand WHAT’S IN IT FOR THE OTHER PEOPLE

3.4.1 don’t try to be interesting, BE INTERESTED

3.4.2 show them that you have skin in the game

3.5 power of storytelling: you already have it in you. You just have to start using it.

3.5.1 it’s very easy, because you already know them intuitively.

you just have to reinforce the elements.

4 What is a story?

4.1 telling (80% of the equation)

4.1.1 walking into the room

4.1.2 being authentic

4.1.3 being congruient

are your feet, tongue and heart going into the same direction?

4.1.4 having skin in the game

4.1.5 being interactive

4.1.6 understanding they’re an AUDIENCE, not a customer

4.1.7 is your intention clear?

4.1.8 be in state

4.1.9 even if you don’t have a “story” – if you get the telling part right, you’ll pull it off! Because when you talk like that, you automatically talk in stories.

you don’t need to be John Grisham or Robert Frost or some kind of master story teller

See also: success and failure are far closer together than you may perceive

it’s not so important to have an elaborate story (20%), it’s way more important to BE the story yourself by the way you tell (80%)

4.2 story (20% of the equation)

4.2.1 conflict, challenge, resolution

4.2.2 moves people emotionally: EMOTIONAL TRANSPORTATION

this is the way we’re wired

we’re all in the business of emotional transportation every day of our lives

courting a woman

wanting your child to love you

wanting your child to behave and grow up to be a great person

friendships

business

4.2.3 story is the way we make sense of our world

our brains couldn’t keep all the information they hold about the world if we would use stories to make meaning of it

emotion bonded with information is resonant, memorable and actionable

4.2.4 how do you know?

Michael Jackson story

in the 90s he was phenomenally successful, and he wanted to produce a movie. Everybody knew he was a great musician, but he wanted to produce a movie. But the question they asked Michael Jackson was: Well, we know you are the best in the world when it comes to music, but what do you know about drama? Michael Jackson replied: “Well, come over to my house.”

Guber went to his house. And MJ showed him large snake in a terrarium. And there was a little white mouse trembling in the corner. And MJ said: “The snake only eats alive food. You can’t feed it dead food.” And Guber asked: “Well, why doesn’t it strike?” and MJ replied: “Well, it likes the game, it likes the process, it likes the drama.”

Drama is: HOW & WHEN

Titanic: we all know how it’s gonna end. The ship will sink. But all the drama is in the HOW & WHEN

Apollo 13: we all know the end. But we didn’t know the HOW & WHEN of the movie.

5 Facts tell & stories sell

5.1 facts are crucial, but you can’t lead with them

5.1.1 you need to get their attention first, and you do that with emotions (=stories)

5.1.2 most people have to RETELL the information to somebody else

See also: moves people emotionally: EMOTIONAL TRANSPORTATION

examples

partners

colleages

companies

even themselves

how do they do that?

now with numbers and data

they use stories. They use stories to package the data. They put the data in the stories.

5.1.3 regurgitation of information

school

dull

today there’s no secret in information anymore. it’s all about how it’s put together

5.2 story isn’t the icing on the cake – it’s the cake

5.3 put your mission on steroids

5.3.1 attitude forms aptitude

when people look at people, they think about their attitude, because they know there will be failure, it’s not gonna be smooth sailing, there will be obstacles that need to be overcome. So they want to see ATTITUDE

not about being the smartest guy in the room, but being the guy with the greatest attitude (and then combine that with aptitude)

6 What’s the most well-built and memorable story you’ve heard?

6.1 can’t really pick on best one

6.2 the key is always elegance

6.2.1 example: Pat Riley

See document: pat-riley

NBA coach of Miami Heat, convinced his team could win, even though statistics were against them. People didn’t think they’d stand a chance, but Riley was convinced that if they could win the championship in the 6th game – but not in the 7th. Riley: “I told everybody to pack for just one day – one shirt, one tie not two days – three days, or four days – just one day of dress and change.”

