Tag Archives: Storytelling

Franz vs The Ripper

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The first time I saw Franz he was huddled in a corner of his office. He was a big man dressed in an expensive black suit. His long blond hair was pulled back into a ponytail. His face was downcast. He seemed to be looking at his flashy hand made boots but then I realized he wasn’t looking at anything.  He looked depressed and he admitted that he was scared. In less than 3 days he would be face to face with the CEO of his company. And his boss had acquired the nickname of “The Ripper” because he was known to gut companies faster than a fisherman could gut a bass.

Franz was a brilliant Austrian car designer, who had developed an innovative idea that could help save his struggling company. I had been hired to help him deliver his idea to his stressed out boss and at the moment the odds of success looked dim.

The more nervous Franz became the more information he added to his slide deck. His talk was titled: The Reflective Properties of Luminous Electric Cells and their Integration into Vehicular Design and ran 50 minutes in length. He wanted to go longer but thought he should devote 10 minutes for questions He had amassed over 30 slides of charts and graphs. Here are a few of the more interesting slide topics:

* Demographics and Psycho graphics of Potential Users
* The Role of Luminous Light on Sight
* The Historic Roots of Light as Crime Deterrent

I told Franz that if he gave that presentation it was unlikely that he would succeed and he could get fired.

 Then I asked Franz one question. "Where did you get your idea?"

Franz got defensive and said “it was not relevant” I challenged, cajoled and played the devils advocate until he realized that if there were any chance of success he had to tell his story.

Here it is:

 “I was flying all night from Los Angeles to Heathrow. I arrived early in the morning and rented a car. I drove to an unfamiliar part of town. I didn’t finish until 10:00 PM. I was tired, hungry and disoriented. I had forgotten where I had parked my car and in fact I couldn’t remember what kind of car I rented. The parking garage was old with bad lighting. Lights flickered on and off at every level. I kept wandering around looking for my car. I got worried that someone was going to hit me on the head.”

“Finally, I found my car. As I was driving back to the hotel I got this idea: Wouldn’t it be great if I had a button on my key chain and when I pressed it my car could be illuminated in light. Not only could I find my car but I would know that nobody was hiding in the shadows near my car. When I got back to my hotel room I made a few notes.”

When the CEO heard Franz’s story he said “OK, what else do you have for me?”  Franz was puzzled and asked did “OK” mean yes or no to his idea?  The CEO smiled and said “Yes Franz” that’s a good idea and let’s move forward with it.” That OK meant that a $57 million dollar project just got a green light.

Franz’s story moved the CEO to take action because it allowed him to feel what its like to be in another’s shoes. He felt what millions of women feel when they’re tired and vulnerable at night and all they want to do is safely find their way home.

And that’s what a good story can do.

How Stories Build Relationships

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"It is my simple mission to help everyone in our company understand the power of a relationship.   In almost every account we have ever lost, it is due to the fact that we lost touch with the relationship." These words were spoken by a coaching client of mine, Barbara. She has recently been promoted to regional VP at a Fortune 100 company and her words should resonate with every person who wants to be successful.

Barbara is a business warrior who has learned that taking a little extra time with her clients over dinner insures her of a more successful relationship. “When I am at the dinner table I make it a point not to focus only on business. I find out what’s important to my clients. What has meaning for them? What are their life goals? And what keeps them up at night?”  Barbara builds and nurtures these relationships by being interested in her clients’ stories. “I do this because I know it builds trust.” Barbara is a fierce competitor when up against a tough opponent. She knows how to win and her use of storytelling is both pragmatic and effective. But why does her strategy work?

Resent brain research finds that the human brain is not so much a “thinking brain” but a relationship making brain. Dr. Herald Guther who leads the Dept. of Neurobiology at the Psychiatric Clinic of Gottingen, Germany says, “Until quite recently, it was held to be self-evident that human beings have a big brain to make it possible for them to think. However, the research results of the last years have made it clear that the structure and function of the human brain is especially optimized for building relationships. Our brain is thus much more a social organ than it is a thinking organ.” He goes on to say that a powerful way humans build relationships is by sharing stories.

Here are five tips for using story to build relationships:
* Tell an authentic story. One that exposes a vulnerability or foible.
* Tell a story that you are passionate about.  For example, your child hit her first home run; how you actually saved your client money by helping them overcome a problem.
* Tell a story of overcoming an obstacle. For example, you always had a fear of drowning but you overcame it during your rafting trip down the Colorado; you used to hate public speaking but you discovered you liked it when you learned how to rehearse first.
* Be sure to describe what lesson you learned from the event that helped you change.
* Include how you’re different now than before the event; think of this as “old you” and “new you.”

