Script for Video on Story Telling

What makes Story telling so powerful? The answer lies with Biology and the theory of evolution. A human brain is pre-wired to think in terms of stories. The way we store information in our head is in the form of stories. We gather facts and data and weave it into a pattern to connect the elements and then save that in our head in the form of a story. 

In every culture, storytelling is weaved into the upbringing of a child. Bedtime stories is how we help children form patterns in their head about what is right and wrong behavior and community values and beliefs. 

The shortest story in the world ever told is written by Ernest Hemmingway and it is only 6 words long: “For Sale: Baby shoes, never worn.” What emotion did this story trigger in your brain?

Research shows that when we hear stories, we release a chemical in our brain called oxytocin. This chemical is associated with trust, empathy, and collaboration. This means when you tell a story you automatically become more endearing to your audience. 

Let us hear a story:

Narrator

Around 6 years back, I was travelling to New York from Mumbai. The flight was packed. We had flown halfway when suddenly I saw a pregnant lady cry out loud. I looked at her more carefully, she was in the row ahead of me in the 3^rd seat. She looked full term. Just as I was thinking that she continued to scream and this time incessantly. Watching her I was almost frozen, but her screams jolted me into action. And then I rolled up my sleeves and did what I had to do. The plane took off from Mumbai with 532 passengers on board and it landed New York with 533. 

How was it? Did it feel like you were in that plane along with the storyteller? Did you almost get up when she says, ‘jolted me into action’? Did you visualize the airplane? 

If the answer is yes, then here is why it happened? Story telling creates 3 phenomena in our brains:

1. Neural Coupling – when you start telling a story the brain patterns of all the listeners get tuned in and locked in with your brain patterns. It starts as soon as you start telling a story and stops as soon as a story is over.

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3. Mirror Effect – when you tell a story the same neurons are fired in the listeners mind as in the story tellers. Hence when she said she jolted into action; the listener felt the jolt.

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5. Engagement Effect – when you tell a story, it releases oxytocin and dopamine in the listeners mind and increases brain activity. Hence the brain is more engaged and subsequently enhances retention. 

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How to construct a story?

Every story has a plot. Plot is "what happens" in the story. The action of every story can be mapped out using a plot diagram. There are five key points to the plot of every story:

1. Beginning or Exposition-this is when you introduce the plot and the characters to the listener. Narrator: Romeo and Juliet are madly in love. They met at a party and it was love at first sight. Their families however are enemies. 

2. Rising Action-this is where the key problem of the narrative is developed and explained via a character and their actions. 

Narrator: Romeo visits Juliet on a balcony one night. It is a very romantic moonlit night and the lovers confess that they cannot live without each other. Post which they meet and secretly get married. In the meanwhile, it so happens that Romeo kills Juliet's cousin Tybalt, and is banished. Juliet's father in his fury asks Juliet to marry someone else. Juliet fakes her death, sending a message to Romeo to let him know, but he hears of her death and doesn't get the message.

3. Climax-also called the turning point of the story is where the problem is dealt with and resolved. It could be a happy resolution or a sad or an ugly resolution. Either ways the problem gets resolved.

Narrator: Romeo kills himself, and Juliet wakes from her sleep, sees him, and kills herself.

4. Falling Action or Denouement-this is where the reader learns what happens because of the climax-or the way in which the problem was solved.

Narrator: The two families mourn Romeo and Juliet.

5. Resolution-where the entire plot is wrapped up and there is a sense of closure for the reader. Narrator: Romeo and Juliet's deaths have ended their families' feud and there is peace in Verona.

Characters- are of 2 types the protagonist and the antagonist. The protagonist is the main character in the story, and antagonists are characters who are in conflict with the protagonist.

Example: Romeo and Juliet are the protagonists. Their conflict is with their families and their parents, especially Juliet whose parents wish her to marry someone else.

Conflict- A narrative requires a main character also called the protagonist. There has to be a problem also called conflict. The conflict can be between the protagonist and the other person also referred to as the antagonist. The antagonist could also be in the form of nature or environment or self. 

Example: Romeo and Juliet's conflict are that their families are in a feud, and they are not allowed to be with each other.

