January 5, 2021
Try to recall a story in business or in your personal life that has left a mark on you. Why do you think you can remember it in such great detail? Sure, it could have been that it was delivered by a very charismatic speaker, that he or she used vivid pictures to bring you into the scene or that the story took a twist that you didn’t expect. These are all elements that make a story more engaging (“nice-to-haves”). However, more importantly, the story needs to have a solid foundation, following an appropriate logical structure. If you want to excel at storytelling in business, you need to use a story structure that works well with your audience and supports your message.
When choosing a story structure, there are actually plenty of options that you can use, from the Three Act Structure, to Freytag’s Pyramid, to the Hero’s Journey (more on popular story structures here). Without a doubt, these are excellent structures that would surely make great stories.
Personally, when I look for story structures, my main goal has been to optimize for my clients’ time and impact. A lot of you probably don’t have the time to cover all 12 steps of the Hero’s Journey and feel that most story structures don’t make the relevant connection to your business audience. So with that in mind, I’ve come up with a 6-Step Story Structure that you can use to excel at storytelling in business.
In the 1st step, you want to give the audience context about the time and location in which your story takes place. When and where.
Example: “It’s October 2018 and Norah sits in her apartment in New York.”
Tip: Keep it simple. This is storytelling in business. Unless you’re writing a fiction novel, we don’t need to know about every single detail of the location.
It is now time to introduce the main character or the protagonist. While you can choose any character, you may want to choose a character that is relatable to your target audience — someone that they can see themselves in.
Example: “Mark is 32 years olds, 5.2 feet short, and wears a worn-out suit that is 2 sizes too large. He’s nervous about the presentation tomorrow. If he can’t convince the investors, his company will run out of money. 10 years of work for nothing…”
Tip: Two or three specific sentences for the main character are usually enough. Don’t get lost introducing all the side characters in great detail. Putting attention on any side characters, by giving them names and describing them in detail, will only make the story less interesting to follow.
This is the part of the story where something happens that was not supposed to happen. It could be a challenge, a crisis, a seemingly unsolvable dilemma. This can be a difficult decision, a physical challenge or a mental challenge — anything that is substantial for the main character. Remember, there’s no hero without a struggle.
Example: “My boss hangs up the phone. Suddenly, I feel my heart pounding against my chest, a big lump in my throat, and all the heat shooting into my head. I’m panicking. Without a job, I won’t be able to afford my apartment, I will have to leave Amsterdam, and I will lose all my loved ones.”
Tip: This is the single most important part of the story -whether in business storytelling or personal storytelling. Don’t be afraid to make it as detailed as possible. Describe the struggle, showing your listeners how the character feels, what he or she is worried about, and how he or she physically reacts to the challenge.
To learn how go deeper into the challenge, check out our article on 5 ELEMENTS TO BECOME A MORE ENGAGING SPEAKER.
In this step, you need to show the audience how the main character was able to overcome the struggle. How did she do it? What choices did she make? Did she ask for help or did someone lend a hand? Sure, some stories skip this step altogether, immediately jumping into the lessons learned straight away. While these can be great narratives, just keep in mind that if you want to tell an inspirational story, you need to show the audience how the character was able to overcome their struggles.
Example of how NOT to do it: “When I started my new department, it was bad. Profits were down, morale was low, and attrition was high. But I turned it around. And now, my department is the department with the highest profits, best team morale, and lowest attrition in the company.”
Tip: In real life, overcoming the challenge is often a sequence of events, occurring over a longer period with a lot of setbacks in between. If you list out all the small events and follow the exact chronological order, the story may become less exciting. Therefore, feel free to focus on the few and most crucial things that helped turn the situation around. You can also change the order of events if it better supports the flow of the story that way.
In the fifth step, you need to explain how everything turned out in the end. You tie up all the loose ends and let the audience relax after that rollercoaster of emotions.
Example: “With the extra funds I was able to keep the business going. And even more important, I didn’t have to lay off anyone. Last month, we just opened another three branches.”
Tip: If it’s a personal story, you should tell your audience how things turned out, but avoid making it sound like you’re bragging about all your accomplishments in life. People will be more inspired by your vulnerability than by narrating a list of all your accomplishments.
After the previous step, the story is technically over. You can go ahead and tell your story at the next family dinner or at an open mic night. But if you want to tell the story in a business setting, you should make it relevant for your audience. How do you do it?
Example: “What I learned from that experience was that ANY feedback is valuable – even by someone that may be less qualified than you. (Pause) How about you? Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you’ve received feedback that you didn’t like? How did you react? (Pause) Then my challenge for you is to receive any feedback with an open heart and mind.”
Tip: Refrain from drowning your audience with multiple lessons learned. They won’t be able to remember everything anyway. Instead, focus on one key message that the audience should take away. Consequently, narrow it down to a few simple statements.
Without a doubt, the 6-Step Story Structure will allow you to craft powerful stories that you can use anywhere in life and in business. But keep in mind that even storytelling in business is more of an art than a science — there is not one story structure that works for every situation. That said, go ahead and experiment with different structures, be flexible, and find out what works best for you – as long as you are deliberate about it. Next time you’re with an audience, use this 6-Step Story Structure to share your own stories and I’m sure your audience will love it!
Interested in bringing your business storytelling skills to the next level? Check out our storytelling keynotes, workshops, and 1:1 coaching.
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