"5 Powerful Secrets to Telling Stories That Captivate Your Audience"

Good morning, Believe Nation. Today I'm going to talk about 5 secrets to telling stories that capture attention.

For me, I'm only interested in one thing. I'm only interested in the thing that is binding us all together. No matter what you do in this room, no matter what your profession is, an entrepreneur, work for an agency, designer, developer, no matter what you do, always and forever our job is to tell our story. And that is never going to change. The way you make real money, the way you make real impact, the way things get changed is by great storytelling. It's always been that way and it always will be that way Because I don't know if you guys heard, but we're fucking human beings, and that's what we like.

I love going to farmers markets, and if you go to the farmers market and this guy's got better strawberries than this guy, 'cause he's using less of something in it, he'll tell you the details. But no one's waiting there 'cause this guy's got a cuter sign. 'Cause this guy's telling a story that's resonating with me. And that's what we do for a living, we tell stories. Not slogans, stories. Little Red Riding Hood is a story. Once you've heard it, you're gonna remember it for your whole life. And it's something that resonates and that it matches the way we want to see the world. Mm-hmm. So when we see a kid with a lemonade stand, it's different than when we see a vending machine selling lemonade, even if it's exactly the same product, because the story around it is what people are paying for. So when I meet small business people, all I ask them is not what's their balance sheet, but what's their story? Why should I pick you? Why do I care about what you're doing? And if you start giving me all this inside baseball statistics about why you're 2% better than some other competitor, I'm already glazed over because that's not part of the way I see the world.

Every single thing you touch is impacted by your story. As an attorney, as a teacher, as an architect, there is not one line of business that you can be in that a story and a great story won't elevate your outcome. Every single line of business, every single line of service that you're connected to will be impacted and ideally elevated by the level in which you're willing to tell and share your story. So let me give you some guidelines, some parameters, what I like to call the bumper rails, as if you're going bowling. You know, when I go bowling, I ask them to put the little bumper rails down so I can stay— my ball can get down the lane. So let me set up some bumper rails for you so that you understand what makes a great story. So one is the willingness to take risk. Most people, Vishen, when they're telling a story, they don't want to take a risk. So the story has— it has its limits on how high it'll go or how deep it'll go. And when you have that, then you're really not at that part that's going to touch my soul. So being willing to take a risk, being clear and concise with your stories. A great story is a show me story, not a tell me story. Now this is the distinction that's the game changer for most. Most people are telling a story. They say, um, so let me just share with you a little bit of my story and I'll tell you and then I'll show you. So as I was building my life, there was a time in my life that was very difficult. It was very challenging. True story. Very difficult, very challenging, very uncomfortable. I didn't have a lot of money. I didn't have a lot of hope. And things just looked dismal. At some point, I had to turn my life around. At some point, I made the decision that life had to get better. I'm telling you that. It's decent. You learn about me. Then if I were to show you that story, I would say 6 days a week, I had to eat beanies and weenies. I had to find money in the crevices and the corners of my couch so that I can get my son milk. There were times when my heart would beat fast just at, what am I going to have tomorrow? At some point, I got sick and tired of my own story. Is this going to be my future? No, I can't handle it. Notice the difference in that second story.

Wow.

I completely see that.

I just painted a picture. Same story. Now, the second one, when you show a story, it's going to require more of you. It's going to require you to find the colors. What were you thinking? What were you experiencing? What was going on in your head? Instead of telling me you look for money, turn and point. Now, this is anywhere. This is anywhere you are doing anything. I promise you, you become a great storyteller and you will captivate your audience no matter what you're doing. I've captivated investors, I've captivated students, I've captivated educators because I was willing to show the story. I call it unpacking the story vision, being willing to tell me what were you thinking, what were you feeling, what were you seeing. Think about a story as an oral movie. And so in an oral movie, think when you're looking at a movie, the first thing they do is they identify what state of time it is. Is it futuristic? Is it in the now? Was it back in the day? You notice that based on what people are wearing, how they're talking. So paint that picture for me. Take me to that environment. Set the backdrop up for me. Show me what you're going through. Instead of saying, "I was angry," you can tell me you were angry. But when you say, "The hair on the back of my neck was standing up. I felt the fumes." exiting my nose. I thought that my chest was going to pop and I was going to say something that I'd regret forever. Ooh, you just showed me you were angry. Take that extra time to unpack it. Why will most people not do that? Because it requires a level of vulnerability that we're not willing to share.

