Tell me a story How can you make the most of your best business stories? Fortunately, great storytelling is as easy as 1-2-3. Here’s how to turn facts that tell into stories that sell, in this rewrite of one of my favorite corporate stories … Image by Byrdyak
But it’s not enough just to have a great story. To make the most of your best business stories, you also need great storytelling.
Fortunately, great storytelling is as easy as 1-2-3.
“If you’re advertising fire extinguishers,” wrote David Ogilvy, “open with the flames.”
So don’t start your story with a pat on your own back. (It gets in the way of the story, and unless you’re really flexible, it’s hard.) Instead, jump right into the most provocative details of the story at hand:
Ben, a grizzly-black bear, had spent six long years confined to a barren cage.Deemed “Attraction No. 2,” Ben was deprived of even the most basic necessities. His world consisted of nothing more than a barren 12-foot-by-22-foot concrete floor and a chain-link fence with an old bowling ball and some moldy stumps of wood. His “caretakers” dumped dry dog food — what passed for his meals — onto the same concrete floor where he urinated and defecated.
Ben spent his waking hours pacing, the result of profound deprivation and a sign of chronic distress.
2. Solution
I know, I know. This is the part you care about most: the part where your organization helped solve the problem. Your readers, however, are more interested in your subject. So make this the quickest part of the piece:
After a long battle with the zoo owner, several rescue organizations won the right to move Ben to a lush animal sanctuary in Northern California. FedEx volunteered to fly Ben across the country for free. A team of 42 folks made sure Ben got all of the comforts he needed as he journeyed aboard “Bear Force One” nearly 3,000 miles to his new home.
3. Results
Paint a picture of how great Ben’s life is now:
When Ben explored his vast new habitat for the first time, it was likely the first time he had ever felt grass beneath his paws. He pawed at the ground and smelled the grass. Within minutes, he was bathing and splashing in his own pool, ridding his body of grime for the first time in years. That night, he slept soundly on a comfortable bed of fresh hay and natural foliage.
How can you craft a story to make your messages more engaging?
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