How to Make Storytelling a Core Skill in Your Team
You know the importance of telling stories — now if only you could get your team to tell effective stories. It's a complaint I hear from many leaders. They tell stories and they've seen stories create results, but they struggle to get their team to invest in the storytelling skill.
Here are two simple solutions to that problem:
Solution One: Give Them a Copy of "Stories that Stick"
Shameless plug? Perhaps. But it's true. "Stories that Stick" continues to sell thousands of copies a year. Why? Because it's the only book that lays out storytelling in a simple, usable way. If your team is too big to get everyone a copy, get a couple and pass them around. It's a quick and easy read, and at the end, your team will have a better grasp of the why and how of storytelling – which is why I wrote it… to take the pressure off you.
Solution Two: Tell More Stories Yourself
The best way to convince your team that storytelling is a powerful strategy and that they should be using it is for you to tell more stories! Start every meeting with a relevant story. Use stories to make your most important points in your presentations to them. Do you send emails to your team? They should include stories. Surely you've heard the benefits of modeling behavior for others. So this solution should come as no surprise. If you want them to tell more stories, as the leader, you should be telling more stories.
However, here's how you can punch it up one level: draw their attention to it. Once you finish the presentation or the meeting is just about to end, pause for a minute… almost like it's an afterthought and say something like, "Oh, and out of curiosity, what was the most memorable part of this meeting?" They'll likely say the story. Or if you’re giving a sales training, at the end ask, "Did you notice the most compelling part of the presentation was the story about XYZ?" Telling a story is one thing, but drawing their attention to the story after the fact is a whole new level of reinforcement.
If you've been a long-time story-evangelist, it's time to put the story where your mouth is. Tell more stories and they’ll do the same.
