If you’ve heard this story then you already know the outcome. If you haven’t heard this story, you can probably still guess how it turned out. Our shepherd boy, armed with only a few stones and a sling, was the champion of the day when he defeated the heavily armored and weaponized giant.

According to Malcolm Gladwell, in his book David and Goliath: Underdogs, misfits, and the art of battling giants, the best way to pull off the upset is to play by a different set of rules. In other words, be unconventional.

Do we truly love underdogs?

We love any story that fits the template of this classic tale. The underdog defeats the heavily favored champion! In a 2007 study published in Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, the researchers asked 71 participants to imagine two teams.

One was described as a strong champion, most likely to win. The other was described as the underdog. With only knowing the information of who was most favored to win, participants in the study were asked who they would rather see win. The underdog was chosen in every instance.

Or, do we just despise the most likely winners?

There’s seems to be something deep inside us that makes us want to see the underdog win. Or, according to one study by the Baylor College of Medicine, maybe we like to see winners lose because we’re envious of the teams that always win. This phenomena is called schadenfreude. Homer Simpson is a great example of someone who expresses this often.

Regardless of whether it’s a love for the unlikely hero or a joy for seeing the champions struggle, you can’t deny there’s something that attracts us all to the underdog stories. Maybe it’s that we can see ourselves as the underdog in these stories?

When to use this template in business

This type of story is used by leaders to inspire. When the team has to overcome tremendous odds to be successful, they need encouragement to press on. Leaders can use a David-and-Goliath story to give them hope and inspiration. If it’s been done in the past, we can do it now!

I’m not suggesting you tell the actual David-and-Goliath story, but instead, use it as a template to show your audience that nothing is impossible. Show them how their current situation is not impossible. It can be overcome!

How do I pick a story?

The closer your story is in relation to the actual situation they’re facing, the more impact it will have on the audience. In other words, just sharing a college basketball comeback story from March Madness may be exciting, but the audience can easily dismiss the story by saying, “Yeah, but that’s basketball! This is managed IT services we’re talking about here! It’s not the same thing.”

Try to find an underdog victory story that aligns closely with the current situation your team is facing. If it’s a tough business situation where you’d like to use the story, try to find another business story similar in scope. I recommend you use Paul Smith’s book on storytelling if your looking for stories you can use.

How do I structure the story?

The key to any David-and-Goliath story is to make sure your audience can see themselves as David. The audience needs to be invited into the story if you want to generate the feeling of encouragement and inspiration.

1. Give the landscape and characters for the story and do this quickly! This should also include the obvious problem (Goliath) that seems impossible to overcome.
2. Provide the thoughts of the underdog (David) by showcasing two things:
   1. The underdog’s awareness of the challenge and the insurmountable odds he/she is facing.
   2. The hope and faith to try anyway. This should point directly to the reason why it is still worth pursuing.
3. Describe the approach used to solve the problem. What did the underdog do to approach the problem? Remember, history has proven when the underdog wins, they tend to use unconventional methods. What is the unique approach they took? It’s important that this element be something within his/her control. Do NOT let this be a product of pure luck. If it is just a lucky break, your team can easily dismiss this as a fluke which is unlikely to occur again for them.
4. Describe the feeling of victory and what it meant to the team. This is the part of the story that gives the audience the deep sense of satisfaction. It should generate the feeling of a tough victory earned by fighting unconventionally to overcome amazing odds.

It’s time for you to go slay that giant and inspire your team.

Until next time,

Russ

Let’s connect…

on Twitter if we haven’t already?

OR Let’s connect on LinkedIn.

OR Let’s connect via my Facebook page!

iSpeak teaches workshops on Professional Selling to help sales leaders gather the most important data and then use that information to create the right message. Are your sales presentations closing eyelids or deals?

Russ Peterson Jr. is the co-founder and Managing Director of iSpeak, Inc. – An award-winning professional development training company. Russ is a speaker, international trainer, and published author on Professional Sales Communication and Business Communication. He delivers workshops, keynotes, and personal communication coaching services to business professionals in the US and around the world. His leadership blog assists leaders in giving voice to their vision. You can connect with Russ directly through Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

Have you been here before? I know I have. It’s a tough spot, but putting off your decision will only make it worse. A decision has to be made and you’re the only person who can make it… so choose!

Where I’ve Found Inspiration…

I don’t read a lot of poetry, but perhaps I should. This week I found myself engrossed in the depth and wisdom poets can offer. There’s something about poetry, how it takes simple words and adds a depth of humanity that seems to connect with something deep down inside. It’s more than just a deep thought or even strong feelings. It’s strange how it seems to touch your very soul at times.

