Have you ever felt that what you did long ago almost belonged to another life?

Did Jeremy really teach for three years? Well, yes – 11-year-olds up to ‘A’ Level in a minor public school called Kelly College in Devon. He loved university and only reluctantly faced the fact that it would end. Having abandoned an ambition to act, Jeremy had little or no idea what he wanted to do when he left university. He applied to teach at Kelly College, a school on the edge of Dartmoor, and managed to wangle his way into this school initially to teach up to GCSE and run various sports teams, before even completing a teaching qualification. Jeremy always remembers one part of the interview. He said to Chris Hirst, the headmaster: ‘I have no experience of teaching. Doesn’t that concern you?’ Chris looked at Jeremy for a moment and said: ‘Oh don’t worry Jeremy, you’re bound to pick it up as you go along!’

So there Jeremy was, waiting for his first ever lesson. The information had been learned (sedimentary rock formations on Dartmoor), the lesson had been planned, the room prepared, and he was waiting, a little nervously, for the arrival of the students and his teaching career to begin. It is called learning on the job!

The power of stories

Think for a moment about the power of stories in your own life:

• How many times have you stayed up late reading a novel or biography that you ‘couldn’t’ put down?
• Even if you have to get up early the next day, have you ever watched a movie that you couldn’t turn off?
• Have you ever changed the way you do things or pushed yourself harder after hearing the story of someone else’s success?
• Can you still remember some business conferences when a speaker moved you with a story?
• When was the last time you changed your opinion having read a convincing blog or newspaper article?
• If you have children you will know that they make up stories all the time for a variety of reasons.
• Can you still remember ‘The Boy Who Cried Wolf’ taken from Aesop’s fables? Although it is simple, like most fables, it has done an effective job for centuries.

The ancient art of storytelling can change the way we think, act and feel. It works with all cultures. Trainers, especially, can use the power of a good story to influence and motivate their groups to take action. Stories can be inspirational. They can create legends that an entire workplace culture can build upon, and they have the power to break down barriers and turn a bad situation into a good one. Stories, if you can make them crackle and fizz with electricity, can capture our imaginations and make things real in a way that cold, hard facts can never do. We share our stories and invite participants to share theirs – to inform, enlighten and entertain because they touch our imaginations and our emotions. Stories can be very, very powerful influencing tools. Great leaders know this, and many top CEOs, politicians and professional communicators today use stories to illustrate points and sell their ideas.

So, do you want to be a persuasive motivator? If so, learn how to tell a good story. But how? When should you tell a story, and how do you know what kind of story to tell to get the results you want?

When we say stories we mean real personal anecdotes, stories you have heard other trainers or presenters use, corporate case studies, metaphors, fables, analogies and research references. They add colour and substance to all business communication. Done really well they can bring any session to life. Why are stories such an integral part of influencing a group? Essentially the power of stories is hard wired into us from birth. We are constantly being told stories – by our parents, grandparents, teachers and friends. Stories are part of the very fabric of what makes us human. They connect us to our past, contain messages that tell us how to live and entertain us. If you are a parent you will know about the magic of telling a bedtime story to a child and will have noticed how a child’s face can glaze over and become entranced almost as soon as you mutter the words ‘once upon a time...’.

We have talked in Chapter 14 that contains the C³ Model of Influencing about the importance of being in a resourceful state as trainers. Equally the state of the audience is critical for training to be successful. In simple terms, if the audience is bored they are unlikely to engage with you and will learn little. When you think about times when you have learned easily, your own state will have contributed enormously. The best state to be in when you learn is a state of curiosity. Stories elicit this curious state in participants. You can see them relax, sometimes go into a light trance and listen intently to the story, however long or short. If you pepper your sessions with stories this is a surefire way to guarantee a high level of curiosity which will result in your content being accepted easily and effortlessly.

What do we mean by a story?

A story is a way of organising information. It will typically have some structure – a beginning, middle and end. It will incorporate a sequence of events, involve people and give the trainer a chance to say what needs to be said without being didactic or overly persuasive. The metaphor of the cloak works well here. The story is a cloak that covers what we want to say in an accessible way, and allows us access to a deeper meaning.

Of course stories (especially ones that happened to you) are easy to remember for the trainer. However, another great benefit of telling stories in training is that they create emotion in the participants in the room. Stories will create feelings of happiness, sadness, disappointment, optimism and anticipation. The reason why this is so vital is that emotions help create motion. In other words, you are more likely to get people motivated to change – one of the underlying purposes of all business training. The best stories can result in changes at both a conscious and unconscious level in the listeners. When you appeal to the audience on an emotional level by using a story, they are more likely to remember you and your ideas. Think about some of the great storytellers of the last century – Martin Luther King, Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela and Winston Churchill for example. They all told stories that inspired the masses to take action.

Here are a variety of points in training when stories may be appropriate:

Finally here are some tips on the ‘how to’ of telling stories. Keep these suggestions in mind when telling stories that bring your training alive:

And so, finally, to a story. Like many good stories, this one exists in different versions. Some feature a poodle, or another small breed of dog instead of a chihuahua. You could use this to illustrate assertiveness, decision making under stress, if you want to change beliefs about what is possible, creative thinking, quick thinking, bluff or boldness.

A lady takes her pet chihuahua with her on a safari holiday. Chasing butterflies, the dog wanders too far one day and gets lost in the bush, under a tree. Soon it starts to whimper and the situation is made worse when it encounters a very hungry looking leopard. The chihuahua realises he’s in trouble, but, noticing some fresh bones on the ground, he settles down to chew on them, with his back to the big cat. As the leopard is about to leap, the chihuahua smacks his lips and exclaims loudly, ‘Boy, that was one delicious leopard. I wonder if there are any more around here.’

The leopard stops mid-stride, and slinks away into the trees.

‘Phew,’ says the leopard, ‘that was close – that evil little dog nearly had me.’

From the tree, a monkey sees everything and thinks he’ll win a favour by putting the stupid leopard straight. The chihuahua sees the monkey go after the leopard, and guesses he might be up to no good.

When the leopard hears the monkey’s story he feels angry at being made a fool, and offers the monkey a ride back to see him exact his revenge.

The little dog sees them approaching and fears the worst.

Thinking quickly, the little dog turns his back again, pretends not to notice them, and when the pair are within earshot says aloud, ‘Now where’s that monkey got to? I sent him ages ago to bring me another leopard...’.

Summary

Because stories can resonate so profoundly with an audience, they are a great way to grab attention, make content more accessible, and make your training ‘stickier’. We are all hard wired to tell stories and they can change the way we think, act and feel.

• Stories can be real or fictional and include personal anecdotes, corporate case studies, metaphors, fables, analogies and research references. They influence the state of the audience and stories done well significantly increase the chance of learning taking place.
• Telling a story is like using a cloak that covers the real inner message. The best stories are inspirational and result in changes at both a conscious and unconscious level in the listeners.
• There are a range of situations in training when stories work well – at the beginning and end of your session, to persuade, challenge, clarify and demonstrate good and bad practice. If you want to get really good at stories, remember some key ideas:
  • pay attention to your audience;
  • get to the point;
  • be yourself;
  • create a vivid experience;
  • practise;
  • use a model for storytelling;
  • try nested loops.