Storytelling That Sticks for Business and Life

As a speaker and storyteller, getting a laugh is pretty important. It's not enough to get lucky with an ad-lib, you need to know how to get a laugh on demand. That requires an understanding of the dynamics of comedy. In this episode, you'll discover the three elements that are necessary to get predictable laughs. 

After listening to this episode, go to You Tube and search for the videos listed below. Study them. They are a master class in comedy.

Bill Cosby – Noah’s Ark  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bputeFGXEjA

Rowen Atkinson – The Devil  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGxG7QmPQ44

Robin Williams on Fatherhood  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykq8IkiCgFw

Steven Wright – Deadpan and One-Liners  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tiGag5emLJg

Tim Gard – 8 Minutes of Fun - htps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KMqILkRXdQ

Jeannie Robertson – Don’t Send a Man to the Grocery Store - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-YFRUSTiFUs

While there is no one right answer to this question, there are guidelines that will help you decide how long your story should be. Consider the situation, the time allotted for your presentation and adjust accordingly. You’ll find that there are times when a five-minute story is too long, and other times when a five-minute story is too short. The more emotional a story is, the more time it will take to develop. A more factual story will often be much shorter.

Doug Stevenson is a keynote and story coach basedin Tucson, Arizona.

Contact: doug@dougstevenson.com

Your storytelling superpowers are all the things that make you different from everyone else. They are your heart and soul and emotion, your quirky sense of humor and sparkling personality. Your superpowers come across in the way you present yourself as much as what you present. They are the most intimate and outrageous parts of you that you are willing to reveal to an audience.

Add to those superpowers your stories and content and you have something powerful to offer. And yet, standing up and standing out also makes you a target for those who don't like what you have to say and offer. How do you balance your need to be liked and accepted with your desire to speak up and be different?

Let's talk about that.

Sometimes is takes more than simply telling a story. Sometimes the story requires Radical Honesty to convey the truth being shared. Listen as Conrad Woody shared his story of rising from shyness and insecurity to becoming a managing partner and top talent advisor and C-Suite and Board Leadership Strategist.

His journey to self-empowerment and finding his purpose as a black man rising to the top in corporate America is inspiring and radically honest.

contact: doug@dougstevenson.com

Pete Hinojosa was tasked with developing a leadership development curriculum and helping Insperity expand from 40 to 100 offices. No small task. In order to achieve these impressive results, Insperity now has 98 offices, he had to hit the road and present his vision to stakeholders who had the power to say yes or no.

Pete uses personal stories in his keynotes, trainings and business presentations to make an emotional connection and to drive corporate change. In this episode, you’ll hear how he was inspired by his father to make every day a great day.

To learn more about Pete Hinojosa and his role as the Director of Thought Leadership for Insperity, you can follow him on LinkedIn where he publishes a thought provoking message every Friday. https://www.linkedin.com/in/pete-hinojosa-728 3355/

Contact Doug at: doug@dougstevenson.com

Thayer Willis grew up rich. She was born into a wealthy family and became, in her own words, an entitled brat. Her story is one of self-revelation and transformation. When she hit rock bottom, she knew she needed to do something to turn things around. In this episode you’ll hear how she summoned the courage to confront her pain and find her way to a meaningful life. Her origin story became the catalyst for a successful speaking and consulting business.

Here’s a preview of what you’ll learn in this episode…

• How Thayer realized her stories weren’t working as well as they should and did something about it.
• Why it took courage for her to get to the heart of her story and how that courage paid off.
• How her origin story became the foundational story for every speech and presentation.

Contact: doug@dougstevenson.com

Geeks, nerds and engineers spend much of their time sitting in front of a computer working on technical projects that most people around them need but don’t understand.

The challenge for many engineers is to communicate their ideas, products and processes to non-engineers. Learn how a self-described geeky nerd and her team learned how to use storytelling to close more sales and make technical training presentations more engaging.

Here’s a preview of what you’ll learn in this episode…

• How to make complex ideas and processes simple and understandable with a story.
• Why your brilliant PowerPoint slides and bullets are boring.
• The danger of getting bogged down in explaining how something works rather that why it’s important.