If you’re contemplating a life decision about your career, your life, your studies, your world… my prayer is you can find some guidance and solace. The words of Robert Frost’s The Road Not Taken has been a source of inspiration for me in the past. I hope his words can help you today.

You know the decision needs to be made. It’s time to decide.

The Road Not Taken

by Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

See you next week,

Russ

Let’s connect…

on Twitter if we haven’t already?

OR Let’s connect on LinkedIn.

OR Let’s connect via my Facebook page!

iSpeak teaches workshops on Professional Selling to help sales leaders gather the most important data and then use that information to create the right message. Are your sales presentations closing eyelids or deals?

Russ Peterson Jr. is the co-founder and Managing Director of iSpeak, Inc. – An award-winning professional development training company. Russ is a speaker, international trainer, and published author on Professional Sales Communication and Business Communication. He delivers workshops, keynotes, and personal communication coaching services to business professionals in the US and around the world. His leadership blog assists leaders in giving voice to their vision. You can connect with Russ directly through Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

I just don’t feel like doing it anymore.

Isn’t that why we all stop doing whatever it is we stop doing? We just don’t feel like doing it anymore!

• Why didn’t you go running today? I didn’t feel like it.
• Why did you stop your weekly blogging? I didn’t feel like it.
• Why did you eat drive-through food instead of cooking at home? I didn’t feel like it.
• Why didn’t you go to the gym after work? I didn’t feel like it.
• Why didn’t you clean your room? I didn’t feel like it.
• Why didn’t you turn off the TV and pick up that book? I didn’t feel like it.

As much as I’d like to think my decisions are logical, they’re really just about my feelings. Then you know what I do? I come up with a logical reason to support my poor-feeling decision. Somehow I feel like some stretch of logic will justify my lack of doing.

What Can We Do?

Three things we can do to outsmart our feelings and reach our goals. These three areas of focus help by making it easier, supporting you, and kicking you in the butt when it needs to be kicked.

First, Let’s Make it Easier

I’ve written about Dr. BJ Fogg before in my blogs. He’s dedicated his career to studying motivation and personal achievement. He’s most known for helping people achieve by developing what he calls tiny habits.

We can make our achievements easier by focusing on developing tiny habits first. Don’t make your first step too big or you’re more likely to give up on the enormity of the task. I’m reminded of the Bill Murray movie called “What About Bob.” Bill Murray’s character learns how to live a full life by taking baby steps toward his goals. Make sure you have some tiny goals to start. Let’s get a quick win!

Second, Let’s Get Some Help

Kerry Patterson is the author of several books, one of which is called Change Anything. In his research he has found there are 6 elements of support required for us to achieve anything. These 6 break down into two categories: people and tools.

People:

1. Yourself (you’ve got to believe!)
2. Cheerleader (your friends)
3. Coach (someone to hold you accountable and offer guidance)

Tools:

1. Information and tools (books, YouTube videos, DIY, Blogs, smart phone app)
2. Organized Group Sharing (Weight Watchers, book club, discussion groups)
3. Environment or System (organized classes, run club, structured eating plan, pre-defined shopping lists)

Third, kick your own butt

Mel Robbins is the author of The 5 Second Rule. What she found is that sometimes you just need to kick your own butt to defeat the “I don’t feel like it” excuse.

When we don’t feel like starting, we don’t. When we have an impulse or idea to progress toward a goal, we need to act on it… within 5 seconds. If we allow the “I don’t feel like it” feeling to stall us, it will recruit the brain to come up with a logical excuse within 5 seconds. If we don’t take action within 5 seconds of the impulse, we’re doomed. The feeling wins again.

So what am I going to do about my situation?

Well, I’m not going to wait until next year to start over again. It’s time to start over again… and that’s okay. I’m taking a mulligan.

Knowing I will eventually hit a wall and I won’t feel like doing it anymore, I’m going to approach it in three steps:

1. Pick a small step to start with (don’t run 10 miles on your first day… why not just walk 1 mile?) I’ll leverage the Tiny Habits approach from Dr. BJ Fogg.
2. Make a plan to enlist all 6 support elements Kerry Patterson describes.
3. When I don’t feel like doing it, I’m going to count down 5 – 4 – 3 – 2 – 1 and then say “Go!” to get past those hurdles. Time to kick my own butt.
   

Life’s failures are the learning lessons on the road to success. As Alfred (Michael Kane) in The Dark Knight movie says to Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale), “Why do we fall sir? So we can learn to pick ourselves up.” It’s time for me to get back up. If you’ve stumbled too, I invite you to join me.

If your New Year’s Resolutions aren’t where you want them to be… it’s not too late. Get up. Time to reset. Start over. It’s okay to take a mulligan. You can have a do over, and I’ll take one too. Seriously, if Batman gets a do over, so do we!