Setting-refers to the pace and the point in time where the story is taking place.

Example: Romeo and Juliet are set in Italy.

Theme- Every narrative has a theme which can also be called the main idea or the moral of the story.

For example, Romeo and Juliet is about the theme that "Love overcomes hate."

What are the different types of stories in a Business Setting?

Stories can be of many different types. Here we will look at 9 types of stories that you can have in your repertoire and narrate them as the occasion demands. You can look at your own personal experience to find a fitting story for each category or could use the one we will share now. Most importantly pay attention to the story construct and keep lining it back to the section on how to construct a story to learn the 5 elements of a plot. 

• Mountain top Story – Great Team Stories 

As the name suggests these are inspirational stories about how teams overcome challenges and reach the mountain top. They talk about exemplary teamwork against all odds. In your life and career, you will encounter multiple scenarios where a great team story can do wonders to help boost the morale of a team and achieve the unachievable. You can find several stories from the business world as well as the world of sports. Here we are looking at a story about a basketball team:

Narrator – I joined Woodstock School as the basketball coach for the girl’s team. I wasn’t too impressed with what I saw. They didn’t seem to want to play and as a team they had very poor team dynamics. For some months, I struggled with my job. It was so uninspiring, boring and a lack of challenge which is akin to living half a life. (beginning) One day, I decided that I will create my own challenge and make this team into one of the most competitive, close-knit and take them to nationals. First, I worked with team captain and brought her on my side. We planned a series of team activities like watching inspirational movies, sports matches and events, playing in inhouse matches followed with fun activities. We planned several small adventure camps and over a period of 6 months the girls started bonding together.  Improving their technique was hard as lack of practice and competitive playing left them quite rusty. I organized many inter school matches for them to play in. I knew they will lose. (rising action) The plan was to make them lose initially so that it ignites a fighting spirit in them. That’s exactly what happened after losing the 5^th match in a row, the girls were inconsolable. (climax)They were like roaring tigers and they became fiercely competitive. That was the turning point and from then on Woodstock girls’ basketball team became a force to reckon. (falling action) They made it to the Nationals and were known for their competitive team spirit. Remember you igniting a team spirit can lead to magical results. When a group of individuals decide to have a common goal and vision, they can move mountains and cross oceans. Nothing is impossible for a team! (resolution)

• Inspirational Story – These are stories about people overcoming difficulties. These are evergreen stories and can be used ever so often. They fit so many scenarios. As a storyteller, if you tell your own story its usually very impactful. As you share your difficult situation it bonds the listeners to you, and they start trusting you. However, you can always tell a story of a great achiever or a famous personality here as it resonates well leaving the listeners feeling very inspired and motivated. Stories can be short as we shared earlier, they can be all of 6 words too. Here is an example of a short story with a powerful message.

Narrator : Disney corporation is one of the most lucrative companies in existence, with high standards of quality and a never-ending stream of innovations.(beginning & rising action)  Walt himself was fired from a newspaper job early in life because he “lacked imagination.” (climax) After a few failed businesses, Disney’s upbeat attitude was clearly what kept him going forward. (Falling action) He’s been quoted saying that “a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you.” Once his first movie Snow White premiered of course, the rest became history. (resolution) 

• Customer Story – Sell your capability / skills. Did you know the best salespeople are the ones that tell excellent stories? Sales is a process comprising 4 key process steps a) build rapport and trust – the customer needs to like you and give time to engage with you. Here tell a personal story that helps them get to know you better. Think of what traits are values by your customer and share a story which speaks to those. b) build credibility– the customer needs to believe you and your company c) demonstrate value- the customer needs to see it for themselves. Here the best bet is to understand what is critical to the customer and then build case studies around that come. This is also called an influencing story d) close the deal – this is about being able to handle the objections and negotiate the deal to a successful closure. We will share with you examples of stories at each step:

Step A Narrator: As a child I was always very shy and lacked confidence. I would look at all the children performing on stage and fee sad. I so wanted to be on stage and express myself.(beginning) My mother noticed how I was feeling and when I shared my fear of being on stage, she hugged me hard and said she will work with me and help me have a voice that will fearlessly speak. She made me memorize a poem and would make me practice on stage after school. We got special permission from the principal to do that. It was not easy. But perseverance and hard work paid. (rising action) Finally, I did manage to participate in my school’s annual function and perform. That year I didn’t win any awards but over time gradually I improved and by middle school I was the head of my dramatics club with more than 20 awards under my belt. (climax). From then to now, I am fearlessly able to express myself in any situation. (falling action) That is how I learnt the best lesson of my life. Perseverance and hard work pay. (resolution)

Step B Narrator: In the last 5 years I have cracked 20 big deals. (beginning & rising action) Today, I am in touch with each of the 20 leaders who signed my deals. (climax) 5 of them have changed companies but we are still in touch at a personal level. (falling action) This is the part of my job. I really enjoy building relationships and that happens on a foundation of mutual trust and respect. (resolution)

Step C Narrator: You want to increase your sales. Today you are clocking a revenue of 10 MM USD. Imagine if you were able to increase your customer retention by 5%, your sales would go up significantly. (beginning). Our product will do that and more. Last year our customer Hero Corp approached us as they were not able to retain their customers. We identified the root causes and saw the trend reverse in 6 months. (rising action) Today, Hero Corp’s customer retention has gone up by 30% and revenue by 20%. (climax) From almost going bankrupt the company was able to turn things around in no time. (resolution)

Step D Narrator: I had been working on this big deal for last 4 months. We reached the final round of negotiations and were sitting in their boardroom. (beginning) Everything was going smooth when suddenly the head of procurement stood up and said that he didn’t feel right about the deal. He cited an example of a similar deal they had signed up 3 years back and then went on to describe how everything had gone wrong.(rising action) I sat there biting my nails and wondering what I am supposed to do now. He was very emotional and there is no way any reason or logic would have helped me change his mind (climax). So, I stepped out for 5 min to clear my head and then it struck me that I need to tell a story about letting go. There was a bad experience of 3 years back that was jeopardizing the deal. Let me tell them the power of letting go and moving on and that is when I told them the story of the Monk and the woman. (falling action) The story did wonders. It completely changed the perspective, and everyone decided to bury the past and went ahead to sign the deal. (resolution)

Two monks were traveling together, a senior and a junior. They came to a river with a strong current where a young woman was waiting, unable to cross alone. (beginning) She asks the monks if they would help her across the river. Without a word and despite the sacred vow he’d taken not to touch a woman, the older monk picks her up, crosses, and sets her down on the other side. (rising action)

The younger monk joins them across the river and is aghast that the older monk has broken his vow but doesn’t say anything. An hour passes as they travel on. Then two hours. Then three. Finally, the now quite agitated younger monk can’t stand it any longer: “Why did you carry that woman when we took a vow as monks not to touch women?” (climax & falling action)

The older monk replies, “I set her down hours ago by the side of the river. Why are you still carrying her?”

The story is a reminder to not dwell on the past in a way that interferes with living in the present moment. (resolution)

• Interview Story – Stories you can tell in an interview, real life story examples aligned to the question being asked. Let us look at the question tell me about a time when you had a difficult customer and how did you handle it? Instead of narrating your answer like this:

Narrator: 2 years back we had a very demanding customer. The key relationship manager from their end was very aggressive. No matter how much we communicated with him he always maintained that he was not informed. We did our best to make him happy. We were always on our toes and really stressed as there would be several escalations. 

What if you told them your story like this? 

Narrator: 2 years we had a very challenging customer. He was the relationship manger on the account. I set up a one to one call with him to understand his business challenges and expectations from us and get feedback. I did some homework before the call to try to bond with him. I looked up his social media profiles and was interesting to see that he had written a book and was a very active soccer player in his college days. On our call we connected on these 2 topics and he did open to me. Based on his feedback we implemented a worksheet where we updated daily the project status. He appreciated that and was happier. Gradually our relationship improved, and I felt rewarded personally as I had learnt how to handle a difficult customer. 

Which one is more memorable? 

The second version? Why?

• The first example is very general the second one is more detailed. Detail is what adds flavour and visualization to a story. Detail also demonstrates a skill which the interviewer can assess you on. 