7 How to find materials to build stories?

7.1 It’s easy: breathe in, breathe out.

7.1.1 All your life is a story

7.1.2 Think Alzheimer: the sad thing is that you loose your story

7.1.3 your own experience is the best. Because it’s true, authentic. Can be observed experience too. Can be a book, play, move, metaphor, anything.

7.2 the story doesn’t have to be about the subject

7.3 The guy who brought LASIK eyesurgery to the USA did it with a story. At first, people were so afraid, because people get their eyes opened, and they’re scared that they might loose their eyesight if something goes wrong. And his story was one word: “See.” And then he points to a big box where people threw their glasses inside – it shows the benefit, that people don’t need to wear eyeglasses anymore. It shows the benefit.

8 backstory

8.1 What is a backstory?

8.1.1 A story/event that happened in your live and that you narrate.

example:

“When I was a kid my dad used to blabla”

 

This is part 1 of the webinar. If you like this format, just post a comment below and let me know – I’ll then upload the mindmap for the whole webinar here.

This is just asesome. Check out the periodic table of storytelling:

Just click on the image to check out the original version.

There’s a great community for storytellers and storylovers – it’s called The Art of Storytelling by the Delaware Art Museum. I love the idea of that museum: because they give people the opportunity to tell stories around the works of art they have on display.

So people tell stories about the paintings. And if you’re curious, you can listen to other people’s stories about the paintings, or read them.

I always tell my clients that THE best way to become a better storyteller is to tell stories. That’s the best “trick” in the world there is to mastering the art of storytelling.

And this is a great fun way to do so.

And it’s really smart from a marketing perspective too.

Because once you have told – and published a story on any of the works they have on display, do you think you are more likely to visit that museum again? Do you think that you are more likely to talk to your friends and family about this museum? Do you think that can bring in more visitors to their museum?

And let’s face it: many people can’t relate to paintings. They stand in front of a picture and go: hohum… and it just doesn’t touch them. There’s no connect. Yes, some are captivated and fascinated by it – but many are not. But when you create a story around a picture, that’s a much more intense experience than just the visual input.

Here a video that answers the question: how to tell a story?

Here’s an overview of the steps involved:
1. Decide on the story you want to tell.
2. Hand write an outline of the story, episode by episode.
3. Using your own words and the outline you made in #2, write out the complete story by hand or create a storyboard as shown in the video.
4. Use the tool you made in #3 to practice your story aloud and by yourself.
5. Cut out parts of the story that slow the story down.
6. Repeat the story with the new parts and pieces. Don’t memorize. See the action in your head.
7. Tell your story to a trusted friend or associate. Ask for *genuine* advice.
8. Add more emotion to your story.
9. Tell your story to an audience. Be confident!

Steve Denning published an article titled “Leadership Storytelling 3.0: From Arithmetic to Calculus” in Forbes.

He talks about the fact that storytelling has really gone mainstream in the business world. Not many years ago, when you talked about storytelling in the corporate world, people wouldn’t get what it’s about. Nowadays, storytelling is a commonly accepted and utilized tool for business leaders.

He also talks about the evolution of leadership storytelling. He labels the stages of storytelling Leadership Storytelling 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0.

In phase 1.0 it’s all about just telling stories – without really thinking too much about them or the effects they have. It’s just natural, intuitive storytelling that happens when human beings get together.

In stage 2.0 there is a lot more awareness about the effects storytelling can have. In this stage, leaders also understand the mechanics of narrative. Leaders consciously make use of stories. They think about what kind of story to use in order to get the desired effect in their audience. Narrative patterns are used for different purposes. Examples of purposes might be:

• to move people to act or think differently,
• to communicate your identity (as a team, brand, company or individual),
• to foster teamwork,
• to transmit knowledge,
• and so on.