See you next week… that is… if I feel like blogging.
Just kidding
Russ

Let’s connect…

on Twitter if we haven’t already?

OR Let’s connect on LinkedIn.

OR Let’s connect via my Facebook page!

iSpeak teaches workshops on Professional Selling to help sales leaders gather the most important data and then use that information to create the right message. Are your sales presentations closing eyelids or deals?R

Russ Peterson Jr. is the co-founder and Managing Director of iSpeak, Inc. – An award-winning professional development training company. Russ is a speaker, international trainer, and published author on Professional Sales Communication and Business Communication. He delivers workshops, keynotes, and personal communication coaching services to business professionals in the US and around the world. His leadership blog assists leaders in giving voice to their vision. You can connect with Russ directly through Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

“Can you tell me what you mean by that?” His eagerness to learn more about persuasion was both common and understandable among the leaders I’m privileged to serve. He answered me, “When we need to get something done as a team, I want to be able to use stories to help motivate them all to get it done… even if they don’t really want to do it.”

One method for persuading a group toward action is with a template I call “The Leader’s Lesson” where the focus is on two key areas:

• a tough situation from the past and…
• an opportunity for the future.

The Leader’s Lesson Story Template

This template generates two emotions in your audience. The emotional piece is important and shouldn’t be overlooked. While we all like to think we make our decisions based on logic and data, science says otherwise. All of our decisions require a feeling element before we act upon them. In fact, Mel Robbins points out in her book The 5 Second Rule: Transform your Life, Work, and Confidence with Everyday Courage, that we don’t keep our New Year’s Resolutions for one simple reason… we don’t feel like doing them anymore!

So how do you get the team to do something? They will need to feel like doing it. This is why the emotional element is so critical. The first emotion focuses more on the negative side (anxiety, nervous, scared, etc.) while the second emotion focuses on the positive (inspired, intrigued, curious, empowered, etc.).

The Negative

Start with an experience from your past and then draw the audience into the story. Let them look at the tough situation through your eyes. Let them see themselves in your role. What does this sound like?

I was 2 months into my new role as Sr. Project Manager and my supplier for the 40 web servers told me he would be 6 weeks late on delivery to our data center. My project update meeting with our executive sponsors is in 20 minutes. I’m about to walk into a meat grinder…

Invite them In

Next, you invite the audience into the story by placing them in the situation. This is where they need to feel the emotion of the tough situation. What does this part sound like?

We’ve probably all been there before… What do I say in this meeting? How do I address this issue? … What would you say? How do you handle a situation like that? We all face situations like this more than we think…

Show Vulnerability and The Lesson

Next, let them know how you handled it, how you failed, and what you learned from the experience. What might this part sound like?

I started my presentation and began with an update of the bad news I had just received. I’m immediately interrupted by the COO when she says, “Stop. Where is this in your handout I have here?” I began to respond, “Well, I didn’t have time to update the handout or the slide deck so…” She interrupted again, “STOP. This meeting is over. I expect you to be prepared when you’re speaking to this group. Please come back tomorrow at the same time when you’re better prepared.” I learned a lot that day…

Share the Challenge / Opportunity

At this point, the audience understands what you learned through failure. You’ve got their attention because they’ve experienced the emotion of a stressful situation. You’ve shown your own vulnerability, which helps the audience relate to you better, and they also know how you solved the situation.

The next step is to share the current challenge or opportunity the team is facing. They need to see the similarity between the story you’ve just shared and what you learned so they’ll be open to solving it. When they know similar tough situations have been solved successfully in the past, they’re more eager to play the protagonist role of the hero in this new story. What does this part sound like?

Our current reporting situation with our customers is very similar. We don’t have a timely method for updating our project status to each of them. While they may not speak to us in the same manner as my former COO, I can imagine what they’re saying about us after we get off our weekly calls. There’s a way we can improve our project updates. We just need to find the right solution and implement it.

Inspire them to Solve It

This is where you turn the challenge over to them without solving it for them! Avoid your urge to step in and solve the issue! Don’t let the message turn into a command and control message. When the leader takes command and attempts to control exactly what the team should do next, they’ll feel less than inspired or encouraged. In social psychology of persuasion we call this compliance but not commitment! Rather than just doing it, we want them to want to do it! What does that sound like?

Imagine your next call with Acme Corporation. Imagine when they ask you for the status on a change request given to you only 15 minutes earlier. You already have it built into the project plan and you can show them exactly how it affects the delivery timelines. Think about how you’d feel after that call compared to how I felt after my meeting with the COO many years ago. I know we can fix this. Let’s see how we can make this a reality. Let me know what you come up with and we’ll discuss it next week at our team meeting.

