“There is no greater skill that will positively impact your career as much as becoming a masterful storyteller”- Patricia Fripp, award-winning speaker, author, sales trainer and coach.
Millions of years ago, when the early man had not yet discovered numbers, they communicated the story of their lives through pictures. In the middle ages, pictures took the form of oral words - travellers travelling far and wide carried with them narratives of gods, legends, and powerful secrets. Now thousands of years later, we still tell our children the fables written hundreds of years ago. So, what is it about stories that we keep going back to them? And most importantly, what has stories got to do with business?
Imagine a world with only data and numbers; statistics and figures. Can these figures tell you how to handle the human resource of your company? Can these numbers inspire your employees to work? Can the data solve the problems your company is facing currently? Probably not! Storytelling although believed to be an unconventional business technique, will help you solve all these challenges.
Let’s look at five ways in which storytelling can help you bring a change to your working style.
- Storytelling is a powerful way to communicate, to educate and to inform your ideas to your employees.
- Having problems with your team members? Do they find you authoritative? Struggling with rapport building? Try sharing a page from your life.
- People learn from other's experiences, so why not tell them a story instead? It’s not important to reinvent the wheel every time.
- Drawing a blank as to what great story you can share? Pick up valuable stories from real life from within your company, from within your vicinity that your staff can relate to.
- Preparing for a sales pitch with lots of data? Add a personal touch by weaving a narrative around the data.