We all need a hero

Every great story has a hero. But this is only relevant for fictional stories right? Wrong! Having a hero is just as important for business stories. In fact you could argue a hero is even more important given that you want your story to have real impact.

Why are heroes important?

Stories are told by human being to engage with other human beings. Invariably when telling a business story there is a clear point or action that needs to be conveyed. It may also be important that the listener remembers the presentation or meeting. This is where the hero comes in.

Having a hero in your story makes the story more relatable and drives deeper engagement. Whilst you may think of investor's, for example, as hard nosed business people only interested in the bottom line, they are also human beings. Like all humans, they are hard wired to respond to connection. Ensuring an emotional connection makes people more inclined to react positively to the ask from the story. This emotional or relatable element is also what makes the story more memorable.

Stories with heroes are more likely to capture and hold the audience’s attention.They create a narrative that people want to follow, making the business message more compelling. Sharing just hard data is dry and does not elicit a strong reaction. Share that data in a story with a relevant hero, however, and you will see lights go on and audiences paying attention.

What is a hero?

So who should be the hero for your business story? Obviously this depends on your story! Just as importantly though - it depends on your audience.

Given that the purpose of the hero is to drive engagement and connection it is vital that you pick a hero who will resonate with your target audience. In fact you could potentially keep the story the same but change the hero for each different audience type.

Traditionally we think of the hero as a saviour in some fictional tale. In fact the hero in a business story is just someone who resonates with the audience and who they can connect to emotionally. The hero does not need to be a super hero or some swashbuckling prince. The hero could be:

1. You! Yes you could be the hero of your own story. If you are an entrepreneur presenting to investors, for example, then this may help form that important connect not just to the story but also to you as a person.
2. Your team. If you are leading a transformational project or launching a new business the hero could be the team that is doing all the work and that is struggling with the challenges.
3. Your audience. Why not make your audience the hero of your story? This is a great way to get them connected and involved.
4. Your customer. This one may feel more comfortable for many businesses. Often a story will be to talk about a solution for a customer so it feels natural to make the customer the hero.
5. The patient. This is IMHO the most impactful hero you can have. If you work in healthcare the patient is the most important person in the equation. Often however I do not see the patient included in pharma team presentations. Why? Possibly because we forget about them or because they are not the direct customer. However patients are able to drive a strong emotional connection and provide people a real sense of purpose. If you work in pharma and you have to present internally then why not make the patient the hero of your story.

How to use a hero?

Using a hero should flow seamlessly as part of your story. Depending on the story and the hero you may need to take a moment to set the scene and introduce the hero. In other instances, the hero may just need a cursory mention. In these cases you would then refer to the hero throughout. For example if you are using the audience as the hero you probably do not want to spend long introducing them - they know who they are! You would however need to keep referring to them as you go through your story to make sure they feel connected as you proceed.

When you come to the end of your story you should also consider the role of your hero. Is your ask for the audience related to the hero? Or perhaps you want them to remember something as they leave the room - then make sure you connect it to the hero. For example if you are asking for budget relating to a healthcare product, you could use the patient as your hero. Then when you close with your final ask bring that patient in to cement the emotions ... and the deal.

If you have not used a hero in your presentations before then give it a go. Or, if you would like more information on how to use a hero and build a great story and presentation then reach out. I offer coaching for teams and individuals in business storytelling and presenting.