When it comes to opening a closed mind and power, we always approach it in the same way that I approached my battle with the front door. We do use our reasoning, our facts, our thought and our beliefs, but we can’t open the mind, no matter how hard we try. The secret lies before us all the time. The trick is sharing stories.
The story is how you influence others and ultimately succeed. We are here to help you learn the strength and impact of storytelling. You kicked the door long enough, pounded and rammed it. It is time to release it now. The secret is not as elusive as you would believe, as you can see.
You can be an influencer.
Let’s crack some misconceptions and misunderstandings to start things off. First of all, it doesn’t matter how many fans you have or how many square feet your office includes. It’s certainly not a trendy cloakroom or a blue checkmark. You don’t have to cut the noise at your job or online, and it doesn’t have to be an influencer. And what do you need, what do you need? Better yet, anyway, what is the heck?
All has to do with influencing other people’s behaviours and values. You are an influencer if you can share your thoughts, then everyone can listen to them and then act. Believe me, your audience – whether online or in-person – will react if you present yourself as your true, genuine self and express your passions regularly and persuasively. A technique we have addressed earlier, storytelling, is the perfect way to express those passions.
Your audience will be with you as you share your stories. It works because of that. You probably imagined me going up a snowy road after a long bus ride while you were reading my middle school story above. Perhaps you have photographed me kicking my door, and poking, when I would not have kicked it. You have thought about these specifics, which have made it an important part of my storytelling. When you share your story, your audience will do the same thing.
Imagine interviewing you or your skills as a solopreneur, or pitching them as a customer. Picture this now: this interviewer or prospective customer is adding every word to him. You know that what you’re doing resonates with your audience, their eyes light up. This is the influence as a storyteller you can have. But let’s talk about what makes stories so effective before I share a few strategies that can help you captivate your audience.
Storytelling is your key.
One day, Christine Figgener, a young marine biologist, worked with her staff off the coast of Costa Rica. In order to collect data on her study, Figgener and her cohorts captured sea turtles, and one member found something odd about a boat turtle. When the marine biologists looked closer, the turtle found something sticking to its nose.
During the recording process, the team of Figgener attempted to twist the foreign object from the nose of the turtle. The seadweller had been stirred up and the turtle began bleeding at one point. The naval biologists eventually pulled the item free of the angry Figgener. It was a plastic straw, one of the millions of plastic single-use products that end up every year in the oceans. Anything like this wasn’t the first time.
Figgener saw hundreds of turtles that mistakenly ate plastic in the past before meeting this awful turtle. She also found a tortoise trapped in a plastic sac with her band. But it was different from this turtle.
The video was posted by Figgener and viral quickly. Suddenly, a global forum for educating others about the risks of plastic waste was identified for her marine biologist. Finally, the global anti-straw campaign we are in the middle of today began her efforts. The use of straws was phased out in 2020 by Starbucks. Disney and hundreds of other famous multinational hotels and restaurants did the same thing. People and businesses worldwide have banded together to eliminate the use of plastic straws, and although this campaign is making years, it is clear that the story of one tortoise has inspired vast quantities of progress.
As researchers believe, stories have control. Many studies explain how people are moved by stories and sometimes are forced to act, be it a big film, a video about a fierce tortoise or a story that someone they know shares.
You invite someone to join you on a journey as you walk along a narrational arc. And if you tell the story well, you create trust which is important to your career and life success.
Your story is an invitation, as I said above. They’re going to add their own photos as your colleague, customer, supervisor or interviewer listen to your words. It’s almost like they tell the story next to your hand, making a wonderful experience. In turn, this will lead you over the crowd. If this individual looks back at all the candidates who were interviewed for the role you are searching for, or considers who will grant their company, they will look at their list of applicants. There’s your name at the end, and you’ll have to thank your storytelling.
You cannot expect any story to help you achieve the leverage that you need, of course. A special story takes you to open your mind closed and rise above the noise. You can also silence your hardest critical to form the story: you. But I’m here to help, and you can get there.
Calm Your Nerves for Greater Impact
Public speech is a vital part of the narrative process and you’re not alone, if it scares you. More than 75% of the population, including me, is afraid of the public. But it is often inevitable and successful presentation makes a major difference in almost all professions. Here are a few things that you can do to relax your nerves.
- Open story presentations. You will be fulfilled by the nodes and laughter of your audience.
- Throughout the presentation, keep telling stories. This influences empathy so that the effect of the action your audience needs to take can be felt.
- Open your mouth. Raise your voice! In working meetings this is particularly important. A well-narrated story that needs attention will attract and open people to the ideas that they present.
3 Keys to a Great Story
- Have similar statistics. Perhaps you are that character. Everyone will respond to the stress of beginning a new job or undertaking a huge project. They will be hooked when the audience is connected to you.
- Main info to sprinkle. Include the car’s colour or the weather that day. As long as you keep this information short, they will give your tale an interesting taste.
- Do not put it into the pantry. Your story does not take place sequentially, and it does not include every feeling and emotion of the day. You probably have to be right if you feel like you share too much information.
