CHAMPION STRATEGIES – PUBLIC SPEAKING WORKSHOP – NOVEMBER 20, 2021 -2
WHY STORYTELLING IN BUSINESS MATTERS
The Stories That Matter
Christopher Booker, the author of “The 7 Basic Plots: Why We Tell Stories,” says a story will always fall into one of seven storylines:
- Overcoming the Monster
- Rags to Riches
- The Quest
- Voyage and Return
- Comedy
- Tragedy
- Rebirth
What’s important for you to remember is that the people in your audience are all going through one of these plot types as they sit and listen to you. So not only is storytelling important; so is having more than one story you can tell.
Ideally, you’ll have a story that fits each plot type so you can pick and choose which one to tell depending on the audience and the situation.
What do these stories look like? Here are some examples:
Overcoming the Monster – The hero must defeat the villain to restore balance. In movies, this is the plot for “Jurassic Park.” In real life, the “monster” can be illness, addiction, or anything else that you had to defeat.
Rags to Riches – The underdog comes out on top after their natural talents shine through. In movies, this is the plot for “Annie.” In real life, you may be the “underdog” who started with nothing and worked hard to become a well-respected expert in your field.
The Quest – The hero must defeat evil (sometimes more than one) despite the odds, but ultimately wins. In movies, this is the plot for “Apocalypse Now.” In real life, your experience as an entrepreneur is a quest story all of itself.
Voyage and Return – An average person is thrown into a strange world from which they must return. In movies, this is the plot for “Cast Away.” In real life, you can use the voyage and return story to demonstrate how you can help your clients get something under control or return to normal after an upheaval.
Comedy – The main character must resolve some form of confusion that resulted in misadventure so they can move ahead. In movies, this is the plot for “Groundhog Day.” In real life, the “confusion” could simply be a series of bad decisions that led to a conundrum that required someone else’s intervention.
Tragedy – A character experiences something painful and harrowing. In movies, this plot is typically coupled with another (like rebirth). We see it in movies such as “Titanic.” In real life, everyone has a tragic story, whether it’s a story of divorce, an accident, or death.
Rebirth – The main character’s fate seems unavoidable until a miraculous series of events turns things around. In movies, this is the plot for the “Sound of Music.” In real life, rebirth can come after realizing how your behavior threatened something in your life and how you needed to be pushed to make a change.
You Tell Stories Everyday
You tell stories all day, every day. You tell them to family. You tell them to friends. You tell them to your children. And they tell them to you.
The conversations you have with other people all make great stories for you to gather and then use to improve the way you use storytelling in your business presentations. They provide a way to humanize data and make your message more relatable to your audience.
More importantly, your stories are a way to make your message more memorable than simply reciting facts and figures.
By placing them in the context of stories and anecdotes that entertain and engage your audience, you’re ensuring your listeners will retain the information you provide.
