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When someone asked
Don Hewitt to explain the success of “60 Minutes”, the television
magazine show that he created, he said “Four words, ‘Tell Me a
Story.’”
And that is
certainly true of presentations as well. If you want to give
great presentations, make sure that you tell lots of stories. People
love them, they are interesting, and they sell ideas.
But many of our
clients want to know how to tell
a good story. We have them focus on three things: Detail,
Relevance, and Brevity.
Consider the
following story used by one of our clients, an Atlanta software firm
that helps hospitals save money on the cost of buying pre-printed
forms.
In pitching
hospitals on using one of their software products, this firm would
lay out a plan for saving the prospects lots of money. To
demonstrate their capability, they would tell the story of St.
Francis Medical Center, a 264-bed hospital in Cape Girardeau, Mo.
Before working with
this software firm, the hospital had to buy preprinted forms for
everything from pay stubs to lab results. But by using this firm’s
software, the hospital was able to print all the forms on a laser
printer, eliminating the costs of buying the preprinted forms.
In two years, the hospital stopped buying 116 different forms,
saving over $1 million.
Detail Makes It Believable
This story is excellent because it is highly detailed. The
story doesn't just
describe any hospital. It describes St. Francis Medical Center, a
264-bed hospital in Cape Girardeau, Mo. Details give an air
of authenticity, like you’ve really been there. The details also make the story more memorable and
more interesting.
Relevance is Critical
The story is also
relevant. The lead-in to the story is an assertion that the
software firm has a plan to save the prospect a lot of money on
forms. After laying out their plan, they would then tell the story
as proof of the viability of the plan.
Brevity Adds Impact
Finally, the story
is good because it is compact. Stories that are too long lose the
audience’s interest.
Once you’ve got a
good story, practice telling it quickly and
crisply. A good story can go a long way toward establishing your
credibility and selling ideas.
At Speechworks we
help our clients learn how to communicate in a way that connects and
persuades. If you’re interested in becoming a great communicator
give us a call at 404-266-0888 or check out our website at
www.speechworks.net. |
