We’ve all been to that wedding where there was one speaker who was great – and another who never finished. Everyone knows what a good storyteller is, even if we may not be good storytellers ourselves. But if we are able to recognize a good story – surely we should also be able to recreate one? We have extensive experience of what good storytelling is and are happy to share it.
Here are some tips:
All communication is storytelling
– whether it is good or bad. If we are to communicate something in an understandable way, the information must be put in a context. If the material is to be communicated well, the context must be good and recognisable. In concrete terms, this means that it must not only communicate – but also engage. That’s when we talk about storytelling. When you are deep in a subject, it is often difficult to simplify all the material into an understandable story. We’ve all met experts who can’t answer a single question easily. Then it is difficult to create any commitment.
The framework must be engaging
When we talk about subjects or theory, it is usually the case that we go straight to the problem. If it is to work, the audience must preferably be in the same mindset – and have roughly the same skills. As a rule, this is not the case. Then you have to invest a little in establishing a good and recognizable framework in which to put the theory. And this is where the art lies: the framework must be engaging, recognizable and perceived as relevant. The language and terms you use must also match. It must not be too difficult and not overwhelming. Then it’s a good idea to know your audience. A good story begins by speaking to the emotions. That is where the commitment lives. We have long experience with this – and it took us some time to realize that this was how we had worked all along. For us, the order was usually such that the questions we started with were always the same three things:
1. Who are we talking to 2. What is to be communicated 3. Why should they care?
If we manage to answer the three questions, we have come a long way. The advantage we have in Netron is quantity training. But it is often easier to cut through the abundance of expertise and insight if you come from outside, as we do. In a couple of hours, we are happy to drill down to the core of a subject and find the essence of what is to be communicated. Then it is our job to find an angle that engages the target group.
We have to speak to the heart
To put this another way, we must first speak to the heart – before going to the subject. It must be perceived as an important and relevant issue before listening. If you start in the technical field, it often becomes like trying to remember a telephone number. If the heart listens, the brain follows. And if you do it in that order – then you tell a good story.
