As a storytelling coach, Iโm often asked, โCan a short story really make an impact on my audience?โ
I could inundate you with some research, a few facts and perhaps a couple of slides, but, that would fly in the face of everything I teach.ย To answer this question, I respectfully submit aโฆ. short story.
Cara was giving a presentation about communication differences between generations. She said, “People often tell me that Millennials aren’t loyal.” She continued, โI can see how you might think that. When I was a kid, my parents divorced.ย My mother worked for three different major companies during my childhood, and was โdownsizedโ by each one.ย Every time, she would come home and say “Why me?” ย And it was my shoulder she cried on.ย Unfortunately, my family story is not unique for my generation.ย Loyalty?ย We donโt know what it looks like. We don’t know the meaning of the word.โ
Wow!ย That last line made me sit up and take notice.ย Cara could have put up a Power Point showing the number of divorced families in the โMillennialโ generation.ย She could have discussed research thatโs been done on emotional struggles of peopleย in that generation.ย She could have elaborated on the financial data that shows how Millennials struggle to move out of their parents house in the current economy.
None of those, nor all of them combined, would have the same impact that Caraโs story did.ย Iโve been familiar with the difference in generational communication styles for years, but in 39ย seconds [just 85ย words] she left an impression that helped me understand this difference at aย fundamental level.ย It will help me to better work with Millennials in the future.
How can this help you?ย Carefully review the text of Caraโs story.ย Notice how there is no wasted information or extraneous detail.ย She presents you with five essential story elements โ Characters, Circumstances, Conflict, Change [in the point of view of one of the characters], Carryout Message.ย She gives only essential details and then hits you with a powerful closing line that summarizes her story.ย This short vignette was a powerful sub-point to her overall message of how to communicate with her generation.
As you prepare your next story, quickly get to the essence of it.ย Introduce your characters, their circumstances, the conflict they face, the change they experience, and the carryout message for the audience.ย Master this skill, and you can be a storyteller that people will talk about long after you speak.
Michael –
Thank you for posting- this is absolutely brilliant! This is about the best example I have ever seen and proves that great stories do not have to be long to be effective and make an impact.
Thank you for inspiring me with your post!
Manley
http://VerticalLessons.com
Manley, happy to hear it impacted you, too. When I heard Cara tell her story, I immediately knew she had provided me a special moment AND a teaching tool.