When it’s not there, it’s as if there is a gap between you and your audience. No matter how hard you try to connect, there is a hollow space that separates you. Speakers hate the gap. Audiences hate the gap. It serves neither speaker nor audience. What’s needed is a bridge across the gap – something to connect speaker and audience.

Stories are that bridge. Here’s what I’ve discovered over the years about storytelling in business:

• When training people, a story is the best way to help employees “grasp” an abstract concept. It helps them “buy into” a new idea or initiative. The story brings an intellectual idea into the “real world” so they “get” it. Listeners “see” what you’re saying and visualize it - which means they internalize it instead of just hearing it.

• Using a well-crafted story is the key to winning over resistant audiences. If you have to give bad news, sharing a story often makes list
  Website Copywriting: A Recipe For Hard-Hitting Words Served In Lean Portions
  In 10 short years, websites have evolved from business novelty to necessity…perhaps now the most important part of a business’ marketing and branding arsenal. For very small shops to the largest publicly-traded corporations, websites have become both the most preferred and the most interactive way for companies to communicate with their customers and prospective customers. And though many of the same fundamentals of good offline copywriting apply to the online world, there are distinct differences in both content presentation and strategy that are important for anyone involved in website copywriting—whether it be a writer, designer, creative director or client—to be aware of.1. Website copywriting needs to be shorter It’s been scientifically proven that readers’ eyes tire quicker reading a computer screen than they do a printed page. But more important than that, website copyw
  It was an odd reaction. I was in the middle of a customer service training session when my entire audience put down their pens almost at the same time, leaned back in their chairs and looked up at me with smiles and childlike innocence. It was as if a switch had been flipped in the room and all of a sudden the room was warmer. You know how you can hear the furnace turn on in the winter? It was like that, like the furnace turned on.

  Up until that moment, the eighty people that were gathered in our chilly hotel room were listening to me, some more intently than others, while at the same time writing notes in their workbooks. They were listening, but they weren’t really with me. I knew this because when I’d ask a question, it would take a minute for people to respond – like their brains were on screen saver and when I put them on the spot it made them realize they were daydreaming of a beach in Jamaica.

  But when I said those magic words, “let me tell you a story about a customer that I had…” and I began telling a personal story, they all looked up and paid attention. They were right there with me hanging on every word. The only thing I can relate it to is a school of fish. You know how an entire school of fish turns left and then right and then left again at the same time as if they all have one brain? Like they are all one? Well the minute I started telling my story, it was as if we were all one. All of a sudden and without warning - we were connected.

  At the end of that day, a number of people came up to me to thank me for the training. One lady commented on the story that I told and then launched into her own story about a customer she had. I didn’t think much about it at the time – but it kept happening time and again at every program where I told that story. My story reminded her of her story, but now she understood her story better.

  Have you ever channel surfed on the TV? You’re sitting there on your comfy couch with a liquid beverage in one hand and your trusty remote in the other and you’re just flipping channels. Nowadays you can really do some flipping, can’t you? There are hundreds of channels to choose from and they’re all sitting out there hoping you’ll pick them. And you, you’re looking for something that catches your attention.

  Are you aware that your audience is doing something very similar while you’re talking? They’re sitting there a few feet away from you and they’re listening to what you’re saying but in their mind they’re flipping channels, waiting for you to say something that catches their attention.

  If you’re doing a speech or a training session and what you’re saying sounds anything like high school – lots of facts and figures and numbers that remind them of being bored to tears in chemistry class, they mentally flip the channel. They may be looking at you, but their heads are in Jamaica. That’s right, they’re watching the travel channel imagining themselves on a white sandy beach in Jamaica. Why?

  Because they already did the school thing as kids and most of them didn’t like it, so anything that sounds like school turns them off. All the while, you want and need their full attention. You have to be as interesting as Jamaica.

  That’s why you’re not finished talking ’til you’ve told a story. When you start telling a story, and you really get into it by having fun and letting yourself go, then they listen with full attention. That’s what it’s all about - getting their full attention. In order to do that you’ve got to have something better for them to listen to, something more interesting than the noise going on inside their heads. You’ve got to catch their attention.

  So what’s your story? What are the stories from your life that are just like the stories from someone else’s life that they will immediately relate to. Your first job as a speaker is to create a relationship, which means that you’ve got to find something to say that they relate to. Facts and figures and numbers don’t do that.

  Stories do - especially if they’re personal stories, the ones that are part of everyday life. If you can find everyday stories, and then craft them to make a good solid point, you’re a business storyteller. You’re on the fast track to success because you understand something that most people around you don’t - that stories are the best way to deliver content.

  What was phenomenal about my customer service training experience was the sense of connection I had with that audience. At no other point during that entire day had I felt anything like it. One minute the room was chilly and the next minute it was warm. One minute the energy was scattered and the next it was focused. One minute I was trying to hold their attention and the next minute I had it.

  I think you know what I mean. Every speaker who has ever stood in the front of a room to teach or speak or lead a meeting has experienced it. It’s a palpable feeling. You either have it or you don’t. It’s a sense of connection that you have with your audience – a sense of oneness.

