MBA1478 Guest Teacher: Graham Brown – How To Influence, Engage, And Create Change Through Storytelling
Mar 9, 2020
auto_awesome
Graham Brown, a special guest teacher, delves into the art of storytelling in business. He argues that the best product doesn't always win—it's the story behind it that captivates. Through engaging historical examples and relatable narratives, Graham illustrates how stories can resonate emotionally and drive decision-making. He emphasizes how strategic storytelling can enhance customer engagement, reshape perceptions, and foster trust. Tune in to discover how to harness this powerful tool for your business success!
Storytelling is essential for businesses as it creates emotional connections that make products relatable and memorable to customers.
Using familiar plots in narratives enhances understanding and engagement, allowing businesses to connect with audiences on a deeper level.
Deep dives
The Power of Storytelling in Business
Storytelling is crucial for business owners because it helps to engage and influence potential customers. Unlike mere facts and figures, stories create emotional connections that make information more relatable and memorable. This technique aids in contextualizing products and services, allowing customers to see how they fit into their lives. Businesses that utilize storytelling effectively can significantly enhance their marketing strategies and overall brand presence.
Familiarity Over Novelty in Storytelling
It is more effective to tell familiar stories than to craft elaborate or unique narratives. Using recognizable plots allows audiences to easily understand and process the information being shared. For instance, blockbuster films like Avengers Endgame are successful not because they contain groundbreaking stories, but because they resonate with well-known themes prevalent in popular culture. This approach can be applied to business, making it imperative for entrepreneurs to leverage stories that audiences already accept and understand.
Crafting Engaging Stories with the Three Box Technique
To tell compelling stories, the three-box transformation approach is suggested, encompassing past, present, and future. This technique encourages storytellers to frame their narratives by exploring their origins, the current state, and future aspirations. For example, leaders like Tony Fernandes of AirAsia reshape their stories from being mere airline operators to envisioning a broader role as a digital travel platform. This method not only captivates the audience but effectively communicates the journey and vision of the business.
The best product doesn’t win. The product with the best story wins.
Narrative is how we learn. More importantly, it’s how we’re convinced. Stories take a lesson, person, or product past the gates of our conscious decision making and into the most impressionable parts of our minds.
Ask any great teacher which lessons work best: the ones with facts and stats, or the ones with stories.
Today, special guest teacher Graham Brown is here to explain how to find and use your business’s story. With examples from history and business, Graham proves how stories create the context for understanding that truly drives decisions on an emotional level.
A business without a story is powerless. Tune in, learn how to harness the power of storytelling, and get access to a great free resource. Click play at the top of the page!