It’s the moment facilitators dread. You look into the glazed eyes of your participants and wonder, “Are they really getting it? How can I make this more interesting and relevant to them?”
So we try to jazz up our delivery by bringing more energy or taking a break, or we just plow through the content and hope for the best. But it doesn’t change much.
These are perfect moments to infuse the magical power of storytelling. Even if you don’t feel you’re a natural storyteller, you can develop and use this skill to make your training delivery more powerful, compelling, and relevant to your participants. The good news is you don’t have to look far to find great stories.
But first, why would storytelling help in those “down” moments of training.
Why Storytelling?
We humans are a storytelling species. Stories are how we make sense of the world.
Think back to your high school or even college classes. What do you remember? Sure, you gained a lot of knowledge through formulas and practice, but the concepts you remember most likely came in the form of a story or illustration.
Stories are sticky. Stories resonate with us because it puts us in the same boat. We love stories because we live stories. They are part of our day-to-day life.
A study cited in Influencer: The New Science for Leading Change and the predecessor to Crucial Influence illustrates the power of stories.
Drs. Ray Price and Joanne Martin conducted a study with three groups of graduate students. They asked each group to remember important information they shared. The first group received the data verbally. The second group was given the information verbally but also shown charts and graphs to illustrate. The third group got the information in the form of a story.
The researchers later tested the students’ ability to remember the information accurately. They found no statistical difference between how much and how accurately the first two groups remembered the information.
But the group who received the information in the form of a story remembered more of the information and remembered more accurately. Perhaps more surprising was that the story group also found the information more credible than the other two groups.
I could go on and on with the research that supports the power of stories, but the best data is your own. You’ve experienced how stories draw you in. And your stories can do that too.
Your Best Stories Are Your Stories
We’ve established that stories work, but what if you don’t have any good stories? You can’t just make stuff up, can you? Well, you could, but it’s not recommended. Your best stories are authentic, real-life experiences.
I hear people say, “But my life is boring. I don’t have any good stories.” If you think that, you’re just not looking hard enough.
If you need help finding stories, here are three tips:
- Look for emotional reactions. When you have an experience that elicits any kind of emotional reaction, there’s likely a lesson to be learned in that experience. That’s the foundation for a good story.
- Live the skills and pay attention. Need a good story to teach State My Path? Start some conversations with Facts/Story/Ask and take note of what you learn. Need to illustrate how the Six Sources of Influence help diagnose a problem? Try it out and track the results. When you’re looking for examples, the universe often sends them to you.
- Ask around. If you can’t come up with a good experience, ask others. You can often borrow their stories until you find your own. Just make sure you give attribution (e.g., “My friend…” or “Another trainer shared about a time…”)
Storytelling Is a Skill
The other common objection I hear regarding storytelling is, “But I’m not a natural storyteller. It’s not a skill I have.”
Think of a skill you’re currently good at. Sports. Music. Reading. Tiddlywinks. Chances are you weren’t always good at it. How did you develop that skill?
Practice. That practice likely started with some guidance from someone who already knew the skill.
Storytelling is a skill, so you can develop it the same way you develop other skills. Learn the fundamentals, get guidance, practice, and improve. Just like other skills, you won’t be perfect at first. But the more you practice, the better you’ll get.
You don’t need to be a natural storyteller to enjoy the power of storytelling. You just need a willingness to share your unique experiences as relatable, impactful narratives.
When energy wanes or participants aren’t connecting to content, tap into the power of storytelling to bring the magic back to your workshops.
Go tell your stories. There’s magic in that.
For a deeper dive on storytelling fundamentals, watch Mark’s webinar, “Beyond Fables and Fairytales: Using Storytelling to Teach with Impact.”
