Everyone knows that stories have power, and business has begun to notice. So today, there are many great resources available — such as Thelar Pekar’s Applied Storytelling workshop — to help business and technical people make their points with stories as well as spreadsheets and schematics.
One caution, though: If you’re telling your story to a business or technical person (because you’re looking for customers, capital, partners, or because they run your organization), be aware that your idea of “the story” may be very different than theirs!
Audiences Care About Different Things, Depending on Their Personality
To illustrate, here are two different ways to tell a brief, year-end story:
- This was a fulfilling year! My client list is growing fast, and I’m delighted with the passion and commitment of my new clients. I also gave several exciting speeches. I couldn’t be happier with how things are going.
- This was a productive year! Net revenue is up, Internet traffic has increased exponentially, and 40% of queries are converting. I also hired a part-time sales associate. The groundwork for success would seem to have been laid.
Both of those paragraphs tell “the same” story; but the highlighted words make it obvious that the first version is told in a Helper public speaking style (with the focus on relationships, and personal fulfillment), and the second is told in a Reliable style (with the focus on facts, and the building of a sound institution; my business).
What’s Your Audience’s Public Speaking Style? Check the Numbers — and What They Do!
Deciding how to tell your story means making a guess about who you’re talking to, style-wise.
Some of that is a numbers game. Based on decades of Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) research, if there are eight (8) totally random people in a room:
- 1 of them is likely to be a Helper;
- 1 is likely to be an Improver;
- 3 are likely to be Reliables; and
- 3 are likely to be Experiencers.
Of course, theres no such thing as a “totally random” workplace, because people train for jobs that they hope will fit their personalities.
Which means that, depending on what kind of jobs the people in your audience do, they may be heavily weighted toward certain Personalities:
- An audience of fire fighters or jet aircraft salesmen is likely to have lots of Experiencers — way more than an audience of academics, or therapists would have.
- A group of administrators is likely to be Reliable. An audience of ballet dancers or computer programmers? Probably not.
Bridging the Gap
To make sure that your story has power for the people you’re talking to, use the same observing and adapting skills that you use in every communication:
- Say something
- Check to see if you’re getting the response you wanted or expect
- If you’re not, try approaching your point (or story) from a slightly different angle
- Check to see if you’re getting the response you wanted or expect
- If you’re not, try approaching your point (or story) from a slightly different angle, etc.
Of course, you’re still going to be (and sound like) you, and not every story can reach every listener. But just knowing that your public speaking style is not the only one will sensitize you to your audience’s reactions, help you think about what details to include, and increase the chances of you being heard.