Washington & Oregon Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives.

Messaging and Storytelling Power Tools for Professional Success

Washington & Oregon Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives

Tailoring Communication

Audience Interest Preparation What will help them

Listen

To what they say How they say it To the noises With your eyes

Eye contact Their body language Movement

Diversity and Sensitivity Communication

Protected classes Sarcasm The Helpful Head

Generational Differences

Veterans (born before 1946) Baby Boomers (1946-1964) Generation X (1965-1979) Generation Y/Millennials (1980 …)

You are not a Computer

Computers remember information using logic.

People remember information using emotions: love, hate, hope, fear, and desire.

One Powerful Message

I don’t care how smart you are Don’t tell me everything you know Tell me how you will help me Make emotion connections

Messages They Remember

Help your listeners: Like you Trust you Remember you Want to work with you

The Pentagon Windows

Storytelling with Impact

1. Set up the high-stakes situation

2. Know what your main character wants

3. Make the audience care

4. Describe the life-changing moment.

5. How does the story help you/audience?

How to Find a Storya menu of opportunities

Don’t look for the story Look for a life-changing moment What did you learn? Can it motivate others?

There are Only 2 Stories

Stories must have a “story tension.”

The Boy Story

Boy Stories: Drama Tension: “conflict” Best example: sports The story is over when: There is a loser.

The Girl Story

Girl Stories: Romance Tension: “Hopeful Anticipation” Example: Romance novels The story is over when: It’s a tie; they both win.

David’s StoryMilking It For All It Is Worth

Food Assoc. targeted a dairy. Membership/leadership visited annually. David took structure to the staff … With 4 members’ stories … to the dairy. That day, he had a new $15,000 member

Terry’s Storyone week after Institute

Largest retail furniture company in the world.

We had wooed for over 2 years to no avail: 2 sales people, our president and our board chair for membership- nada.

I met them yesterday for over an hour, your principals in the forefront of my mind during our meeting …

Make one powerful, statement … use my ‘open face’.

... finalizing a membership/sponsorship package

Your TurnFind a Story

Look for a life-changing moment: Remember a powerful moment in your work. Identify a discouraging moment in your

career. At what moment did you know this was the

right work for you? What did you learn? Can it motivate others?

Storytelling with Impact

1. Set up the high-stakes situation

2. Know what your main character wants

3. Make the audience care

4. Describe the life-changing moment.

5. How does the story help you/audience?

Questions?

Graham Corporate Communicationsmaking the complicated simple and the simple powerful®

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CONTACT:Bill Graham

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