• The second talks from I statements rather than we. If you use, ‘we’ don’t know what the candidate actually did.

• This is an interview, so you want to make sure the story you tell is positive. In this case you want to come across as solving a problem not complaining about it. 

• In the second version the character of the customer is built out. Hence it becomes more memorable as the listener can start visualizing the person. The first one is short and dry you don’t really get to know the character much.

• Growth Stories – Stories about how businesses grow? Setting up a new team or joined a new team, having a collection of good growth stories is always helpful. Here we will share a technique called “backward imaging” which is used to tell a story of a team’s growth. It’s truly creative and inspiring and serves as a very powerful success visualization tool.

  
  

Narrator: I had just joined team Zenith as a lead. We were 10 of us and the plan was to grow the team to a size of 40 by year end. At a team event this is the story I shared with the group:One of the best Six Sigma Implementation and consulting firms in India, this team is only 5 years old. They have worked with over 100 clients and have delivered minimum 15% bottom line impact to the savings by driving critical projects on cost savings. They are known for their accurate identification and analysis of key problem areas in a business. From infrastructure to power sector, services, and retail they have successfully demonstrated the power of six sigma They started as a team of 10 consultant and today are over 100. They are Team Zenith.

I received a standing ovation. My story created such a powerful visual image in the team members that they were completely sold and from then on, my task as a leader became simpler.

• Funny Stories – Humorous stories which help in ice breaking. These are usually short stories. Here is an example:

  
  

 Narrator: On a long plane trip, a woman is sitting next to a lawyer. She wants to sleep, but the lawyer does not stop talking...

"Let's play a game" - he suggests.

The woman ignores him.

"To make it interesting" - he continues - "if I answer incorrectly to your question, I'll pay you $50. If you answer incorrectly to my question, you pay me $5."

The woman agrees, and the lawyer asks the first question.

"What is the distance between Earth and the Moon?"

The woman hands him $5. Now it's her turn.

"What goes up a hill with three legs and comes down with four?"

The lawyer is astonished. He frantically surfs the Internet, searches his pocket encyclopedia and asks his scientist friends. He finds nothing. Hours later, when finally giving up looking for the answer, he wakes the woman, hands her $50 and asks:

"So, what is the answer?"

Without saying a word, she hands him $5 and goes back to sleep.

Funny stories are a great way to warm up your audience however they are not everyone’s cup of tea. They could be risky at the beginning of a presentation as if your joke falls flat right at the beginning it doesn’t start your, presentation well. You might want to add in a funny story in the middle or towards the end.

However, if you do have a funny bone inside you feel free to use this form of story telling to enthrall your audience. 

• Coaching Stories – Stories about mastering skills. This is a story of a one of the richest men in the world. He had extreme fear of public speaking.

Narrator: Billionaire investor Warren Buffett was “terrified” of public speaking. He was so nervous, in fact, that he would arrange and choose his college classes to avoid having to get up in front of people. At the age of 21, Buffett started his career in the securities business in Omaha and decided that to reach his full potential, he had to overcome his fear of public speaking. (beginning)

Buffett enrolled in a Dale Carnegie course with another thirty people who, like him, were “terrified of getting up and saying our names.”  "In my office, you will not see the degree that I got from the University of Nebraska. You will not see the master's degree I got from Columbia University. But you will see the award certificate I got from the Dale Carnegie Course," Buffett said in the HBO documentary, Becoming Warren Buffett. (rising action)

Buffett didn't overcome his stage fright in an instant. 

He completed the Dale Carnegie course on his second try. The certificate he proudly displays in his office reads: "Warren E. Buffett has successful completed the Dale Carnegie Course in effective speaking, leadership training, and the art of winning friends and influencing people. January 13, 1952." (climax)

Buffett followed up the course by teaching an investment class at a local college. He realized that he needed to shore up his confidence by just doing it--over and over in front of small groups. 