Steve Denning then goes on to talk about some of the pitfalls and downsides to storytelling 2.0 – and how to leverage storytelling even more with what he calls “Leadership Storytelling 3.0”

• At the organizational level, the very goal of the firm is to generate positive outcomes for customers. This is best measured by a story: the Net Promoter Score is a methodology that enables the organization to measure whether it is delighting the customer by inviting the customer to imagine a story: “Would you recommend this product or service to a colleague or friend?”

• At the level of the team, work is planned in the form of user stories—a special kind of story devised to formulate the goals of teams in terms of customer outcomes.

• The user stories that are developed are then sized and prioritized using other methodologies called “story points” and “planning poker” to measure how much work is involved in making any of the user stories “come true.” In such work places, people routinely speak of “implementing stories.”

• Value stream mapping is a tool that creates a story of the organization seen from the customer’s point of view, and helps identify any delays in delivering value to the customer. It enables the organization to manage the forgotten competitive weapon: time.

• These story-based measures enable the firm to go further and—for the first time—calculate the productivity of a firm in terms of human outcomes rather than merely the production of things.

In this third generation of leadership storytelling, with the shift in vocabulary to NPS, user stories, story points, planning poker and team velocity, we are a long way away from the innocent world of “Once upon a time…”

I really highly suggest that you read the original post by Steve Denning.

And if you really want to dig deep, you might want to check out his books too (particularly The Leader’s Guide to Radical Management, The Leader’s Guide to Storytelling & The Springboard).

Here’s a quote from an article on storytelling in education, written by Laura Fleming, published in the Huffington Post.

Time and time again I hear how uninspiring education is today, however through the power of story, it is possible that meaning and learning can powerfully coexist.

That’s true. Storytelling has the power of change and inspire people. I don’t think anyone can watch “Pursuit of Happiness” and not be not inspired. Whereas many people will be able to testify to how uninspiring education is. I’m definitely one of them – I dropped out of high school and never got a degree. But how could storytelling be practically implemented into our education system?

I remember one teacher that used to tell us stories during classes – and it was fascinating. Everyone loved his classes, and everyone (even me) learned a lot in the years we had with him.

Storytelling would surely be a great skill to teach the teachers – but someone would have to tell inspiring stories to the teachers first in order to get them motivated. Because many of them feel just as “excited” about their schools as the students do.

Today both America and Europe are in a unique position. We enjoy great wealth and power in the world. Yes, even with the economic downturn and everything. If you look at the facts, you’ll see that we’re damn lucky.

But if we don’t use the power that we have now to do something really mindblowing, sooner or later others will move ahead and leave us behind. And education – the way we influence the minds of kids – is one of the most important things that determines the future of our country and our families.

That’s a question Frank Rose tries to answer in his book “The Art of Immersion”. One of the statements he makes is this:

After centuries of linear storytelling, we are witnessing the emergence of a new form of narrative that’s native to the Internet.

But that’s not really a new statement. And what’s more – it’s missing a main point. He’s talking about a form of narrative that’s native to the Internet. And of course, we’re living in the age of internet. But the thing is: narratives are not about being native to the medium, but narratives are about being native to the people who follow them. Natives are meant to be listened to, and told by, human beings.

And the way we human beings consume narratives is essentially the same.

The one thing that really is changing is that many of the limitations what we previously had will slowly turn into possibilities. This will enable us to keep telling narratives more freely and creatively.

I haven’t read the book yet – and I’m judging it by it’s cover. But we should remember that with the advent of every new medium, there have always been claims that this will forever change the way stories are being told. And nobody doubts that a team of highly paid professionals and specialized experts do a better job at creating a compelling narrative than you or I could on our own. But isn’t it funny that kids still enjoy listening to a good night story being read to them? In a very linear fashion, without special effects?

So far, I’m missing the point (that’s worth telling) Rose tries to make. But then, maybe that’s because I haven’t read the book…

I’ll start out with Frank Rose’s Deep Media blog first though (and peek in on his twitter account occasionally). Despite the praise his book received, it hasn’t hooked me yet.

Stories really do engage our brains. They seduce our thoughts to follow them. Narratives are addictive.