I don't want to talk to you about telling your story. See, as an entrepreneur, you're going to have to tell your story. Every time that I speak as an entrepreneur, I have to tell my story. And why is that important? Because people do business with people they know, like, and trust. So when you tell your story, people get a chance to know you. I was talking to a friend of mine today, and she's going to give a presentation in Jamaica. So I said, "Tell me your story." So she said, "Well, I was an assistant principal for 25 years." And I said, "And what do you do now?" She said, "Well, I've retired and I'm refired." I said, "What do you mean by that?" She said, "Well, I retired from being an assistant principal, but to me, retirement means fading away. So now I'm an author, I'm a speaker, I teach people how to put together travel packages, I'm a travel agent, and I help people to begin to add more adventure to their lives." I said, "Very good." And so then she went on to talk about her education. I said, "Well, first of all," I said, "here's what I want you to know." I said, "As an entrepreneur," and this is what you're doing, you're going to be talking to people to attract customers. I said, "Let me give you some points about what it is you need to do in order to attract more customers and for people to want to say, 'I want to do business with you.'" I says, "Number one, start off telling them who you are and why you do what you do." And why is this important? Because when people hear you speak as an entrepreneur, when you are presenting yourself, People are asking 3 questions: Who are you? What do you have? And why should I care? So I told Cynthia, I said, Cynthia, if I were you, here's how I would open up. Hello, how many of you have goals you want to achieve? Raise your hands. Very good. Let me share something with you. One of the things that I want you to do right now is think about your goals. I used to be an assistant principal for over 20 years, and I decided after retiring, I was not just going to fade away. I wanted to do something else, and I put together travel groups for people to travel around the world to live their dreams. And now I'm an author and I'm a speaker, and this is something that I enjoy doing. This is something that turns me on. What turns you on? Because what I want to do is show you how you can begin to see the world on your terms from a perspective that will add more zest to your life. Helen Keller said, life is either a daring adventure or it's boring. And so my husband and I, we are looking for people who want to live a daring life, who are looking for some adventure. And I said, you got to make it exciting for people and give them an experience. See, as an entrepreneur, we've got to be strategic with our story and we've got to be experiential. Strategic, what do you mean? Because what we're doing is distract, dispute, and inspire. People already have a mindset. About what it is that they want. When you tell your story as an entrepreneur about your product, about your skills, or about your business, you're disrupting the story that's already in their head, maybe about somebody else that they're already dealing with, or they're looking at someone else. And so what you wanna do is interrupt that story with your story so they don't look anyplace else, so they'll know that you are the one. And through your presentation, you dismantle their belief system and begin to encourage them in the process of your presentation to create a thirst for you, for what it is you do. There's no saying you can take a horse to the water, you can't make him drink. However, through telling your story strategically and experientially, that, that you will begin to not only expand their minds about the possibilities about what it is you provide, but you create a thirst for what it is that you provide, where they want to— that's what you want to create, the want to, where they want to do business with you.

Tip number 3 comes from Kendra Hall. She's a storytelling consultant. So story, as you know, has a beginning, middle, and ending, but that's not really helpful to anybody in any real way. So she talks about it in this very simple structure, and I love it. There's the normal, an explosion, and then the new normal. The normal is what we do to set the scene. What's happening? You include details, you include the emotions. The explosion is the thing that disrupts the normal. She was riding in a car and her pa— and the car crashed and her parents died. That's obviously an explosion in every sense of the meaning. Now the new normal is the progress report. We're now going to tell you how the new reality exists. The normal, explosion, the new normal. Greatest marketer, Steve Jobs, when he introduced the iPhone for the very first time, he talked about how smartphones aren't very smart. So he's describing the normal as, we've been let down by the promise of a smartphone. The explosion is going to be this wonderful, beautiful device called the iPhone, and it's gonna change the way you communicate, it's gonna change the way you surf the internet, it's a computer in your pocket in a way you've never had it before. That's explosion. That's how you tell a great story.

A story has to be told in short breathable sections, no matter how long it is. It can be a 20-second news story, or it can be Don Quixote. I've begun to think of stories as kind of a swim, whether you're heading across an outdoor pool or you're trying to swim the English Channel. A story has to breathe. You have to breathe with it. So does the audience. When you break down a story and tell it in breaths, you create a rhythm. People can go along with a rhythm. Now, we have a couple of points that are specific to audio and video. Avoid dependent clauses. Don't put in some of these mind-numbing, tongue-twisting titles. Don't begin by saying, "In response to congressional pressure, the Illinois Democrat President Barack Obama said—" No, just begin by saying President Barack Obama. Speak conversationally. For example, you'd never say actor, activist, humanitarian, father of 6, Brad Pitt. By the way, by the time you see this, it might be up to 7 or 8. But, no, you would say, "Brad Pitt." If you need to explain who somebody is, do it in the phrase that follows. You'd never say, "Cambridge scientist and mathematician Stephen Hawking." You'd probably say, "Stephen Hawking," and if you had to explain who he was, then you'd go, "You know, the Cambridge mathematician or scientist." Be conversational. Talk to an audience the way you would talk to somebody across a table.

