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If you ask a child if they would like you to read a spreadsheet to them before bed, odds are theyâre going to say no.
They would rather go straight to bed than listen to that.
But if you ask: âWould you like me to read you a story?â Well, theyâll be ready for it, any time of the day or night.
We all love the journey of a story. We remember them. We know exactly what the flow needs to be, what the important steps in the story are.
Even my four-year-old son will correct me if Iâm making up a story and I havenât hit the right elements that every story needs to have. Heâll say, âOh, daddy, you didnât make it hard enough for the dragon today. Donât you remember that heâs supposed to do this and that before he can get to the end?â
Heâll tell me it was too easy. âYou need to do the story again.â
We know these critical story elements from a very young age, which means we need to make sure that whenever weâre sharing information and ideas that weâre still using a storytelling format. Itâs how the human brain engages and memorizes best.
That being said, there are a few best practices to follow when youâre writing stories. Here are a few to get you started:
1. Remember: Youâre Engaging A Human, Not Doing Data Transfer
What the human brain needs is always big picture first, then details, then actions.
To get started with your business story you can ask yourself a couple questions:
- What is the background story behind this information?
- Whatâs the bigger context?
- How is this process going to benefit the reader or listener?
- What is the journey itâs going to help them on?
- How will it help their life?
Basically, youâre priming the readerâs brain to answer the question: âWhy on earth should I read this?â
You need to create a journey through the information. Give people the contextual story at the start of a presentation or report. Then take them on a journey where A happens, which leads to B, and then eventually leads to C.
For example, you could say: âAs you may remember, six months ago, we all got together and we were discussing this particular challenge.â Then describe the future you are all aiming towards. Finally describe the journey that will take you there, using your data and facts to support your story.
2. Provide An Action Step At The End
Once youâve told your story, you canât just default to a fairy tale âand they all lived happily ever after.â Nor can you say, âThatâs it, any questions?â
You have to give people an action at the end. You have to give them a step to take in order to keep momentum going.
Start out with priming people for reading, then ending with what they need to do next. Think, âthis is what you need to do about this. This is the next step of the journey after youâve heard the process.â
3. Craft A Compelling Headline
One of the biggest keys to getting people to engage with your story is to make sure the headline grabs them in the first place.
If you gather process data, case studies, spreadsheets, and information to give to people, but you title the email âsystems update 9.07,â no one is going to read it.
Your headline has to be the immediate reason they should read your document. It should generally be either a statement of actionâââthis is what youâll need to do when you finish reading this emailâââor how they will benefit from the information.
Once youâve got the headline, then you can go through your email or document and just strip out anything that doesnât help what youâve set up.
Essentially, everything you do in a written story is going to come back to that central point, which is the main core feeling or action you want your reader to take away when theyâve finished.
Because weâre not robots. We are not âhuman doingsâ, we are human beings. We are emotional, even when we receive written information. We love reading stories that change our emotions.
If you can do this with your data, facts and ideas we will be compelled to listen.
You can find out more about honing your speaking and presentation skills by going to You Were Born To Speak Book by Richard Newman and order the new book You Were Born To Speak, which contains practical, proven techniques to help you succeed.
3 Steps To Highly Effective Business Storytelling was originally published in Hacker Noon on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
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The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not reflect the views of Bitcoin Insider. Every investment and trading move involves risk - this is especially true for cryptocurrencies given their volatility. We strongly advise our readers to conduct their own research when making a decision.