Make it so…

Giving your audience the opportunity to solve a problem, overcome an obstacle, rise to a challenge… is motivating. It’s inspirational and it feels empowering to the audience. Remember, we can all logically agree with what we should do (eat better, exercise more, etc.) but if we don’t feel like it… it won’t get done. Help your audience feel better about their challenges when you want them to do something!

Until next week,
Russ

Let’s connect…

on Twitter if we haven’t already?

OR Let’s connect on LinkedIn.

OR Let’s connect via my Facebook page!

iSpeak teaches workshops on Professional Selling to help sales leaders gather the most important data and then use that information to create the right message. Are your sales presentations closing eyelids or deals?R

Russ Peterson Jr. is the co-founder and Managing Director of iSpeak, Inc. – An award-winning professional development training company. Russ is a speaker, international trainer, and published author on Professional Sales Communication and Business Communication. He delivers workshops, keynotes, and personal communication coaching services to business professionals in the US and around the world. His leadership blog assists leaders in giving voice to their vision. You can connect with Russ directly through Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

His question was not atypical. “What can I do to look more confident to my audience?” I get this one a lot in my workshops. I paused for a moment and said, “You’ve got to be more confident.” Of course, I had to say that with a smile and a wink.

There’s a big difference between being confident and just acting confident. I’m not a big fan of the “fake it until you make it” comment either. I never want the speakers I coach to be faking anything. I want them to “be” what they are meant to be. Put very simply, I want them to be authentic.

But how can we be authentic and what exactly does that even mean?

Your True and Authentic Self

What I’ve discovered, we all have an authentic self. That authentic self is at our core. While it’s at our core, it doesn’t mean it will never change or that it is something we were “just born with.” Our core is just the authentic self and a reflection of what we value most.

Now surrounding the Authentic Self is a layer that’s constantly being created, refined and formed to cloud out and cover up the Authentic Self. This layer is called the False Self. This False Self is created over time as we listen to that internal voice. You know the one. It’s the voice we all seem to have in our mind. It’s not our friend. It is some kind of enemy who speaks to us. Attempting to redefine our authentic self.

“You don’t have what it takes.”

“You’re a fake and they’re going to know it!”

“Your just a loser and they’re going to find out.”

“You’re no expert. Who do you think you’re kidding!?”

“You’re way out of your element. You don’t belong here. You’re not good enough.”

When the False Self does a good job of getting us to listen, we begin to believe the lies. We believe them so much, we actually begin to believe the False Self and the Authentic Self are one in the same.

The Quick Fix Question…

I’m guilty of this too, we start to think we need to show a better self to the public. We think we need to create a third layer on top of the false self. We need to cloak or hide the false self. Maybe we can project a better version of us to the public! Maybe we can “fake it” long enough that we will eventually become better at it? We call this outer layer the Projected Self and we use it for masking the False Self. It’s what we want others to see when they look at us. This is the layer I get asked about all the time in workshops. People want me to help them create a projected self.

“How can I show more confidence when I’m speaking?”

“What can I do to increase my approachability?”

“What should I do with my hands so I don’t look so nervous?”

We Don’t Teach Acting

If you want to learn how to act, don’t take one of our workshops. We don’t teach acting. We teach authenticity. What this means is that we don’t add a third layer (projected self) on top of the unnatural you (false self). Instead, we help you remove any remnants of the false self so you can be your true, authentic self. That’s what the audience wants anyway. They want you to be you!

So, what do we give you in our workshops to help release the authentic self? We give you tools and exercises you can use to strengthen your core. When you have a stronger core you can better defend your authentic self against the enemy speaking lies into you.

Don’t get caught up with anyone who promises quick-fixes or promotes masking your nervousness or lack of confidence. Your audience doesn’t want a projected self. The audience wants authenticity… not acting. So give it to them!

See you next week,
Russ

The audience was loud and boisterous as they funneled out of the convention center. Their final speaker for the day left them all inspired and chattering about possibilities. “We could start by talking to our customers and ask them!” Then someone else responded, “I think we should figure out how we could scale this beyond North America!” They were all working on building a new future.

This moment of inspiration and collaboration was created by an average speaker using a powerful tool. She didn’t deliver her story with the sights and sounds of an entertainer, nor did she use eloquent words like Hemingway. Instead, she used an often overlooked, but powerful tool for creating inspired audiences.

This tool is part of the Corporate Storytelling arsenal and it can be used by anyone. It involves three main elements: The Setup, The Failure, The Possibility.

