Whoever Tells the Best Story Wins : How to Use Your Own Stories to Communicate with Power and Impact

Story telling is a powerful communications tool that is becoming more and more recognized in the business community. These stories are not the usual speech openers or ice breakers, but stories that will influence others to trust the storyteller and shape decisions and actions that are important to both individuals and organizations. As the author explains, we've been conditioned to believe that business communication should be clear, rational, objective, with no place for emotion or subjective thinking. Not true. The most powerful, persuasive communication has a human element: ''Communication can't feel genuine without the distinctive personality of a human being to provide context. You need to show up when you communicate - the real you, not the idealized you.The missing ingredient in most failed communication is humanity. This is an easy fix. In order to blend humanity into every communication you send, all you have to do is tell more stories and bingo - you just showed up.'' This book teaches readers how to tell six kinds of stories. Part 1 explains how to shift from normal ''business thinking'' to story thinking. Part 2 describes the six types of story, and walks readers through the process of finding their own inspiring stories. Part 3 outlines five practical principles that maximize story as a tool to understand as well as persuade. Readers can also make journal entries to capture and develop story ideas. The book is - naturally - full of inspiring stories (some very funny). The style is lively and personal, yet eloquent and sophisticated

The missing ingredient in most failed communication is humanity. Yet the sense of human presence in communication is frequently elbowed out by dry "criteria" that obscures the real goal: establishing a true connection with your audience. Whoever Tells the Best Story Wins shows you how to use your own personal stories to get your ideas across and establish the kind of shared experience that will result in agreement. By adding an element of subjective thinking to your repertoire, you'll discover how to:

 

• gain people's trust • command attention • shift from everyday thinking into story thinking • amplify the points you're trying to make • manage the different interpretations that might be drawn from your objective data • help shape group decisions and actions • tell the six fundamental types of story

 

Filled with enlightening anecdotes, this practical guide gives you the tools you need to persuade, inspire, and influence others simply by doing something you already do every day: opening yourself up to the power of story.

 

"It's not as hard as you think! Annette Simmons lays out the storytelling agenda in clear, simple steps. You can (and you must) tell a story if you expect to succeed as a marketer. This book ought to help."

—Seth Godin, author, All Marketers Are Liars

 

"Once upon a time, story was banished from business. Then Annette Simmons came along to show us the error of our ways. This book is a smart, practical guide to tapping the power of narrative to improve your business and your life."

-- Daniel H. Pink, author of A Whole New Mind

 

"Storytelling is a critical leadership skill, but one that even the most talented managers neglect. In Whoever Tells the Best Story Wins, Annette Simmons tells us why we must all learn to tell a good story, and guides us through simple steps to master this important craft. If you seek to communicate with greater impact and conviction, this book is for you."

—Herminia Ibarra, The INSEAD Chaired Professor of Organizational Behavior

Stories have tremendous power. They can persuade, promote empathy, and provoke action. Better than any other communication tool, stories explain who you are, what you want...and why it matters. In presentations, department meetings, over lunch-any place you make a case for new customers, more business, or your next big idea-you'll have greater impact if you have a compelling story to relate. Whoever Tells the Best Story Wins will teach you to narrate personal experiences as well as borrowed stories in a way that demonstrates authenticity, builds emotional connections, inspires perseverance, and stimulates the imagination. Fully updated and more practical than ever, the second edition reveals how to use storytelling to: Capture attention • Motivate listeners • Gain trust • Strengthen your argument • Sway decisions • Demonstrate authenticity and encourage transparency • Spark innovation • Manage uncertainty • And more Complete with examples, a proven storytelling process and techniques, innovative applications, and a new appendix on teaching storytelling, Whoever Tells the Best Story Wins hands you the tools you need to get your message across-and connect successfully with any audience. Contents 8 Acknowledgments 10 Introduction 16 PART ONE: Thinking in Story 22 1. Story Thinking: What Does That Even Mean? 24 2. What Is Story? 33 3. Training Your Brain 42 4. Telling Stories That Win 53 PART TWO: Finding Stories to Tell 62 5. Who-I-Am Stories 64 6. Why-I-Am-Here Stories 77 7. Teaching Stories 94 8. Vision Stories 113 9. Value-in-Action Stories 131 10. I-Know-What-You-Are-Thinking Stories 152 PART THREE: Perfecting the Craft 174 11. Experience Is Sensory 176 12. The Gift of Brevity 190 13. Brand, Organizational, and Political Stories 199 14. Point of View 209 15. Story Listening 217 Call to Action 226 Bibliography 228 Index 232 A 232 B 232 C 233 D 233 E 233 F 234 G 234 H 234 I 234 J 235 K 235 L 235 M 235 N 235 O 236 P 236 R 236 S 236 T 237 U 238 V 238 W 239 About the Author 240 "People float in an ocean of data and disconnected facts that can often overwhelm them with choices. In this ocean of choice, a meaningful story can feel like a life preserver that tethers us to something safe and important - at the very least, to a trace of humanity that proves there is a "you" communicating with them, whether the "you" is yourself or an organization you represent. This important book helps you lay the groundwork for using story as a credible tool to connect with your audience, and create a meaning more powerful than mere facts could ever do."--Jacket