"Now, you can improve your value by 50 percent just by learning communication skills-public speaking. If that's the case, see me after class and I'll pay you $150,000." (falling action)

Buffett's point is that mastering the art of public speaking is the single greatest skill to boost your career. (resolution)

• Conflict Stories – Stories about conflicts that got resolved. In personal and work life, we often face situations of conflict. These can be stressful times, however if you use stories as your guides for wisdom, patience, maturity and understanding the tension can metamorphosize into an atmosphere of collaboration and teamwork. Here is an example of a good story to narrate and draw learnings from:

Narrator: There was a father who left 17 camels as an asset for his three sons. When the father passed away, his sons opened up the will.

Will of the father stated that the eldest son should get half of 17 camels while the middle son should be given 1/3rd (one-third). The youngest son should be given 1/9th (one-ninth) of the 17 camels.

As it is not possible to divide 17 into half or 17 by 3 or 17 by 9, three sons started to fight with each other. How can they divide their father’s inheritance?

So, three sons decided to go to a wise man.

The wise man listened patiently about the whole matter i.e. dividing 17 camels as follows:

½ to the eldest son, 1/3rd to the middle son and 1//9th to the youngest – How is it possible?

So, the wise man, after giving this thought, brought one camel of his own and added the same to 17. That increased the total to 18 camels.

Now, he started reading the deceased father’s will.

Half of 18 = 9. So, he gave the eldest son 9 camels

1/3rd of 18 = 6. So, he gave the middle son 6 camels

1/9th of 18 = 2. So, he gave the youngest son 2 camels.

Now add this up: 9 plus 6 plus 2 is 17 and this leaves one camel, which the wise man took away.

So, the attitude of conflict resolution is to find the 18th camel i.e. the common ground. Once a person is able to find the 18th ground by using his or her intellect, the issue is resolved. It is difficult and at times, it is not easy at all. However, to reach a solution, first step is to believe that there is a solution. If we think that there is no solution, we won’t be able to reach any!

• The Winning Self – Boosting your own confidence, tell yourself a story and playing it like a picture in your mind. This is a powerful visualization technique. Depending on the story you tell yourself, visualize in your mind you can either achieve great heights or you can remain stuck in a situation or problem that you continue to narrate the story of in your head. We will look at 2 versions of the same story:

  
  

Narrator(version 1): I am single mother from a bad marriage. I have no job, have moved to a new country where I don’t have any friends or family. I am poor destitute and am unable to look after my child. My only route to survival is charity. I am a writer by profession. The last 5 publishing houses I sent my book to have rejected it. My child and I have no future.

Narrator(version 2): I am a fortunate woman. I have a beautiful child who is healthy, and I adore him. I had a bad marriage but thankfully I was able to get out of it in good time. I have moved to a new country and am very excited about what lies ahead. I am a gifted writer and have finished a book. The book is doing the rounds with publishers. It has yet not found the right publisher, but I am very confident that when it does my book will be a runway success. 

Whose story is the above? JK Rowling’s.  Which version of the story do you think she told herself? The second one.

Given the resounding success of Harry Potter JK Rowling was telling herself positive stories. If she told herself negative stories, the universe would have conspired to make it happen. If you tell yourself positive stories, about your situation in the present or past, and your self-talk is appreciative and confident you will see positive things happen to you.

• Learning/Mentoring Stories – Stories about mentoring a subordinate or a peer or a friend. There are many times we will find individuals around u struggle on some aspect of their lives. Sharing a personal learning or coaching story can be very inspiring for them and is a great way to share a key message in an easy to understand format.  

Let us loo at an example of a coaching story:

Narrator: I had a trainer on my team who was learning customer service training. He was struggling with the detail content and I was getting feedback that he needed more depth in his customer service knowledge. He has already been in thee role for six months. I didn’t give up on him. I had him sit in the call center for two days taking calls. Then he audited calls for one week.  After that several of my experienced trainers observed him and gave him feedback. Finally, he came up the curve and became one of my strongest trainers and got promoted the next year. So, don’t give up! Where there is a will there is a way. 

Key elements of a good story

We have looked at the importance of stories, how to construct a story and the different types of stories. We will conclude here by highlighting some key points to keep in mind in storytelling:

• Be brief

• Keep it simple

• To the point

• Rehearse (make a script)

• Make it conversational

• It should be believable

• Sell the benefits through your story

• Story should end on a happy note or at least positive ending or a positive learning.