Stories build relationships by helping prospective clients see you as more than the title of “financial planner” or “tax attorney.” Authentic stories help you become a real breathing human being. Sharing stories establishes a common ground of trust and there is little question that clients turn to those they trust, especially when times are tough.

Let There Be Light

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Many people understand the value of stories when trying to make a point. However when they get into high stakes negotiations they revert back to old beliefs that say “facts will win the day” or “the more facts the more professional my case.”
Here is a true story that challenges those old beliefs.

I was hired by an auto maker to help a senior designer present his new design to the CEO  for a final 57 million dollar decision. My client, Franz, was scared of the CEO and for good reason. The boss was called “the ripper” because he could gut a company faster than an angler could gut a bass. He also had a short attention span and was easily distracted during presentations. These rumors only heightened Franz’s anxiety.

Franz responded by adding more facts to his Power Point. Complicating all of this was that English was not Franz’s first language. I knew that if Franz was allowed to make this difficult to understand and lengthy presentation not only would his project get rejected but his career could be in jeopardy.

I challenged him to tell a story which would give meaning and context. I wanted to know what inspired his design. Where did he get his idea? Franz resisted and said it was not relevant. I kept coaxing him to reveal more than facts. Finally Franz coughed up his story.

He had flown all night to attend a meeting in London. He arrived early in the morning and rented a car. Franz was in meetings until 10:30 that evening. He was so exhausted he was having trouble finding his car. He couldn’t even remember what kind of car he had rented. The parking structure was old and poorly lit. Each dark corridor looked like all the others. Franz started wondering who might be waiting for him around the next corner.

To his relief he finally found his car and as he was driving back to the hotel he had an epiphany. What if he could just touch a button on his key chain and his car would be encircled with light. Not only could he instantly find his car but he would know that as he approached his vehicle, he would be safe.

I said that was a terrific story and what was his concern if he told it? Franz said it made him look weak and vulnerable. I replied that a great story is always bigger than itself because it points to deeper human themes. These themes can’t be replicated on spread sheets or power points.

A week later the CEO listened intently as Franz told his story. When Franz had finished his boss said “OK what else do you have for me?” Franz was puzzled and asked if his project was approved? “Oh my yes” said his boss.

Later Franz discovered that the CEO had felt that this idea could solve a big problem.
Women were buying less of the company’s cars. They felt that more vanity mirrors and cup holders were not addressing their core needs for quality and safety. The CEO knew that Franz’s idea was a powerful way to begin remedying these issues. His story worked in ways that no power point could. Powerful stories win the day by combining facts with emotions.

House of Glass

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I resolved over New Years to go to at least one network meeting a week. This is more difficult than it sounds. I have a touch of Acrophobia.This makes me want to run away from densely packed rooms filled with people screaming to be heard. But I take my resolutions seriously.

The other night I went to a mixer sponsored by ideablob at a local bar. Ideablob is a site where entrepreneurs are encouraged and rewarded for coming up with great business ideas. The bar gleamed with hard and cool aluminum surfaces. The mirror polished floor glared out at me. Voices bounced off walls and floors to create a modern Tower of Babel. Bodies were so tightly packed and distorted it looked like they had been compressed by the oversized tire of a Texas u-haul.

At first I watched what was happening from the safety of the sidewalk. All I wanted to do was “Go Home” What finally helped me hold my ground and enter the fray was something I heard Ira Glass say. Ira is the creator of This American Life and is a national treasure, as far as storytelling is concerned. When Ira was beginning to write in journalism school his professor gave him the assignment of going to a local high school and interviewing “interesting students” Ira was perplexed and asked the professor how was he to find these students? His professor replied that he should go to the school cafeteria during lunch and simply watch and listen. Ira was instructed to ask himself “Who are the most vital people in this room?”  “Where is the energy coming from?” Once Ira had determined who and what was vital he would go to those people and start asking questions. To his amazement he found that the more he got out of his head and paid attention the better his interviews.

I applied the wise professors advise to the bar situation and not only found interesting people to meet but turned a miserable situation into a blast.

Here are seven steps I use to prepare myself for networking events:
* Before stepping into the room take three slow breaths from your abdomen
* Feel the ground under your feet
* Feel connected to the earth as you move thru the room
* Let go of the voices of judgment in your head
* Watch and listen to the whole room
* Go to the area of greatest vitality
* If you are feeling anxious, tired or unhappy repeat the steps again

Shut Up & Shut Down

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I was young and this
was a nightmare job.  Bosses stealing
from each other.  Contracts written
painstakingly to deceive customers. 
Everyone had secrets, and no one was talking. One day my boss called me
into his office and shut the door.  He
asked me whether a key client I had been handling was going to sign a big
contract. I told him I didn’t know.  He
reached slowly into his desk drawer and pulled his hand out in the shape of a
gun.  Pointing his finger at my head he
said, “Bam you’re dead.  I used to keep a
.38 in there.  I guess this is your lucky
day.”  He wasn’t smiling. I quit the next
day but that was after a year and a half of abuse.