The Setup

This first phase introduces the audience to a success from the past. While I wasn’t there when Steve Jobs asked the engineers at Apple to start working on the iPod, we can use the technology as an example since I’m sure you’re all familiar with the iPod. I can picture his setup going something like this…

The problem for music lovers has always been twofold, portability and choice. We all want to take our music selections with us. Portability was first solved with the 8-track tape in cars and the cassette tape in a walkman. But the choice was limited with either program buttons or a linear rewind to get to the song you wanted. The CD was invented and solved both issues. Now you had portability and direct access to the exact song you wanted.

The Failure

At this point in the story, the audience is tracking with the speaker. They’re actually waiting for the fork in the road. There’s been nothing but a description of a landscape so far. This feels like a simple history lesson. What’s the issue here? In the example we’re using with the iPod, the audience of Apple engineers is waiting for the problem. If we have portability and direct access… then what’s the big deal?

This is when the speaker drops the problem on the audience. It’s a moment when the audience will choose to either get on board or discount the issue completely. Back to our fictitious Steve Jobs springboard message, it may have gone something like this…

But now there’s a new problem… the music lover wants more. One minute I’m in the mood for Van Halen, but the next I want to hear Neil Diamond or Katy Perry. I never know what music my mood will request so now my challenge is the quantity of CDs I need to carry. The solution can’t be more suitcases for holding 100 CDs. Why can’t this quantity issue be solved with technology? 

Boom. The failure (problem or opportunity) has been identified. Now the audience is thinking something like “It shouldn’t be that way.” or “We could fix that.” or “Why haven’t we already started working on this already?”

The Possibility

Without overdramatizing the delivery, I’d recommend the speaker gives the audience a healthy pause right here. Now there’s only one step left for the speaker. Give the audience the prompt they need to get started on the issue.

The verbal prompt will tap into the audience’s imagination. This is the fertile playground in the brain for taking action. All humans love games and puzzles. We like to work on creating something. This third step doesn’t need to be lengthy or dramatic. It’s just the prompt to get started. Back to Steve Jobs…

Isn’t that what we do? We improve life with technology. We can solve this. Just imagine a day when a jogger can carry over 10,000 songs in her hand while running and still be able to call up the exact song she wants to close out the race strong. I can’t wait to meet you there on that day.

While some may feel the speaker should provide the answer, the vision, the ending to the story… that won’t always be the most effective with the audience if the goal is to move them into action. When the speaker leaves the possibility hanging in the air without a solid path to get there, the audience will take ownership and begin to build that bridge.

And when the audience builds the bridge to that possible future, they are much more likely to buy into the overall strategy and vision. They are co-creating the strategic plan as they leave.

“ … the question becomes: how is a CEO to make effective use of storytelling? —STEPHEN DENNING

Steve Jobs was known by many as a great presenter, speaker and storyteller. While my Steve Jobs iPod example above is purely fictional, I certainly hope it does his memory justice. We all know a great storyteller in our life. Let’s all learn from them and inspire the world to imagine a better future.

As we wrap up this blog post, I just have one question for you…

What kind of future could you help create by inspiring your team with story?

See you next week,
Russ

What is the most exciting part of any story? What’s the one thing that creates movement in a story? How do Hollywood directors like Spielberg and Howard make it impossible to look away? They do it by creating a sense of flow in the storyline. This sense of flow can be created with many techniques, but it’s most often done with this one simple tool…

Decisions! Remember… “No Decisions = No Movement.” If there is nothing for the main character to consider or decide, then we’re really just looking at a landscape. It’s like looking at a picture or a painting of a lake with some trees. There’s no decision to be made. There’s no movement. It’s still. It could be beautiful, but there is no movement. If your goal is to create movement in the audience, then you’ve got to present more than just a beautiful landscape.

We Love the Fork In the Road

Think about it… when someone is giving you information, you’re waiting for the decision moment. If someone were to say, “I left my house around 8:30 and started driving toward town. I passed several busses, a few trucks, and some cars on my way. There had to be at least 5 stoplights I had to sit through. It was fairly cloudy too. The sun wasn’t shining at all.”

I think your eyes would be glazing over as you’re wondering, “Exactly where is this tale is going anyway?” If he stopped talking right there you’d probably respond by saying, “…and then what?” You’re waiting for something else in the story, but what is it? You’re waiting for the fork in the road! That’s the moment. That’s the catalyst you need to move this story along!

A fork in the road is the one critical moment when something unexpected happens and the main character is forced to make a decision. Stories don’t get exciting until the main character is forced to make a decision.

For us to connect with a story, we need to place ourselves in the story. As audience members, one of the most common ways we do this is by focusing on the decisions a main character is faced with. Then, we immediately start thinking, “What would I do in that situation?” NOW you’ve engaged your audience.

Make it a Tough Choice

As a speaker, you can’t just present any fork in the road and expect your audience to stay engaged. The decision to be made must be something out of the ordinary. The choice needs to be difficult. If it’s an easy answer to select, it won’t compel the audience to engage. But when it’s a tough choice, we’ll start to think, “Now… what would I do?”