Contact Doug Stevenson at: doug@dougstevenson.com or call 1-719-310-8586 for information on private coaching and consulting.

Is there an actor hiding out inside you waiting to be cast in the role of a lifetime? In this episode, you’ll learn how to release your inner actor and use some simple acting techniques to make your story memorable, marketable and compelling. Your story is the play and you’re the leading actor or actress. It’s show time. Curtain up!

Here’s a preview of what you’ll learn in this episode…

• How to portray the emotions of your story with reactions and inner monologue.
• How to use tempo, volume, movement and gesture to create dynamic tension.
• How to stop being nervous by focusing in on yourself and what you’re saying and doing instead of out to your audience.

Watch how Doug uses these acting skills in his Bennett and Oscar stories as well as his TEDx Talk on How to Talk to a Bigot on you Tube. Search - Doug Stevenson Storytelling - to view a list of his You Tube Videos.

Contact Doug Stevenson at: doug@dougstevenson.com or call 1-719-310-8586 for information on private coaching and consulting.

Good leadership is easy to spot. You know it when you see and experience it. It’s the same with bad or toxic leadership. You’ve probably worked for both kinds of leader. I’ve worked for both and I’ve also had the opportunity to speak at conference where I’ve interacted with CEOs and presidents, VPs and sales managers. That’s where I have been able to find my leadership stories.

Listen and learn as I share four stories that illustrate good and bad leadership. And then, get to work crafting your leaderships stories.

Contact Doug Stevenson at: doug@dougstevenson.com

In this episode you'll learn the inside story of the TED and TEDx Talk process. It's not as simple as having something you want to talk about that YOU think is original and important.

What are the criteria TED Talk producers consider when choosing a speaker and a topic?  Does your sex, age, ethnicity or background play a part in being chosen?

Once you're chosen, what happens next? How much time are you given? How do you practice and get ready.?

What's it like on the day of the presentation? How many speakers are there? Will you go first, seventh or tenth?

Listen and learn before you submit your proposal.

contact: doug@dougstevenson.com

The foundation of every story is a journey, a quest, an adventure. It’s the action or activity of your story. It can be something big and dangerous or mundane and ordinary. With craft and development leading to a powerful lesson or point, your journey can illuminate my journey. When you take me along with you on your journey by telling me your story, I find the meaning I need to navigate my journey.

In this episode you’ll identify a number of possible journeys from your life. I’ll also share the harrowing and exciting journey I took over 50 years ago when I hitchhiked from Chicago to Hollywood to pursue my dream to be an actor in movies and TV. Come along with me on my journey and pay attention to how I craft my story to embed lessons along the way.

Contact: doug@dougstevenson.com

Learn how to apply the Aikido Selling approach to telling stories in a sales conversation. Build trust and create rapport by sharing targeted customer success stories that redirect the conversation and create story surrogates.

Here’s a preview of what you’ll learn in this episode…

• How to grab the attention of a distracted client and gain their trust
• How to identify the right customer story to tell
• How to blend imagery, emotion, and data into a sales story
• How to close the sale with a Phrase That Pays

Contact: doug@dougstevenson.com

12. Emotion is the Fast Lane to the Brain

How do you use emotion artfully and gracefully? It’s tricky. You don’t want to be manipulative and gratuitous, but at the same time you want to make an emotional connection with your listener, client, or audience member. Without emotion, your presentation will be like a black and white movie. With emotion, it will be in Imax, 3D, high-definition color.

As an actor, I learned to harness the power of emotion in my performances. I knew where and when to employ the emotion that served the moment. When I started telling stories in keynotes, it was natural to use the same instincts to to make my stories come alive with emotion. My audiences loved it and told me so by hiring me over and over. I perfected the methodology that I am teaching in this podcast in front of hundreds of corporate and association audiences over 25 years.

The secret to giving a great speech or telling a powerful story is simple: make them laugh, cry and think. If all you do is make them think, you’ll join the ranks of smart but forgettable speakers.

