What differentiates good executives from great executives?  One of the main factors is the ability of an executive to draw you in and make you believe: the skill of a good storyteller.

We have all heard of sales people that can sell sand in the desert, snow to an Eskimo etc.  How can you bring that skill to your every-day interaction with clients, investors, or staff?

Good storytelling is about communicating an idea or principle in an efficient and effective way.  This can be in different formats thanks to social media.  However, the ability to tell a good story starts with the spoken word: whether it is in an office, conference room, stage or on camera.

1: Know the point of the story

Organize your thoughts in such a way that the information you convey is around 1-2 points only. Give them your key points, make it personal and if they are interested they will ask for more.  But, you have now captured their attention and won them over.

2: Know what your customer is looking discover

Get your audience engaged by starting your story with the information your audience is looking for, not what do you want to give your audience.  Appeal to the emotions of your audience.

3: Know when to quit

Less is more – tell your story, then quit.

4. Practice, practice, practice.  Write it out in long format, tell the story to friend, family.  The more you tell it the more refined it will get.

From the experts….

The TAI Group has a great blog on leadership.  Some of it focused on communications, where coaches help you craft your story.One suggestion is to bring all senses into your story, drawing in the audience, making it more memorable.  Also, reconstructing your story to what they call the “story spine”: reality is introduced, conflict arrives, there is a struggle, the conflict is resolved, and a new reality exists. Incorporating these two tools can cause a profound shift in our abilities to tell effective stories.

Another recommendation is to have that powerful opener to command attention, draw the audience in by engaging their emotions and, make it personal to get buy in.

MindTools talks about using stories to inspire: Leaders, especially, can use the power of a good story to influence and motivate their teams. Stories can inspire everything from understanding to action.  They talk about differ types of stories “Who am I”, “Why I am here”, “vision” stories and “values in action” to gain clients.

So go, get a pen and paper and write your story.