Think about your next presentation. Do you want your data to tell a story? Then paint the scene with the data but take the audience to the fork in the road. This is where the decision needs to be made. What is the data telling you? Does the data present options to choose from? Which direction should we go in? What makes the most sense for our next step? What are the decisions you and the audience need to make? Why these choices? Why now? Why us?

The tougher the decision, the more compelling and engaging the message. When we have no idea what we would do and we’re waiting to see what our speaker suggests, we’re engaged!

Don’t Forget the Risk

Some of your friends are great storytellers and you love to hear them spin a yarn. Others… maybe not so much. While there are many techniques for telling better stories, presenting decisions (forks in the road) is one of the most fundamental tools and also one of the most effective. If you want to make your decisions even more compelling, make sure you expose the risk in either choice.

In other words, show the potential consequences if either of the decisions doesn’t turn out well. What is at stake here? What is the risk and what is the consequence if this choice goes South on us?

“ Choices with consequences create movement in stories.

This is what we love about movies like Die Hard, Star Wars, or Raiders of the Lost Ark. Our heroes are placed in impossible situations and they need to make a choice. What is your next move? How will you play this? What is at risk if you choose wrong? I’m reminded of C3-PO in the Star Wars movies constantly offering the odds of survival in every dire situation.

How risky is the choice to Han Solo? 34 million to 1 (nearly impossible)

What is the consequence if you choose wrong? Death

Talk about making the audience aware of the risk in a decision! We’re drawn to watch the “high-risk, high-consequence” forks in the road.

How can you apply this in business?

I’m not asking you to overdramatize your business presentations, but if you want your data to tell a story, take a lesson from Spielberg. You need to create forks in the road. What are the tough decisions in your message? Tell the audience what you decided on and where that decision took you next.

Every fork in the road… every decision to be made… when tied to the level of risk and the consequence if you’re wrong, will create movement in your stories.

Now go let your data tell a story!

Until next week…

Russ

Have you ever thought about leaving your current job? Have you ever switched jobs just to find out you’re back in the same situation again? There is always an inherent risk in making a job change. Will you be better off? Or, should you just stay where you are for now? Is there any way to know for certain before you make the switch?

My Student’s Wake-Up Call

Jerry stepped to the front of my classroom and began sharing his story. He was a student in my storytelling workshop.

Jerry was at home working on his laptop and preparing for his next trip to the airport. Both of his daughters approached him holding a piece of paper close to their chest. “Daddy we drew you a picture!” He finished typing his email and then looked up from his laptop with a smile, “You did? Show it to me!”

The two girls proudly laid the picture on his lap and began to explain the picture. “This is me.” quickly followed by “And THIS is me!” They were both competing for his attention. Then they added, “And here’s you Daddy.” His smile began to fade as he gazed at the portrayal of his family through his children’s eyes. The picture needed no further explanation from his daughters. Jerry was speechless.

On one side of the drawing his daughters were standing with his wife by the house. On the other end of the page Jerry was standing next to an airplane with a computer and a suitcase, waving back to his family as he left for another business trip. There was something about the picture that struck a deep chord inside.

It was a realization of the life he was missing when he was gone. It was a picture of how his daughter’s would remember their life with him as they were growing up. It was the realization he would never get this time back again… ever. It was the forecasted pain of his future self looking back on a life full of business success but always wondering if he had failed at home.

In his own heart and mind, he wondered which was the most important right now. At this point in his life… where can he make the greatest impact? Is it with his family? Is it at work and in business? Is it possible to impact both? In the end, he knew he needed to make a very tough decision.

Finally Happy?

That day he turned in his resignation and began looking for another job, closer to home and with less travel. Luckily as a consultant with great relationships, it didn’t take long. Within a few weeks he ended up working for one of his consulting clients. Why didn’t he make this change before? Was he finally in the place where he’d be happy?

Nope.

While this job had much less travel and afforded him more time at home, he found himself dissatisfied at work. He felt like he was just going through the motions. That unsettled feeling came over him again. He couldn’t shake it. Once again, Jerry began looking for a new career opportunity. It was time for another change, but this time he’d approach the decision more methodically.

Jerry took more time to define his own professional skill set, the challenges he enjoys, all in a position with little travel required. That’s how he ended up with the job he has now and he couldn’t be happier.

As he finished up his story, he paused for a moment. Then he shared the moral of his story with us all. Everything Jerry learned from this experience could be boiled down to one question we can all use to predict our future satisfaction.

The One Question To Predict Your Future Satisfaction

While none of us has a crystal ball, we’d all like to make better choices and avoid the bad ones. Here’s the one question we can all use to do just that. It’s so simple, but yet so profound.