You can learn how to use emotion in your stories and speeches. First, you need to identify the emotional moments in your story and then you need to know what to do with them. In this episode, you’ll learn the following:

• Why it’s essential to trigger an emotional response in your listener or audience member
• How you can trigger an emotional response with some simple presentation techniques
• Where the emotional moments in your story live so you won’t skip over them

In this episode, I refer back to The Nine Steps of Story Structure from Episode Three. The Nine Steps are foundational to everything I teach. If you haven’t listened to that episode, I suggest you go back and start with Episode One.

In addition to listening to this podcast, hop on over to You Tube where you can watch instructional videos, my Authors at Google keynote and my TEDx talk.

I’d also like to hear from you with your questions, comments and suggestions. What country are you dropping in from? What is your interest in storytelling? What have you learned so far that you’ve put into practice?

To get in touch with me, email: doug@dougstevenson.com

A good story is interesting. People enjoy hearing it. But nothing happens as a result. Nothing changes. A great story on the other hand, moves the needle. It causes people to change the way they think and behave. A great story overcomes objections leading to more sales. It inspires confidence in leadership. It empowers people to make smarter decisions.

Great stories told by masterful storytellers not only get you noticed, but they also pay the bills. A great story, like a great product, is money in the bank. If you have aspirations of being hired to speak, train or consult, a great story is the price of admission. Good stories won’t cut it.

A good story takes little effort. A great story takes more effort, but the results are dramatic. In this episode, I interview Bill Raymond, a masterful storyteller, corporate speaker, trainer and executive coach. He shares how his stories went from good to great by being more intentional about the process of choosing, crafting and delivering his stories. He gets hired to tell his signature stories.

Good stories quickly fade from memory. Great stories stick with the listener long after the storyteller leaves the room. The listener not only remembers the story, but they also ruminate on the meaning of the story and the relevance of the lesson in their own life. If you want to make a difference in people’s lives and be remembered long after you’re done speaking, you need great stories.

Contact Doug Stevenson at: doug@dougstevenson.com

www.storytelling-in-business.com

Change is an issue that affects all of us. For many people, it’s is something to be avoided. Change is disruptive, annoying and often mentally and emotionally painful. And yet, our change stories can help people see change in a different light. We can help people move past their fear and anxiety about change and into a more neutral place where they can see themselves making the changes necessary to move forward.
In this episode you’ll hear two change stories and how they were effective at helping people embrace change. I’ll also share a simple four-part formula for choosing your change stories. If you care about your audience, your change story can make a real and lasting difference in someone’s life.

Doug tells his Million Dollar Story – a funny Imbroglio story that was the genesis for The Story Theater Method and a 25-year speaking career. An Imbroglio is an acutely embarrassing or painful situation. It’s a comedy of errors. Listen, learn and be inspired to find your Million Dollar Story that sticks.

Do you have a hard time choosing the point of your story? Do you ever ramble when you make the point? The Phrase That Pays will solve that problem and make your point or lesson stick. Find your Phrase That Pays. Take the time to get it right. Stick the landing!

doug@dougstevenson.com

www.storytelling-in-business.com

Discount Code for Next Level Storytelling Video eLearning Series: podcast-videos

Start with the end in mind. What is the purpose of your story? Will it drive sales, inspire confidence, persuade people to embrace change? What do you need a story to do? In this episode, you'll be guided through a process for finding the right story that makes the right point for the right situation.

Link to Doug's Storytelling talk at Google:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKUiE9DBkKc&t=18s

Learn how to develop a story from concept to a finished product. This episode focuses on story craft and analysis. Learn how the Nine Steps of Story Structure works and how it will provide a template for crafting all your stories. Discover how to create a Yoda and why you need to repeat your Phrase That Pays multiple times for it to stick.

Discover The Story Theater Method for strategic storytelling in business and how it will help you tell a powerful story. Learn how to create scenes, develop dialogue and brand the point of your story with a Phrase That Pays.  Doug tells a story and then analyzes how he makes the point of his story stick.