There are psychologists and neuroscientists who want to better understand why exactly that is the case.

Wray Herbert wrote this in his blog post “The Narrative in the Neurons“.

One theory is that we all have many “scripts” stored in our neurons. These scripts are derived from past experiences, and words activate these scripts, transforming the printed text into something more like a real-life experience. The opening scene from The Tower Treasure is actually rather spare in its language, yet for the reader it can be a rich encounter. We visualize a narrow road, perhaps one that we have actually known from somewhere. We feel our grip on the motorcycle handlebars, and hear the screech of the tires; we imagine leaping and the difficult pitch of the embankment and the effort of climbing.

I think that is a neat idea. And if you have been involved in marketing or psychology, you know that simple words have a much stronger impact on humans than sophisticated ones. It’s a lot easier to hit an emotional home-run when you use the words of a fifth grader than to do so with the words of a university professor. And that’s not just the case with dumb people – it’s just as much so with smart folks.

At least that’s the idea, which a team of psychologists at Washington University in St. Louis decided to test in the lab. Jeffrey Zacks and his colleagues suspected that several different regions of the brain collaborate in the reading of a tale, each supplying a specialized script based on a particular kind of real-world experience. So, for example, one group of neurons might supply a story’s sense of space and movement (the careening car on a narrow road), while another might contribute the sensation of handling objects (clutching the grips), and still another, the characters’ goals (climbing to safety).

To test this idea, the scientists used a brain scanner to see what regions lit up during the reading of a story.

Now that makes me want to be a scientist. Hooking up people to brain scanning machines to check out what’s going on while they’re reading a story…

They watched the brains of volunteers as they read four short narrative passages. Each clause in each story was coded for the script it should theoretically trigger: movement in space, sense of time passing, characters’ goals, interaction with physical objects, and so forth. The idea was to see if different parts of the brain lit up as the reader’s imagined situation unfolded.

And they did. The details of the brain anatomy aren’t important here, but clearly there are several different neuron clusters involved in story comprehension. For example, a particular area of the brain ramped up when readers were thinking about intent and goal-directed action, but not meaningless motion. Motor neurons flashed when characters were grasping objects, and neurons involved in eye movement activated when characters were navigating their world.

These findings, reported on-line in the journal Psychological Science, strongly suggest that readers are far from passive consumers of words and stories. Indeed, it appears that we dynamically activate real-world scripts that help us to comprehend a narrative—and those active scripts in turn enrich the story beyond its mere words and sentences. In this way, reading is much like remembering or imagining a vivid event.

I would be interested in how different the brain reacts to stories it reads, compared to stories it hears (when told by another person), or imagines, or hears and sees (such as in a movie).

It’s possible, the psychologists say, that not just reading but all thinking may be similarly embodied in stored, real-life experiences. In this sense, language may have been an adaptive strategy for efficient and vivid communication of experiences to others. Put another way, storytelling may have evolved as a tool of survival.

For more insights into the quirks of human nature, visit the “We’re Only Human” blog at www.psychologicalscience.org/onlyhuman. Selections from the blog also appear regularly in the magazine Scientific American Mind and at Newsweek.com.

Peter Guber is probably one of the people who really get storytelling. After all, that’s what he’s made millions of dollars with.

This is the guy behind movies like Rainman. Or Batman. Ok, I’m going to stop right there. I mean, you really shouldn’t ask for any more credentials from a guy who’s behind both Rainman AND Batman. (Although Peter has got a lot more going for him).

Here’s his book in which he talks about how to tell a story. It already hit all kinds of bestseller lists (Amazon, Barnes and Nobles and whatnot) and all kinds of big shots are endorsing it (and not “just” people like Mark Victor Hansen from the Chicken Soup for the Soul books, but also guys like George Clooney and others).

 

Watch this cool video where he talkes with Magic Johnson, the legendary basketball player. His name alone is a story, so he’s definitely an authority on the fine art of storytelling.