How does a business guy from Toronto to Tokyo tell the story of The Lord of the Rings? It goes like this: “A normal guy from next door has to destroy a ring. He achieves his goal and goes back home.” Strike! What a fantastic story! When I was a business consultant myself for almost a decade, I did exactly the same: “Yesterday I had a client meeting.” That’s where my storytelling capacities climaxed. Wow – isn’t it amazing?
In times of iPhones and iPads and Netflix, do we still know how to tell a sticky story? You know the answer.
But then again, what do I still remember from more than 6,500 speeches I listened to in my first seven years as a pro trainer? Personal stories. The only thing I might even have a chance to remember is … stories. Stories stick, anything else doesn’t. How can someting so obvious be so underestimated?
Ask yourself:
Do you relate to personal stories?
Do you connect with personal stories?
Do you get inspired by personal stories?
Why in Mother Earth’s name don’t you, YOU, tell personal stories then?
My former boss, mentor and friend Professor Dr. Peter Wesner always says, “The future has never been the prolongation of the past.” Good, great, excellent. Because you just cannot proceed with your meaningless, generic talk that brought you to – o wonder, o wonder – where you are in your job today.
There are several plots of storytelling. My personal favorite is the hero’s journey. People will never connect with your successes as much as they do with your failures and struggles in life.
The Recipe below is a one pager based on the hero’s journey. It will help you mix together seven juicy ingredients for a tasty story. Try it out! I’m very much looking forward to your feedback and suggestions for improvement.
Click or tap the image below:
