Whether the story takes place at a laundromat or in a casino, something about the location likely affects the story in a signficant way.Ī good storyteller includes these three elements and knows how to weave them together to make a compelling narrative. The Room - Quite literally, where they were, what surrounded them, and how that affected the incident or story they’re telling.In a more insightful or thoughtful story, they might end with this element. Inner Monologue - What they were thinking as the event unfolds, perceptions that maybe changed or shifted, descriptions of what they thought about someone else they interacted with.In any case, they probably had a good few lines they plucked from the incident. Sometimes it’s the punchline, sometimes it’s the “oh wow!” moment. Dialogue - What someone said, what they said, the interactions people have.Chances are they had these three elements in their story: Take a moment and think about a story they’ve told you and why it was good. There you’ll find a structure that works particularly well for any business setting.Do you have a friend that knows how to tell a good story? I don’t mean they know how to write, I mean they know how to share something that happened and make it funny, interesting, or insightful. If you’re looking for a simple, yet powerful structure, we suggest checking out our article 6 STEPS TO CRAFT A POWERFUL STORY. When leaders have 2 minutes to tell a story, they just can’t go through the 12 steps of the Hero’s Journey. While these are great structures, I want to flag that NOT each one of them is well suited for the business context. Facing adversity, hero ultimately triumphs before returning home, transformed Hero’s Journey: 12 steps structure in which the hero ventures into unknown territory to retrieve something they need.Freytag’s Pyramid: exposition, inciting incident, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution, and denouement.Three-Act Structure: setup, confrontation, and resolution.While there a plenty of story structures, the most common ones include By following a strong structure that reflects the progression of the plotline, you’ll keep your audience engaged and entertained. You can apply similar principles to your own story no matter the length. It helps readers follow the story from beginning to end. There’s a reason screenwriters, novelists, and producers put structure in their stories. The more the audience feels like they know your character, the more they invest in your story. Having two jobs, she barely gets 5 hours of sleep every night…” She wants to help her sister going to college, but she just doesn’t know if she can continue doing this. She just got back from her night shift at the call center. They will be super impressed by his knowledge…” He will learn everything about the company history, the financials and the management. He’s going to spend the next 24 hours preparing for the interview.
Helping your audience relate with your main character is the best way to get them on board. If they don’t understand why someone desires something, they’ll find it hard to empathize with or care about that person. But even if you want to tell a quick story, you should keep in mind that your audience needs to get to know the main character(s). In fact, business stories should take between 1-3 minutes. Many people prefer stories that are short and simple. I hit ‘send’, shut down my laptop, and take a deep breath…” “2 weeks back, I’m in my apartment in Amsterdam.Norah stands in line to get her ticket to Hamilton in London…”
I step into my boss’s office and hand him a letter…” This gets people interested in what’s going to happen next. You can have your character do any sort of action - stepping, walking, shouting, biking, you name it. They’ll be on their phones even before you start with your actual story. When you use these seconds to set expectations or give too much context, you risk losing their attention. A study by Microsoft found that the average attention span of a human is only 8 seconds. Within the initial seconds of sharing your story, your listeners decide whether to pay attention to you or their phones. It’s not an exaggeration to say that your first few words can make or break your goal.
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