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10 Things Your Competitors Can Teach You About business storyte
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What do you think of when you hear the term "storytelling"? If you're like most people, your mind may wander through several common scenarios. You may think of father telling his child a goodnight story. You might remember evenings around the campfires of a camp swapping ghost stories. You might think about those who bring history to life with tales of their long-past younger years. There are so many different possibilities. If you're like most people, though, you'll probably overlook one business storytelling of the most powerful uses for storytelling. Storytelling for business is growing in popularity and is widely recognized as a powerful communication supplement.
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The idea is relatively simple. We all know that narrative structures engage people in very personal and meaningful ways. There's nothing quite like a story to get an idea across. It's been that ways for centuries and it continues to be true. From Aesop's fables to Zimbabwean tribal leaders, storytelling has had an impact. It's been used so long and so often for one very simple reason: it works like a charm.
Stories connect with us. They interest us. They get our attention. They appeal to our creative instincts, our analytical tendencies and our creative minds. They do things that "just the facts" approaches can't even come close to rivaling. Storytelling for business merely recognizes that potential and finds an application for it in the professional realm.
That doesn't mean foregoing other, more traditional ways of communicating in order to focus on telling tall tales. Effective storytelling for business requires a bit more subtlety than that. Successful use of narratives in business involves utilizing them to underline key points and to communicate important ideas with an extra level of persuasiveness. Effective storytelling for business can take many different forms, but it's rarely as simple as telling an anecdote to those assembled for a board meeting.
If you aren't using storytelling to your advantage, it's time to broaden your communicative horizons. By learning the art of bringing the narrative to the workplace, you can improve key points of communication and persuasion. With a little guidance and instruction, you can make one of humanity's most powerful means of forging persuasive connections a regular part of your business life.
Everyone loves a good story. If everyone in the world were polled, it is likely that they would all remember their favorite story and be able to retell it again. Stories are one of the oldest forms of communication. They are powerful communication tools because they are entertaining and can contain valuable life lessons and concepts. Storytelling for business can be a very effective training tool as well.
There are simple and effective ways that storytelling for business can be applied to any business situation. The first way is through training. Training concepts can be illustrated with stories that offer insight about the concept at hand. Stories can either have a happy ending where the person in the story used the concept, or they can have a sad ending where the person in the story did not follow the concept. Stories can be true or made up. It does not matter so much about the reliability of the story. The important thing is that the story communicates the message at hand.
Stories can also be used on a day to day basis in any business situation. Stories can be told to business clients. They can be told to customers to make their day a little more interesting. They can be told between coworkers. A boss can employ storytelling almost any time he or she communicates with other employees. The frequent use of storytelling can have a high boost on company morale and performance. Customers benefit as well because they can see the improved moods of the employees of a business. People are also much more likely to tell a story again than a boring speech.
It is easy to incorporate storytelling into day to day business. Prepare a few stories to have on hand to tell to customers and coworkers when situations get awkward, stressful, or even just boring. A well-timed and well-delivered story can make someone who is frustrated or unhappy smile. Stories are also a great way to leave a thoughtful message with others. Next time the situation comes up, try using an entertaining story to make the day a little more interesting for everyone.