Let's talk about how you can get a group of people to even listen in the first place. Look how Kevin Hart turns all of these guys who are talking to each other into a quiet audience. Coming out firing! He's coming out firing!

He's coming out firing! Bang, bang! Bang, bang! Do me a favor. Tell Chuck that nobody wear that many pieces in a suit no more.

What you see right here is the most overlooked aspect of storytelling, and that is capturing attention before you've even started. When I listen to most people tell stories in real life, I see people who start and stop because no one is listening, or people who struggle through because half the group is carrying on a side conversation. If you take just a few few seconds to make sure that you have the attention, you can save those failed stories. Kevin's stories are one on the fact that he grabs your attention at the beginning, and he does that in a number of ways. Check out two of them here.

Yeah, and then you got asked to meet the President of the United States. Huge! Huge! I mean, let me tell you why this was huge, Jim.

Yeah.

It occurs really quickly, but the two pieces are, first, giving the story a preamble. Let me tell you why this was huge. Kevin does this all the time, and it's because that creates intrigue that will grab attention. Here's another quick example from the same interview.

And they, you know, they greet people and shake hands, so they said, "We'll put you in the front of the podium." Yeah, it's very formal. True story, very formal. True story, I'm in the front, President comes down.

So you just heard Kevin say "true story" twice. That is a preamble. When someone says that, the implication is that whatever's coming next is unbelievable, so that you definitely want to listen in. Those two words are a great way to hook attention, provided that you don't abuse them. Now, going back to the first clip and watching it all.

Yeah, yeah, and then you got asked to meet the President of the United States? Huge, huge! I mean, let me tell you why this was huge, Jim.

The second thing to notice here is that Kevin says his name, Jim, and even does a different version of his normal name, Jimmy, which makes him chuckle, but the underlying point is that nothing makes people sit up and pay attention like the sound of their own name. Now, I'm sure you've been in a conversation and heard your name from across the room, but immediately, you had your attention sucked in that direction. Saying people's names basically puts them in listen mode because what's coming next is relevant to them. That makes it a great way to get people's attention at the beginning of a story or even while you're already telling it if you see that they start to drift out. Another great way is to let people know that you are on your way out, like in this clip.

I see why people buy them exotic animals. If you go to Dubai, you come back, you think it's okay because that's all they got. I went over to a sheikh's house in Dubai. I'll tell y'all this because I know they're saying I gotta go. We went to—

So Kevin just said, I'm gonna tell you all this and then I gotta go, and by making this his last story, he creates the sense that they had better listen up, and you can't use this one unless you are truly on your way out, but it does work well. In any event, calling their name, saying true story, telling them that you're on your way out, these are all just examples. The key that underlies all of it is this: do not ever get into a story without first having attention from your intended audience. Now, watch how Kevin will literally repeat himself 3 or more times to make sure that he isn't starting without attention.

When have you been the awkward guy and when have you been the sort of cool and controlled guy ever?

Well, Louis— Right now. Let's, uh— I think it's happening that I'm the cool guy. Kevin is incredibly awkward in the way he's handling this whole thing.

I think we need to be honest here.

I don't think I've ever been the awkward guy.

Same principle applies to when you're already in the middle of a story. Sometimes distractions come up. People walk in, there's a side conversation. Kevin literally tells people to listen before he continues. Check it out.

An orangutan comes out on a four-wheeler. Listen to me, listen to me. That don't look like Dubai.

That look like— no, that's just—

listen, that's the orangutan's quarters. Okay, so you got quarters? This— the orangutans, they got like the quarters. He's really riding, driving the quad. Listen to me, but understand how he came out.

Like, so you see it there, Kevin doesn't plow forward. Until he's answered those side questions and he has the attention to continue with his story. And you could see it even more clearly in this next clip.

Some of us can't dress as 1980s video games, Kevin.

So here, Kevin and Josh Gad are telling a story about how they went to a strip club and Josh was dressed completely ridiculously. Josh interrupts to make a joke at Kevin. They're going back and forth, but notice how, coming up, Kevin will not actually continue with the story until the attention is fully on him, and he repeats himself several times to get the attention there.

