The Power of Superiority

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Sally Kohn: When you use that phrase mental software, what I thought about was Nordstrom. She says the store's orientation class taught them to give customers their money back if they returned a pair of tire chains. Because it's not expected, she says, "it sticks" and makes salespeople feel like serfs. Kohn: You're not going to be a good salesperson if you feel like a surf. But if you have the power to make your own decisions about reimbursing somebody, then that empowers you.

What is it about stories that make them such potent tools of influence and persuasion?

Annette Simmons would tell you that stories are largely about connection. When someone can see themselves in your story, that generates a sense of trust in the storyteller and the story they are telling.

As she writes in her bestselling book, The Story Factor, “Story is a pull strategy (rather than a push). If your story is good enough, people – of their own free will – come to the conclusion they can trust you and the message you bring.”

In this episode, we talk to Annette about her story, including her more than 30-year career listening to and telling stories, and helping others use them to effect change.

GUEST: Annette Simmons, Author, The Story Factor, Whoever Tells the Best Story Wins

BIO:
Annette Simmons is an author, keynote speaker, consultant, and founder of Group Process Consulting – a firm she founded to help others communicate better through stories. She started her career with a business degree from Louisiana University in the early 1980s and then headed off to Australia where she worked for 10 years in international business. Once back in the states, she earned a master’s degree in adult education and psychology and soon after launched her business to help others use storytelling as a communications tool. In addition to her consulting work, she is the author of four books, The Story Factor, Whoever Tells the Best Story Wins, A Safe Place for Dangerous Truth, and Territorial Games: Understanding and Ending Turf Wars at Work.

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