Are you running away or running toward?

With Jerry’s first move he realized he wasn’t running toward a better life and career choice. He was only running away from his current situation. This became clear to him when he lost all job satisfaction in his new role and he started to question his first move. Jerry knew his career and family satisfaction required him to run toward a better tomorrow, not just run away from his current situation.

If you’re jumping into a new role because you’re trying to escape your current situation, you may find a life boat for now, but you may not be satisfied for long. Imagine if you were on a sinking ship, you’d gladly jump into any life boat just to get away. But after a few weeks on the open sea in a small life boat, you’d be ready jump again!

The Point is This…

If your primary motivation is to run away from something, you may end up in a less-than-ideal destination. True… it could serve as a life boat, but is that really what you want? You’ll take just about anything when you’re just trying to get away.

But, if you’re running toward something, something that truly inspires you, something that gives you purpose, then you’re moving in the right direction.

Don’t live a life just running away. Live a life running toward!

Still trying to run toward…

See you next week,
Russ

After the conference one of your friends poses the question, “Which keynote speaker did you like the best?” As soon as one person answers everyone else immediately jumps in and says, “YES! Me too! She was so good. Why do you suppose we all loved her so much more than the others?”

I can tell you one thing she probably did… She engaged your brain!

What exactly does “engage their brains” mean? It simply means this… keep their minds working with things they love to do. Now there are different ways to keep their minds busy. Remember, there’s a reason why reading a dictionary vs. watching the next Mission Impossible movie feels different. One of these would be difficult to do for even 10 minutes while the other can be done for over 2 hours and it seemed like 10 minutes!

So there’s got to be more to it than just keeping their brains busy. We have to look at how you’re keeping their brains busy. What are you asking their brains to do? Pick the right tasks and you can be more engaging too!

How can we engage their brains?

The best way to do this is to make the entire experience engaging! We do this by engaging different regions of their brains. Remember, don’t make these into huge engagements like the grand finale of a fireworks show. Most of these techniques are extremely subtle, but they’re still quite effective.

Here are 5 techniques you can use to engage your audience’s brains throughout your message.

1. Say the words “imagine…” or “picture this…”

I know, I know… this one sounds too simple! It’s crazy how effective this technique is with an audience. But just picture this… a speaker is on the stage. You’re in the audience listening. She pauses for a moment of silence as she looks down and away. Then her gaze comes back up to the audience and she says, “Will you all do me a favor? I want you to imagine something. Think about…”

When someone tells us to imagine, we immediately warm up our imagination to picture whatever she is about to tell us to imagine. That creative, imaginative part of our brain is quickly put to work. Creating scenery in our minds is something we’re good at and it’s something we love to do. By the way… did you see how I started this explanation by asking you to picture the speaker on stage? Engaging right?  

2. Offer one line of dialogue

My manager popped his head in my office and asked me, “Hey Dave, would you have any additional headcount to support the Alpha project this quarter?”

This is an example of dialogue. When the speaker is actually quoting someone else, but they deliver it to the audience as if we’re all (audience included) hearing this line delivered for the very first time. It’s as if it’s being performed LIVE for us to relive the actual moment with the speaker. Our imaginations will create a scene in our minds as we watch the scene unfold. We construct that scene so quickly we don’t even know we’re doing it. It’s fun. It’s easy. We love doing it. It’s engaging!

3. Propose a tough question

But what happens if we invest in this upgrade and 18 months later, the software is obsolete? Is it worth the risk to save thousands next year?

Our brains love to solve problems. We love doing it on our own because we gain a sense of accomplishment, but if we can’t solve the problem on our own, we want someone to help solve it with us to remove the internal tension. Think about it. You know this is true. When someone proposes a really tough trivia question and you don’t know the answer, it can drive you crazy if you don’t know the answer. Luckily today we just turn to Google or Siri for the answer. Wa-LAH! Tension is gone! Give your audience a tough question to wrestle with to engage their problem-solving brain. Then lead them with your message to your proposed solution.

4. Generate a feeling

I’m sure you’ve heard it before. This quote is credited to Maya Angelou, “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” I can prove this is true. Think about the 5 most memorable experiences in your life. I certainly hope there were more than 5, but we don’t have all day. Just pick five. Now… can you recall a feeling from each one?

Sharing stories or experiences can help generate both positive and negative feelings in your audience. They will remember how they felt when you finish speaking. As you saw in last week’s blog, we use feelings from memorable moments to reconstruct each memory. Engage them with a feeling you want them to have walking away… excitement, anxiety, fear, pride, confidence.