What was my part in
this story? How come I did nothing for so long? Well like the lobster who keeps
adjusting to the raising temperature until its too late I couldn’t find my
voice and say “that’s not acceptable.”

If I could have been
my own coach I would suggest an elemental diagnosis as described in our book The Elements of Persuasion. I would have
diagnosed the problem as a lack of earth. Next I would reflect on the physical
sensations, emotional feelings and negative voices in my head occurring when
confronting my boss. For instance one voice in my head was resigned and kept
telling me “This is how bosses behave, so get used to it.” The more resigned I
was the more my boss pushed and bullied me. By not speaking up I was telling
him the non-verbal story that I was a pushover. I needed to put my roots down and
realize that other opportunities would come my way. I could do better.

 My belief is that you
don’t have to linger for years in bad situations. Have the confidence to tell a
new story to your bully. Speak your mind. But first pay careful attention to
your body, emotions and the voices in your head.

Hunker in the Bunker

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A number of my clients are just plain scared. They see the results of a decelerating world economy 20 x a day.  The news is bleak .My clients understandably react by wanting to hunker down and do less. Or they become agitated and aggressive and want to blame and fight. These behaviors will probably not produce the results they seek.

A more successful story comes from social scientist Robert Axelrod, who developed a game called “The Prisoner’s Dilemma Game. Players are asked to make a simple choice to cooperate or compete with each other. One might think that relentless competition would win the day but in fact the most successful strategy is called tit-for-tat. Here the first player opens with a cooperative move. If the second player competes the first player punishes with a competitive move of her own. However if the second player switches back to cooperation so does the first player. After having tens of thousands of people play the game Axelrod concludes that cooperation or “tit for tat” wins more money for both players than competitive self-interest.

In these tough times aggressive or hunker in the bunker behavior will not lead to greater success. What works is communicating and connecting with more people. Reach out to competitors and friends alike. Listen to their problems and weave stories of mutual cooperation.

COOLER HEADS

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Like a lot of people who spend way too much time prowling
the web I was shocked by this YouTube of folks coming out of a Palin
Rally convinced Obama was a terrorist. If that is the take away from a GOP rally
something is seriously wrong.

There are plenty of legitimate reasons not to vote for Obama
– enough so that I don’t really have to list them here – but him being a “one
man terrorist cell” whose “name says it all” is not one of them.

In The Elements of Persuasion Bob and I say:

“Of course, not every story has a happy ending, and
there is a very real moral danger in creating villains… Story telling is innate
in human beings, but it is in some respects a value-free process. Fortunately,
there is a fail safe. Those stories that produce destructive and negative
actions tend to cannibalize the people who tell them. They rapidly eliminate
themselves from the cultural dialogue…”

But what do we do while we wait for the fever to run its
course? Listening to the wise words of our political elders seems a good place
to start.

This speech by Republican Jim Leach, formerly the
Representative from Iowa’s 2nd District, fills the bill. It was
given at the Dem convention, and is an endorsement of Obama, but that isn’t the
point. The point is that it is truly bipartisan.

What I really like about it is that it places the story of
this election cycle in the larger context of the Four Great Questions that have
been at the heart of every American election from our county’s beginning and lists progressive
politicians from both parties who have helped our country move towards achieving our ideals. It would make the kernel for a great High School
History class discussion.

Sometimes the real gems from a political convention don’t
standout until later. This speech is one of those. To find out more about Jim
Leach, click here.

ALASKA NOIR

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Sarah Palin is not the only interesting story coming out of
Alaska. Ted “Hell No” Stevens is on trial for failing to report “gifts” from
“lobbyists.” His is also running for reelection. The DNCC put
together this little gem. I don’t like negative ads, but this one is too genre
perfect to pass up. If you still have doubt that great political ads are story
driven, this 30 sec spot should lay them to rest.

A quick 5-elements analysis: The Passion (irreducible core)
of the ad is carried by the opening sound track – a cross between a political
thriller and a local news stations investigative reporter theme. It establishes beyond doubt that this will be a crime story. The people in the van are our Heroes
(we even see Stevens’ house on a video monitor stressing their point of view is
our point of view). Stevens is the Antagonist “He thinks he is above the law”.
And crucially there is a moment of clear awareness when one “reporter” says
disgusted, “And I voted for him.” Finally a transformative tag line “It’s not
about Alaska anymore.” This is great stuff.

BTW, if anyone has any great Repub ads I’d love to analyze
them. Most of what I’ve seen from the Repubs are tired retreads, but I’m
probably missing something. Enlighten me, please.