Storytelling has been one of the tools that has been around since the beginning of time.
In fact, not only do stories share information and pass on historical data; they are the very tools to shape Nations, cultures, and societies.
Storytelling has been one of the most effective tools in transforming the beliefs of people.
But what is storytelling in truth?
It is creating an experience in which other people can enter in and feel what does storyteller feels.
When we do this we have the ability to connect with and direct the mind of our listeners.
I had a couple different teachers when I was younger as we moved around a lot. I remember one teacher Mr. Steinmetz.
He was a stern man. At six foot in height, he towered over his students like Goliath...
He taught mathematics in 4th grade and wreaked of Old Spice cologne.
When he spoke, it was a command not a conversation.
I never connected with that man, in fact, I grew to detest him even as a child.
But then...
Then there was Rick Olson.
Rick was a short man. Jovial, always ready to greet you with a smile.
When we walked into his classroom, he usually had a grin equally as mischievous as the rest of us.
He was our homeroom teacher.
How I grew to love and respect this man!
I remember walking into class one day and he was grinning from ear-to-ear as he told us all to take our seats and relax.
I had come to learn that when this man said RELAX, what he really meant was, "Oh, this is going to be good!"
This particular day he was going to teach us about compression and projecting things, but we didn't know that!
He taught me one of the most valuable lessons in teaching.
First show us was possible by example and we will then be interested in finding out the mechanics of how.
How did he do this you might ask?
Well,...
Being his "favorite" student, I got to help.
Yep, I had the opportunity to demonstrate to the entire class what would happen if I stopped paying attention to Mr. Olsen that day.
That very moment when I began to draw on my notepad instead of listening to what he had to say,...
BOOM!
He lept into action like a superhero ready to save the day!
Instead of heroically saving me from the ensuing destruction of my academic future...
He shot me in the head with his chapstick gun!
The class burst into laughter as I sat there with this stunned look on my face not knowing what just happened.
No apology was given by my teacher that day. Instead he turned towards the class and with a chuckle said,...
"You see, when you compress air it has to go somewhere and if something is in the way it will move at great velocity. Don't believe me? Ask Chad's head!"
With that he turned and went back to the front of the class and begin to talk about the mechanics and power transfer.
It was on this fateful day in 4th grade that I learned you could make a small rocket of compressed air with nothing more than a tube of chapstick!
That's right oh, the mechanics of a ChapStick tube where exactly what you needed to have a plunger, a chamber, compression, and projectile.
It even came with the lube on the inside to seal the chamber. ;-)
I learned many things from Rich Olson, but the greatest lesson I learned was that if you want people to learn from you you have to make it interesting and engaging.
Storytelling has the power to do so if you implemented into your marketing and your messaging consistently.
But I don't want to be a teacher you might say,...
If that is the case, then how will your audience ever know about the solutions that you provide or their need for them?
If you're interested in learning how to use storytelling to not just educate but to transform the belief of your audience so that they're ready to take the next step with you I encourage you to implement more storytelling into your messaging.
Fill your content with stories.
Stories from your business.
Stories from your life.
Stories from others lives.
There is a process, a format, that will help but nothing will prepare you to use stories more effectively than understanding the principles behind belief transformation in your stories.
You can learn more about how to use storytelling to make sales here.