Shut up. Sit down. Get out. These were some of the sentences we kept hearing from few of our schools teachers. No wonder, we hated their classes and wondered away; far away. The preaching and teaching days are long gone! If you’re a leader who constantly wishes to lead his or her team into action, you better avoid issuing instructions and directions. You better start your journey with storytelling.
Think of great leaders in the present and past who led thousands and often times millions of people to take certain actions, good and bad, ugly and not. One such leader who is constantly in my mind is Kevin Havelock who I met when I worked for Unilever between 2001 and 2004. He was a great Chairman who always moved and motivated us with his words and stories. We were on fire and we accomplished great business results!
So, how can you become a more effective storyteller? Your stories will be memorable to your audience if you use the 5 C’s of Storytelling: Circumstance, Characters, Conversations, Conflict and the Carryout Message. If you examine eloquent speakers’ speeches, you’re bound to find these five elements. For example, you could watch Bill and Melinda Gates Commencement Address at Stanford University of 2014. You will find all the elements in their stories. Now, let’s explore the 5 C’s.
- Circumstance. When did your story take place? Where was is it? Describe the circumstance for us.
- Characters. Who were the characters in your story? Describe them to us.
- Conversations. Don’t narrate the story. You should relive it so that we relive it with you. Bring your characters to life by giving each of the character a voice. Let them talk and let’s listen to them.
- Conflict. If you don’t have conflict in your story, you’re doomed. It will not grab the attention of your audience. The conflict could be between you and one of the characters, the characters themselves or it could simply, between you and yourself!
- Carryout Message. What’s the point you’re trying to make by telling us this story? What’s the carryout message?
Here’s a quick story incorporating all the 5 C’s:
“In the summer of 1998, we escaped the humidity and the scorching heat by having a gathering in my friend’s house in East Riffa. It was me and my friends: Nawaf, Abdul Rahman and Talal. We were sitting around the dining table chatting and having strawberries, green grapes, pistachios, almonds and of course tea and coffee. We were having so much fun. We told jokes, we made fun of each other and we made fun of others! Late in the evening, Talal stood up, rolled up his sleeves and said: “Mohamed, let’s do for a pushup challenge!”
Now, before I continue I should tell you that my relationship with Talal is just like that of Tom and Jerry. He is Tom and I am Jerry. And I always win. On that night, Talal wanted to take revenge from the many times I beat him and what a better circumstance; he had two witnesses, Nawaf and Abdul Rahman, and he is been working in out in the gym for months. He told me: “Come on, be a man. Get down on the floor and do pushups.” I replied: “No man, we’re supposed to have fun; not pushups.” He retorted: “Come on, be a man.” I said: “Ok, but you go first.”
And he agreed. Talal struggled to do six pushups. When he finished, I started. With each pushup I shouted: One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Then I stopped, looked Talal in the eye, laughed and said: Talal, you lost. Abdul Rahman, Nawaf and I laughed so loud. We fell from our chairs. And Talal, was frustrated. He failed, miserably!
Ladies and gentlemen, the lesson here is simple and clear, never ever underestimate your competition. We should always up our game by constantly innovating to bring new products to our customers before the competition does. Let’s go to work!”
Here is the thing: You don’t necessarily need to have a profound story to make it work. You can use everyday situations. Many speakers think that they should have great stories with great triumphs and conflicts such climbing Mount Everest or fighting with a shark. It doesn’t have to be like that! Start thinking about the stories in your life so that you could create a story file to keep it handy for your future speeches.
Your takeaway, don’t be a teacher or a preacher. Become an effective storyteller and you will be able to inspire your team to get the business results you desire.
Mohamed Isa is an Executive Speech Coach and Writer who guides his clients in designing and delivering dynamic speeches so that they get laughs, applause, and their message across. He is the Co-Author of Amazon’s Best Seller: World Class Speaking in Action.