When we teach influential storytelling, we share four ways to level up the influence power of your story. One of these is what we call Invite Curiosity. The concept behind this strategy is that by activating an intellectual or cerebral experience for the audience—getting them to think for themselves—helps them to be engaged in your story AND causes them to have a mental stake in its outcome.
Read MoreIn her book Executive Presence, Sylvia Ann Hewlett describes executive presence as resting on three pillars: gravitas, communication and appearance. As a storytelling and presentation skills coach, I work with clients on all three of these pillars. Here’s my tip: If you’re aiming to develop your executive presence, consider developing your storytelling skills as one way to do so. Here are a few reasons why becoming an intentional storyteller can help build your executive presence.
Stephanie Judd authored this article as a Forbes Council contribution.
Read MoreThe product management field can be a cutthroat one, and Product Managers know that becoming a more compelling communicator is a great way to differentiate themselves from the pack. But many of these PMs have misconceptions about storytelling. Here are three common storytelling myths held by PMs and why you shouldn’t believe them.
Stephanie Judd authored this article as a Forbes Council contribution.
Read MoreOne of the most common challenges of sales leaders is enabling their teams to take the demo deck and make it their own—uniquely, authentically and personally theirs. Read this article for some ways you can empower your salespeople to adapt the deck for a more relatable and engaging presentation.
Stephanie Judd authored this article as a Forbes Council contribution.
Read MoreBecause storytelling is universal, the foundational principles of what makes a story influential remain constant even as the use case or audience changes. What shifts from context to context is how those principles are implemented or applied.
Stephanie Judd authored this article as a Forbes Council contribution.
Read MoreNot all stories are created equal, and by focusing on what makes a story influential, tech salespeople can dramatically shift their conversations. Here’s a look at the common mistakes and what to do differently.
Stephanie Judd authored this article as a Forbes Council contribution.
Read MoreIf your job is to sell your company’s products or services, you need to know how to communicate their value in a compelling way. When we work with salespeople, they already understand that storytelling can be a powerful tool for them, but they struggle with how to leverage stories appropriately. Sometimes they can come up with a story, but it’s too literal and leads them down a rabbit hole of demo-ing their product rather than actually telling a story. Other times they drone on and on, losing their audience along the way. Sometimes they just can’t come up with a story idea, even if they know they should be telling stories! Here are some tips and tricks to get you started if you’re having the same challenges.
Read MoreAs bootstrapped founders, we may not find ourselves about to give a formal pitch in front of suited VCs, but we do constantly interact with potential customers, partners and other stakeholders in our networks. Every one of these people should know what you do and most importantly why you do it.
You’ll know it’s time to tell a story about what you do and why when you get questions like these:
Why did you start your business?
What are you up to lately?
Tell me about yourself
Here’s how you can craft a version of your story that will feel authentic and extemporaneous, but also be an influential and powerful representation of you and your business...
Read MoreEvery founder, CEO, or sales person has to pitch their company or product, but to their detriment, not all of them bring a story to do so. The pitch is an obvious structure. It’s easy to meet the baseline expectations here. But if you want to be noticed and remembered, inspire people with your vision, prove your passion, paint a picture and ultimately gain champions, storytelling—specifically influential storytelling—is a valuable skill to have in your tool belt.
Read MoreA story that is personally relevant to, and reveals an authentic truth about the storyteller encourages the audience to connect with the storyteller on a human level. This authentic connection is incredibly powerful when it comes to influencing and leading others; it allows for the possibility that the audience will support, root for, buy into, or be led by the storyteller.
Read More
