I’ve reviewed various storytelling books and this one is the best so far – it’s short (150 pages), practical and provides step-by-step guidance. It was published in 2018 in the USA. Its subtitle is “Win hearts, change minds, get results” and it’s positioned as “a practical guide for the workplace, the marketplace and everyday life”. Author Rob is an award-winning consultant who helps Fortune 500 companies and executives communicate with more purpose, power and impact. Deloitte is amongst his clients. He is a former vice president of Ogilvy PR Worldwide and a trained actor and improviser. Book review: Unleash the power of storytelling by Rob Biesenbach.
Contents of Unleash the power of storytelling
Part One: Storytelling essentials
- What makes stories so powerful?
- What is a story?
- How to create a story
- Emotion fuels stories
- Stories at work
Part Two: Advanced storytelling
- How to focus your story
- How to preserve the integrity of your stories
- How and where to find great stories
- Story’s cousins: Comparison, Analogy and Metaphor
- The dark side of stories
Part Three: Applied storytelling
- How to tell your company’s origin story
- How to use stories in presentations
- How to tell your own story
- How to tell your personal brand story
- How to use story for a toast, tribute or eulogy
Conclusion: Stand up, stand out
Key ideas in Unleash the power of storytelling
The book not only provides clear instructions, it gives you the confidence to try to use them.
Each point is illustrated with story examples making it easy to understand and apply. I particularly enjoyed stories about Chrysler, Apple (especially the dismissal of ROI for accessibility and sustainability projects) and a sweet factory. There was also a (good) law firm (Freeborn & Peters) story about its anniversary and one on Deloitte’s crisis management practice.
The section on how to tell your company’s origin story (for web site “About Us” sections) was insightful. There is plenty of guidance on how to use stories in presentations – and support your performance with energy and non-verbal communication Non-Verbal Communication (NVC) – the basics (Video) (kimtasso.com). There’s helpful advice on turning your life story into a personal brand and great LinkedIn content.
“In its simplest form, a story is a character in pursuit of a goal in the face of some challenge or obstacle – how the character tries to resolve that challenge drives the narrative”
Six keys to powerful stories:
- Stories tap into emotion
- Stories put a face on an issue
- Stories connect us
- Stories humanize us
- They raise the stakes
- Stories are about “show, don’t tell” (Writing – Audience, Emotions and “Show don’t tell” (kimtasso.com)
Simple story structure:
- Beginning – set the scene, introduce the character and mention the inciting incident
- Middle – the character works to overcome the challenge and restore balance
- End – things come to a resolution
How to bullet proof your structure:
- Is the character real and relatable?
- Is there sufficient conflict?
- Are the stakes high enough?
- Is there clear cause and effect?
- Is there an emotional core?
Create a story (each point is elaborated):
- Determine your audience
- Decide what you want the audience to do (goal)
- Think through the challenges that may get in the way
- Find a character who has overcome that challenge
- Ensure there’s resolution
How to capitalize on emotion in your storytelling:
- Focus on the “Why?”
- Tap into loyalty
- Appeal to pride
- Celebrate your heroes
- Get personal
- Don’t let modesty or fear stop you
Stories at work:
- Establish common ground (show empathy)
- Humanize yourself
- Motivate changes in behaviour
- Inspire a team
- Establish trust and credibility with a customer
Focus and declutter your stories:
- Start with a goal
- Eliminate the bit players
- Avoid tangents – how storytelling is like a tree
- Stick to clear turning points
- Details, details – separating the good from the bad
- Cut the exposition
- It’s OK to lie (sort of)
How and where to find stories:
- Use your goals and priorities as a filter
- Keep your antennae up
- Read and explore
- Interview others
- Draw on personal experience
- Find a system for storying your stories (free apps)
Incorporating stories into presentations:
- Make an assertion
- Offer three pieces of evidence
- Supply data to back up the point
- Tell a story
- Share the lesson
- Repeat
(There’s a good example of stories in pitches here: PM Conference Report 2022: Strategy implementation (kimtasso.com))
Turn your life into a story:
- Examine your career highlights
- Structure your story (beginning, inciting incident, turning point, conflict, resolution)
- Remember your audience
- Keep working at it
How to tell your personal brand story:
- Since your brand isn’t simply what you want it to be, it’s important to turn your gaze outward
- What skills and traits were instrumental in you overcoming your career challenges?
- Why do people bring you into teams? What role do you play?
- Look at past performance reviews – what trends emerge?
- What about honours, awards and accolades?
