Stories I love to share

Tell us a story about the best story you ever created. What made it memorable in the hearts and minds of people?

This is my all-time favorite story.

April 23, 1969.

I had finished my last paper for my final year BSc exam. I had done quite badly.

That evening my father returned home from work and asked me about my examinations. I told him that I had done quite badly in the exams.

“How bad is bad?”

“So bad that I would either fail or get a poor third class.” Don’t know what gave me the courage to be so forthright.

The next day when he was leaving for the office he asked “So do you want to study further or go to work?”

“I want to go to work,” I said.

“In which case start looking for a job from today.”

“But Dad, who will give me a job? My results are not yet out.”

“That is the point. The day the results are out, nobody will give you a job. So beat the results and hunt for a job from today.”

On May 13, 1969, I got my first job with a management consultant organisation.

What makes this story memorable in the hearts and minds of people are:

a.???My father’s response to my honest admission. Providing an innovative way out, instead of dwelling on the problem.

b.??It showed care and compassion. It introduced me to a new of thinking. And changed my life forever.

2.????How is business storytelling different from telling stories for pleasure?

In my mind, there is no difference. All the stories seem to convey some message. Through characters, incidents, conflicts, and resolutions. And there is a residual message.

It is the same with business storytelling. It has to be interesting, appeal to the head and the heart, and deliver a message as well.

3.????What impact do stories have on the human brain? Why do they stick?

There is an interesting book called “Made to Stick” by Chip and Dan Heath.

They explain what helps stories to stick.

They say Sticky = understandable, memorable, and effective in changing thought or behaviour. That is what good stories do.

They are Simple, have something Unexpected, a Concrete message, Credible and Emotional.

Take any story, chances are that they offer all these in some measure. Whether it is the Mahabharata or the film Sholay, Gangubhai Khathiawadi, or any other blockbuster they work around these principles.

?4.????According to you, what are the essential steps in crafting a story that will move people?

First thing is to figure out what is your point or message. It has to be to simple.

Let me give you an example. In my workshops, I make a point that in brainstorming quantity is more important than quality. You must have a lot of ideas so that you will end up with at least one or two worthwhile ideas.

So I give the story of how my wife buys sarees from Nalli a famous shop in Chennai. Which sells Kancheepuram Silk sarees.

When she is there she will ask to see at least 20 to 25 different sarees before she makes up her mind to buy one saree. It is like exploring various possibilities before you commit to one idea and decide to commit people, money, time, and resources.

So my request to participants is to go for a number of ideas before you select the option best suited to your purpose. We do this in all walks of life anyway.

If I just blandly made the point – it doesn’t stick. But in the saree story, the point comes alive and becomes memorable.

5.????What does one stand to lose if they don't use storytelling. We have been living without that for so long. Haven't we?

True we have been living without storytelling. Just because we have lived without something does not mean we don’t need it. We have pulled along WITHOUT knowing what we are missing.

50 years ago none of us had a mobile phone. When they came what was their story? That you can talk to anyone anywhere anytime. Very often we don’t know what we are missing till we experience something.

We need to help people imagine the benefits. Here is a line for selling subscriptions to Psychology Today Magazine.

“Do you close the bathroom door, even if you are the only one at home?”

People mentally answer the question. It makes us think about why we do what we do. That is what psychology is all about. Right?

A good story will help us connect the dots in an unusual and memorable way. That is what stories do. Help us see issues in a new way that could be compelling.

Good advertising headlines ignite our imagination and make unusual connections.

Look at this: “At 60 miles an hour the loudest noise in the new Rolls-Royce comes from the electric clock.”

What a lovely story to tell about superior technology and its benefits, for a high-priced car.

What the line does is tell a story about superior technology and its benefits. It ignites our imagination about the comfort of a high technology car at high speeds.

What we gain from a great story is illustrated by this one about Buddha.

Apparently, a disciple asked the Buddha. “What is the most important?thing you do?”

“I make sure people understand what I say.”

“Why is that important?”

“Because if they don’t understand what I say, they won’s do the right thing. If they don’t do the right thing, they will not get what they are looking for. Therefore they won’t be happy.”

Stories help people understand even abstract concepts. That is the power of stories.

Stories lubricate the mind effortlessly and help people understand our concepts better.

Communicating with each other is an important part of doing?business. Most of the time it is about persuasion. In persuasion helping people understand our communication is critical.

The story is the lubricant that loosens the mind and allows new ideas to come in.

We talk about out-of-the-box thinking. But what is the box? Most people don’t explain the box. We are imprisoned most of the time by our assumptions and logic. They harden when they remain unchallenged. That is the box.

Very often igniting your imagination helps us vault over the walls of assumption and logic. The story lubricates the mind. Helps the brain make unusual connections. And paves the way for new ideas, and fresh thinking triggered by imagination.

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RS: May 18, 2022