Josh showed up to the strip club with a button-up shirt. Look, I thought it was a classy joint. And he had a tie. I thought we were getting dinner first. He had a button-up shirt and a tie and like some jeans with some shoes. I was like, what are you doing? Why are you dressed like a substitute teacher? What is the problem?

So you see there, they're telling this kind of shared story where they ping-pong back and forth cracking jokes, but when Kevin is ready to continue with the story, he repeats what he was going to say 3 times before the attention comes to him, and then he starts. The key to this, which so many people miss, is not to get attention with your story. You get attention before your story, and you don't proceed until you have it. Otherwise, it's going to fall flat, or you'll just wind up trailing off.

Thank you guys for watching. My own quick addition to this would be, don't be afraid to tell your own story. I think a lot of people, uh, and I was like this too, I was afraid to tell my own story because I didn't want it to be about me. It's not about me, it's about the product, it's about the service, it's about what I'm offering to you, and I didn't want to be seen as an ego thing, like I'm just trying to bump myself up. The thing that really helped me get through that was understanding that the story that you tell helps connect customers to you. If they feel your passion, if they understand your excitement, if they know why you started the business and how much you really care, that helps set you apart from the next guy. No matter what product or service you're selling, you have tons of competitors and often big competitors. So why would I buy from you when I could buy from one of these safe, trusted, big companies? The difference is going to be your story. It's the personal connection I can make with you. It's the passion that I feel in your voice or in your words as you talk about why you started this business and what it means to you. Where so many entrepreneurs just have a really boring corporate landing page or corporate homepage that talks about what they do with no picture, with no story, with no background, and you're going to lose. You're going to lose because the other guys have the track record and the history. And the only reason someone would go for you is if they beat you down on the price, if you're just way cheaper than everybody else. And that sucks as a competitive advantage. And there is something special about you that is different than everybody else. You're just not doing a good job explaining it. And so that took me a long time to understand and digest and unpack. 'cause I still felt like it's not about me, it's about the stuff I'm creating. Again, what helped me make the jump was realizing that by sharing my story and talking about me, it helped people understand what I was doing better and get my ultimate goal of having an impact on somebody's life. So make sure to tell your story and don't be afraid. Thank you guys again so much for watching. I'd love to know which of the clips meant the most to you, resonated with you the most and why. What changes are you gonna make now on your website or in your personal life? I'd love to know that. Leave it in the comments below and I'll join in the discussion. I made this episode of Believe Life because Elias S. asked me to. So if there's a topic you'd like me to cover in the next edition of Believe Life, leave it in the comments below and we'll see what we can do. Thank you again for watching. Have an amazing day. Continue to believe, and I'll see you soon.

Now on to tip number 5. Tip number 5 is have a reason or purpose for why you're telling the story. When you have a reason behind why you're telling it, or purpose, it could be as simple as to make somebody laugh or to share this experience of life, or as deep as to inspire people or to move them to action. It could be anything, but when you're connected to that purpose, that mission, that reason why, that's what's going to make you a great storyteller. Because you're not just telling a story just to tell it, you're telling it to make that person laugh, to bring a smile to their face, or to inspire them, or to show them possibilities. Whatever it is, connect to that purpose. The purpose for this example and the stories that I shared here are to give you an example of how to hook somebody, how to be animated and engaged and captivated in a way that's congruent, authentic, and believable, but that's also going to be entertaining and inspiring and that teaches something.

If you're serious about winning, you're gonna be looking for ways in which you can study and know your customers extremely well and begin to look at how is it that you can provide the kind of service that make you stand out in their minds. I'm reminded of a woman who became a dominant voice in her industry, and she was asked the question, "What is it that you can point to that allows you to become successful?" And she said, "It's not our intention to please our customers or to satisfy our customers. Our intention is to amaze them." See, when you are looking at your customers and looking for ways in which you can amaze them with your story, with your expertise, with your knowledge, with your follow-through, with the quality of the service that you provide, that's how customers vote with their dollars, because of the service that you provide and because of your keeping your word. They did a study to find out what does customer service mean. To the average person? And they said reliability. Can we count on you? Will you keep your word? Will you operate with integrity? Will you honor your word as yourself? Can we count on you? You have something special. What's the story around your business? What is it about you? When people ask, who are you? What do you have? And why should I care? What is it about you and how you present yourself that will cause them to say, "I want to do business with you. I've been looking for you. You are the answer to my problem." Think about it.