- Examples: the analyser, the organizer, the innovator, the cool cucumber, the bulldog
- Your brand should influence which projects (at work and in the community) you take on
How to use story for a toast, tribute or eulogy:
- Use the rule of three Power of three – Writing and presentation basics (Video) (kimtasso.com)
- Speak from the heart
- Pick one quality to focus on
- Compose a story
- Attend to the details but cut the excess
- Draw a lesson
- Use a quote
Some of my favourite bits of Unleash the power of storytelling by Rob Biesenbach
- “In an age of information overload, stories manage to cut through the clutter, offering meaning and significance”
- As Kendall Haven argues “The steady diet of stories that children experience modifies the brain to render it more predisposed to think in story terms”
- “While 63% remembered the stories they heard, just 5% could recall the statistics presented”
- “To trigger emotion, show emotion”
- “Stories provide the rationale for policy – the why behind the what”
- “This is especially true in the realm of professional services – consulting, the law, marketing etc. All other things being equal, people will hire the team whose personality, character and values best mesh with their own”
- “Lawyers who load up stories with unnecessary and distracting detail”
- “Choose words that stimulate the senses”
- Douglas Van Praer: “Provocative metaphors, much like artful stories, are amongst the most impactful tools to influence ever, because they evoke feeling that bypass critical thinking”
- “The lesson for storytellers is to fact-check your stories”
- “Because the first and last impression count for lot, the most important parts of your presentation are the opening and close. Just as you should start with a story, you should end with story. And again, it should be ‘on message’”
- “Storytelling and presenting are similar in that they both require killer content and inspired delivery”
- “Marketing strategist Dorie Clark talks about finding the ‘implicit narrative’ of your life – the common thread that ties your experience together”
- “Your personal brand can be a practical tool that helps set you apart in the workplace and the market place”
- Bonnie Gillespie “you’re building your brand daily, either by design or by default”
This storytelling video by Nancy Duarte is mentioned in the book Storytelling with Nancy Duarte: How to craft compelling presentations and tell a story that sticks (youtube.com) (see also Book review – Persuasive Presentations by Duarte (kimtasso.com)).
Related posts on storytelling
PM Conference Report 2022: Strategy implementation (kimtasso.com) November 2022
Disabled and down but definitely not out – A story of hope after a year (kimtasso.com) September 2022
Video – The art of storytelling – Kim Tasso explains April 2021
Storytelling book reviews: The Story Advantage and The Story Factor (kimtasso.com) March 2021
Writing tips for finding news stories, backstories and explainers (kimtasso.com) April 2019
selling legal services with storytelling (kimtasso.com) September 2017
Book review – story, community and influence (Jay Oatway) (kimtasso.com) July 2012
Related posts on writing
Writing book reviews
Book review: Everybody writes by Ann Handley – Kim Tasso
Book review – Peter Frederick’s “Persuasive writing” (kimtasso.com)
Book review by Kim Tasso – Ian Atkinson’s Business writing
Book review: Digital Body Language – How to build trust by Erica Dhawan (kimtasso.com)
Social Media in Business Development and Relationship Management: Lawyers (kimtasso.com)
Book review “Valuable content marketing” by Jefferson and Tanton (kimtasso.com)
Book review of Hypnotic writing by Joe Vitale (kimtasso.com)
Related articles on writing skills
Writing – Audience, Emotions and “Show don’t tell” (kimtasso.com) October 2024
Persuasive writing checklist (kimtasso.com) February 2024
Persuasive writing – Mindset, audience, headlines, key points (kimtasso.com) October 2023
22 tips on being a persuasive writer in professional services (kimtasso.com) August 2023
Hooks, Headlines and Hard-Wired Words: 11 ideas for better writing (kimtasso.com) October 2022
Video – The art of storytelling – Kim Tasso explains April 2021
Power of three – Writing and presentation basics (Video) (kimtasso.com) December 2020
Seven secrets of great business writing (Video) VASTCOP (kimtasso.com) April 2020
The Legal PR Guide – Gaining buy-in to law firm media relations (kimtasso.com)
Writing tips for finding news stories, backstories and explainers (kimtasso.com) April 2019
Top persuasive writing tips – Audience, structure and content (kimtasso.com) February 2019
Persuasive writing – nine writing tips (kimtasso.com) October 2017
Persuasive writing tips – five technical questions (kimtasso.com) March 2017
Business development writing for lawyers (kimtasso.com) July 2016
5 favourite thoughts on business development writing (kimtasso.com) March 2015
top tips on marketing and business development writing (kimtasso.com) April 2014
How to write a press release – Kim Tasso June 2013
Feedback from an effective writing workshop (kimtasso.com) April 2012