5. Give them candy for their 5 senses

We don’t like to just hear a story… we want to experience it! The way we experience a story in our mind is with our mind’s senses. When we hear someone talk about a loud clang or a bright flash of light, we use our mind’s ear and our mind’s eye, respectively, to internally recreate the sound or the sight. The regions of our brain that handle actual sound and sight are stimulated even when we are just imagining them through a recreation in our mind!

If you want to engage the audience’s brain, then describe parts of your story with words that will stimulate their senses.

• The sandpaper feel of grandpa’s hands.
• The warm sweet aroma of apples and cinnamon.
• The loud tinging clash of the metal frame falling.
• The salty taste of the ocean.
• The yellow-orange haze of dawn over the meadow.

I’m not asking you to turn your next business presentation into story time, but I am challenging and encouraging you to stimulate their brains. The audience wants a logical presentation but they also want to love the journey.

Engage their brains!

Have a great week,
Russ

Picture this… We’re watching a movie where our hero is trapped and facing absolute doom with no obvious way out. We begin to feel anxiety and a deep sense of urgency for an escape. We also do something else… our brains are working fast on a solution for the hero. This can’t be the end! We love to see that moment when the hero’s eyes get laser focused and he says, “I’ve got an idea. Hand me that lamp!”

Yes! The hero escapes! If you’re old enough to remember… MacGyver or Indiana Jones, you remember all the close calls and the entertainment in the amazing adventure.

Metaphors Help with Understanding

Last week we discussed metaphors to help with understanding. We discussed how our brains work to make an abstract idea more concrete. For example, imagine a red shoe box sitting on the table. That’s easy for you. Now imagine discipline.

Discipline imagined may have taken a little longer, but I’m sure it was still fairly simple for you. Now my next question, “What did you imagine for discipline?” I bet we’ve got 100 different mental images if we compare everyone’s picture to each other. Did you picture a military officer standing at attention? A person meditating? An athlete in the gym at 5AM?

This is the tricky part for the leader attempting to get the team on the same page. When we present abstract ideas without a common metaphor, everyone’s picture is different. So as the speaker, we need to use metaphors to create the same picture of understanding.

But there’s still a problem with the metaphor… it doesn’t give us a reason to do anything.

Metaphors Don’t Create Movement

Metaphors help with understanding and that is great! But, they don’t necessarily give the audience a reason to do anything. To create movement in the audience, the speaker needs to move from simple understanding to making a decision about the future. Creating movement from understanding requires another tool… stories.

I once had a student ask about where analogies fit into all of this. I couldn’t help but respond with… “Metaphor is to understanding as story is to movement… How’s that for an analogy?” See Mrs. Sheets (my 8th grade English teacher)… I was listening! Sorry to digress… English Teacher humor.

Stories Create Movement

The best stories take you on a journey. That movement created by the author is done through character decisions full of risk. The characters in the story are placed in a situation where change is either required or desired. For any change to take place, a decision must be made. All decisions with a risk tied to them are compelling to the audience because there’s a potential consequence or reward.

“ Choices with consequences create movement in stories.

When we see the need to make a decision, we begin to weigh the consequences of action vs. inaction, as well as weighing the different types of action we could take. It’s a simple formula really… we look at what we have to gain versus what we have to lose… and passion defines what we care about.

Finding Your Audience’s Purpose

We’re all unique individuals and we all have our own personal preferences and passions. With our passions, we might think about our passion for our spouse, for reading, for ice cream, for gardening, for drawing, for a sport, for jogging, or for a good steak or sushi.

My guess is that not everything in that list is something your passionate about, but you can replace any of those items with something you are passionate about. We’re all different when it comes to personal passion. This is why tapping into passion, as a speaker, can be difficult. Everyone has a different hot button.

If you have a homogenous group as your audience (e.g. the Kayaking Club of Central Texas) you could tap into kayaking and the outdoors and probably strike a chord with everyone in this audience. They share this common passion. But if your audience is not so alike, you’ll be challenged to get them all on the same page with passion. However, purpose tied to a core value is much better for uniting an audience.

Passion will eventually lose to Purpose

As I pointed out in a previous blog post, purpose will always beat out passion. This is because passion is related to personal preferences, but purpose is related to core values, which are much more common across us all. So as a speaker, you need to look for ways to tap into purpose with your audience. One of the best ways to communicate purpose is with a story. Stories with purpose demonstrate “the why” behind the characters’ actions.

“ Passion is related to personal preferences, but purpose is tied to core values.

This is where stories will always beat out metaphors. The metaphor will help someone understand a concept, but a story will provide a purpose for taking action!

What should we do now?

Help your audience understand with a metaphor, but don’t forget to give them a story to provide the purpose (the why) for taking action!

Time to make a decision…
Russ