The Transformative Power of Storytelling

Welcome to the LIFT Your Impact newsletter, where you gain insights on leadership, communication, and storytelling. And great news! You can now order my new book, Lift Your Impact, here in the UK and here in the US! For bulk orders contact our team!

Or to book me for a speaking engagement click here (virtual or in person).?

After my family’s recent trip to the U.S., my children said it was the best 7 days of their lives.

For a parent, I can think of nothing better to hear after coming back from a holiday.?

From visiting the original Home Alone house in Chicago to seeing the worlds of Harry Potter at Universal and Star Wars at Disney Hollywood Studios in Florida, my family and I were transported to different worlds in our imagination, able to leave the ordinary world behind.?

What stood out as most memorable for my children was not the most thrilling rides, but the creative surroundings that helped them feel that they were at Hogwarts, or inside the Millennium Falcon. They enjoyed creating stories of their own about what life would be like for them in those worlds.?

This had me thinking—What if we simply aspire to turn our next presentation into the best meeting people attend this week??

How can we bring the excitement of stories to our everyday lives?

Set the stage

This is when you provide the context and backdrop that lays the landscape for your message. What are the current circumstances? The challenges and goals that your listeners are facing? What needs to change in order for them to reach their goals? What will happen if nothing changes?

Establish the Hero

Remember—you are not playing the role of the hero; your audience is! Show them how your presentation or idea relates to them and the things they care about so they are keen to hear more. This usually relates to MTV—money, time, and values.?

Connect with emotions

Let your audience know how this information will help them to avoid pain, gain pleasure, and provide them with clarity, reassurance, and any other relevant emotions. Our priorities and goals are usually connected with our emotions, so our presentations and speeches should be, too!

Use the Power of 3

Have you ever noticed that many great stories are divided into 3 acts? Or that there are often 3 questions or 3 tasks? Think of Goldilocks and the Three Bears or Aladdin’s 3 wishes. The number 3 is a powerful storytelling device. We are naturally drawn to it. How can your presentation be divided into 3 parts? Ask 3 questions? Make 3 commitments?

Bring them into action

Let your audience know what they can do with the information that you’ve provided them with. Now, they can be the involved and active hero of the story, rather than a passive listener. Start with one small step they can take today.

Story has the ability to captivate us in ways that information cannot. It taps into a part of our mind that is often left untouched and uninspired by our average day at work. That’s why it is so powerful to develop storytelling skills, to transform a dry spreadsheet into a compelling set of events and evidence that lead us through a story of critical moments in time. You don’t have to bring your listeners to the world of Harry Potter or inside the Millennium Falcon to take them on an adventure!

Thank you for joining me for another LIFT Your Impact newsletter.?

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This, and many other tools, exercises, and stories can be found in my new book Lift Your Impact, which is available here in the UK and here in the US! Bulk purchases can be made here.?

To book me for speaking engagements, please email [email protected] or check out my conference speaking page here.

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