Is storytelling for you? Chances are excellent that it is. But rather than starting with all the heady stuff: data, research, news, and trends let’s look at what might be holding you back.
Here are some of the most common doubts and fears I hear from people before they get hooked on stories–leaving boring, dull and tedious presentations in the dust:
Do I have to be a charismatic and confident storyteller?
Nope. Great storytellers, great leaders, and great presentation training are not born. They are made.
They become great because they are dedicated learners.
Masters of presenting are constantly learning new skills. They get training, work with experts, and get one-on-one coaching. They didn’t always have the charisma and confidence they have today. They worked at it-and they got professional help along the way.
You don’t have to be born with a ‘charisma’ gene. These are skills you can learn, step-by-step.
Do I have to know how to build stories?
Fortunately, no. Using step-by-step storyboards, powerful stories unfold. You don’t have to be a great writer, an innovative graphics person, or a talented storyteller.
All you need is a blueprint to build creative and powerful stories. With this in hand, it’s ‘goodbye boring!’
Do I have to be in sales?
Not at all. If you look at business and professional experience, we are all selling something. All day. Every single day. It may be invisible or tangible.
Think about the things we ‘sell.’ Advise. Agendas. Ideas. Information. Products. Recommendations. Services. Solutions. Strategies.
Whether or not you have ‘sales’ on your business card, you are selling to people. No matter what you do. You need to constantly convince, engage and persuade. You have to know how to change minds and open hearts in order to get results.
So step up and investigate. What does it take to present your ideas in a compelling and interesting way? It’s not just for sellers.
Do I have to spend a lot of time learning? I don’t have the time.
No. Storytelling is a simple system for business presentation. Once you learn how to organize ideas, use visuals and inspire actionyou can focus on getting results. Learning and using stories is easy.
Once you learn the system for storytelling, it’s like driving a car. You turn the key, and you can concentrate on doing what you do best.
Do I need to be pushy to be a persuasive storyteller?
No way. You do not need to use strong-arm techniques. The last thing that attracts customers is over-the-top manipulation techniques.
I bet you weren’t born naturally pushy. You haven’t worked on being pushy. And it’s not an attractive trait. In fact, most of us are reluctant to push an idea or product on anyone. Pushiness is rarely considered ethical or truly professional.
You can be absolutely natural, authentic, and completely yourself-and be highly convincing.
How do I know this for sure? I was once shy and reserved. Yet I learned how to be persuasive and respectful. (Without being pushy.) And you can too.
Do I need to have an advanced degree?
No! Most of the steps in storytelling could be spelled out to a young child. Following simple steps, they would know exactly how to present ideas, promote products and sell services. In a heartbeat.
If they can do it-you can do it.
The next time you think that giving a presentation means compiling a long list of facts, statistics, features and benefits in a dry collectionthink again. By organizing your message into a powerful story, you’ll capture attention and open up discussion for presentation training.