Campers! Gather ‘round the campfire (or the meeting room)!
Magic happens when under a darkened sky, a fire flames and your favorite hoodie keeps the chill of the evening at bay. After one too many sticky, ash-burned s’mores, someone says, “Tonight’s story is “The mystery of the lost camper.”
Can you feel yourself leaning in?
Good storytelling never goes out of style. Campfires exemplify how we witnessed and learned the tools of creating and telling stories. When done well, it fires the imagination, sends shivers down our spines, feeds connection, and helps us know who we are and what really matters.
What guidance can we get from campfires to help you inform your business stories and impact? Grab a marshmallow and a stick and read on…
1. Ordinary people, extraordinary stories. Storytelling isn’t the purview of great leaders alone. All effective communicators use the components of story to reinforce their messaging. The difference is that great leaders employ it with ease and confidence!
2. Use the 3 Ps: People, Place and Problems. When you want to influence others, frame your message to paint a picture of the setting, the characters involved and the pain. Your listeners will lean in!
3. Storytelling is a language of the senses. Your message sticks when you illuminate what people see, hear, feel, touch, and taste…that’s how our brains remember!
4. Don’t tell it, relive it. Let your emotions resonate with your audience, especially your own pleasure in telling.
Never underestimate the power of a well-placed story.
Story is a hangar for your key message. It teaches, it sticks, it creates color, and it begs for repetition. You don’t need to employ “once upon a time” in your business meetings and conversations, but you can make your messages more vivid and memorable, through anecdote, metaphor and story tension.