A bear’s tale: Storytelling structure in action

Ann Wylie — Mon, 22 May 2017 05:00:58 +0000

3 steps to a great story

Facts tell, stories sell.

Tell me a story How can you make the most of your best business stories? Image from iStock

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Tell me a story How can you make the most of your best business stories? Fortunately, great storytelling is as easy as 1-2-3. Here’s how to turn facts that tell into stories that sell, in this rewrite of one of my favorite corporate stories … Image by Byrdyak

But it’s not enough just to have a great story. To make the most of your best business stories, you also need great storytelling.

Fortunately, great storytelling is as easy as 1-2-3.

Here’s how to turn facts that tell into stories that sell, in this rewrite of one of my favorite corporate stories, a piece about FedEx helping rescue a bear named Ben.

1. Problem

“If you’re advertising fire extinguishers,” wrote David Ogilvy, “open with the flames.”

So don’t start your story with a pat on your own back. (It gets in the way of the story, and unless you’re really flexible, it’s hard.) Instead, jump right into the most provocative details of the story at hand:

Ben, a grizzly-black bear, had spent six long years confined to a barren cage.

Deemed “Attraction No. 2,” Ben was deprived of even the most basic necessities. His world consisted of nothing more than a barren 12-foot-by-22-foot concrete floor and a chain-link fence with an old bowling ball and some moldy stumps of wood. His “caretakers” dumped dry dog food — what passed for his meals — onto the same concrete floor where he urinated and defecated.

Ben spent his waking hours pacing, the result of profound deprivation and a sign of chronic distress.

2. Solution

I know, I know. This is the part you care about most: the part where your organization helped solve the problem. Your readers, however, are more interested in your subject. So make this the quickest part of the piece:

After a long battle with the zoo owner, several rescue organizations won the right to move Ben to a lush animal sanctuary in Northern California. FedEx volunteered to fly Ben across the country for free. A team of 42 folks made sure Ben got all of the comforts he needed as he journeyed aboard “Bear Force One” nearly 3,000 miles to his new home.

3. Results

Paint a picture of how great Ben’s life is now:

When Ben explored his vast new habitat for the first time, it was likely the first time he had ever felt grass beneath his paws. He pawed at the ground and smelled the grass. Within minutes, he was bathing and splashing in his own pool, ridding his body of grime for the first time in years. That night, he slept soundly on a comfortable bed of fresh hay and natural foliage.

How can you craft a story to make your messages more engaging?

How can you tell better business stories?

Stories are so effective that Og Mandino, the late author of the bestselling The Greatest Salesman in the World, says, “If you have a point, find a story.”

Learn to find, develop and write stories that engage readers’ hearts and minds in our Master the Art of Storytelling workshops.

There, you’ll learn how to find the aha! moment that’s the gateway to every anecdote. How to start an anecdote with a bang — instead of a whimper. And how to use “the most powerful form of human communication” to grab attention, boost credibility, make messages more memorable and communicate better.

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A bear’s tale: Storytelling structure in action

3 steps to a great story

1. Problem

2. Solution

3. Results

How can you tell better business stories?