  When it’s not there, it’s as if there is a gap between you and your audience. No matter how hard you try to connect, there is a hollow space that separates you. Speakers hate the gap. Audiences hate the gap. It serves neither speaker nor audience. What’s needed is a bridge across the gap – something to connect speaker and audience.

  Stories are that bridge. Here’s what I’ve discovered over the years about storytelling in business:

  • When training people, a story is the best way to help employees “grasp” an abstract concept. It helps them “buy into” a new idea or initiative. The story brings an intellectual idea into the “real world” so they “get” it. Listeners “see” what you’re saying and visualize it - which means they internalize it instead of just hearing it.
  • Using a well-crafted story is the key to winning over resistant audiences. If you have to give bad news, sharing a story often makes liste
    Top 5 Home-based Business Opportunities
    A home-based business is a great business environment to be in. For one, you don't get caught in polluted traffic snarls; second, it gives you a sense of freedom and takes you away from the petty politics of office; third, it brings you closer to your near and dear ones and helps you get a grip on your personal life.But, you cannot start off with any home business that you like just because you possess a particular skill. You have to be alive to the market and know what's in demand before you jump into the fray. Fortunately, we have done the spadework for you and here is list of the top five home business opportunities going around:1. Pet related products Our country's bursting at the seams with cats and dogs whose owners will spare no effort to spoil them silly. So, here's one hot opportunity you can cash in on quickly. Stock pet products and send out flyers in your neigh
    how an entire school of fish turns left and then right and then left again at the same time as if they all have one brain? Like they are all one? Well the minute I started telling my story, it was as if we were all one. All of a sudden and without warning - we were connected.

    At the end of that day, a number of people came up to me to thank me for the training. One lady commented on the story that I told and then launched into her own story about a customer she had. I didn’t think much about it at the time – but it kept happening time and again at every program where I told that story. My story reminded her of her story, but now she understood her story better.

    Have you ever channel surfed on the TV? You’re sitting there on your comfy couch with a liquid beverage in one hand and your trusty remote in the other and you’re just flipping channels. Nowadays you can really do some flipping, can’t you? There are hundreds of channels to choose from and they’re all sitting out there hoping you’ll pick them. And you, you’re looking for something that catches your attention.

    Are you aware that your audience is doing something very similar while you’re talking? They’re sitting there a few feet away from you and they’re listening to what you’re saying but in their mind they’re flipping channels, waiting for you to say something that catches their attention.

    If you’re doing a speech or a training session and what you’re saying sounds anything like high school – lots of facts and figures and numbers that remind them of being bored to tears in chemistry class, they mentally flip the channel. They may be looking at you, but their heads are in Jamaica. That’s right, they’re watching the travel channel imagining themselves on a white sandy beach in Jamaica. Why?

    Because they already did the school thing as kids and most of them didn’t like it, so anything that sounds like school turns them off. All the while, you want and need their full attention. You have to be as interesting as Jamaica.

    That’s why you’re not finished talking ’til you’ve told a story. When you start telling a story, and you really get into it by having fun and letting yourself go, then they listen with full attention. That’s what it’s all about - getting their full attention. In order to do that you’ve got to have something better for them to listen to, something more interesting than the noise going on inside their heads. You’ve got to catch their attention.

    So what’s your story? What are the stories from your life that are just like the stories from someone else’s life that they will immediately relate to. Your first job as a speaker is to create a relationship, which means that you’ve got to find something to say that they relate to. Facts and figures and numbers don’t do that.

    Stories do - especially if they’re personal stories, the ones that are part of everyday life. If you can find everyday stories, and then craft them to make a good solid point, you’re a business storyteller. You’re on the fast track to success because you understand something that most people around you don’t - that stories are the best way to deliver content.

    What was phenomenal about my customer service training experience was the sense of connection I had with that audience. At no other point during that entire day had I felt anything like it. One minute the room was chilly and the next minute it was warm. One minute the energy was scattered and the next it was focused. One minute I was trying to hold their attention and the next minute I had it.

    I think you know what I mean. Every speaker who has ever stood in the front of a room to teach or speak or lead a meeting has experienced it. It’s a palpable feeling. You either have it or you don’t. It’s a sense of connection that you have with your audience – a sense of oneness.

    When it’s not there, it’s as if there is a gap between you and your audience. No matter how hard you try to connect, there is a hollow space that separates you. Speakers hate the gap. Audiences hate the gap. It serves neither speaker nor audience. What’s needed is a bridge across the gap – something to connect speaker and audience.

    Stories are that bridge. Here’s what I’ve discovered over the years about storytelling in business:

    • When training people, a story is the best way to help employees “grasp” an abstract concept. It helps them “buy into” a new idea or initiative. The story brings an intellectual idea into the “real world” so they “get” it. Listeners “see” what you’re saying and visualize it - which means they internalize it instead of just hearing it.
    • Using a well-crafted story is the key to winning over resistant audiences. If you have to give bad news, sharing a story often makes list
      The High Maintenance Manager: Work with Them or Leave Them?
      Over time, I have heard from several people who shared their stories of working with high maintenance managers (HMM). The most interesting were from people with family businesses whose spouse or parent is a HMM. That adds some interesting implications!What happens when your HMM has crossed lines with you? Ideally you want all conflict, especially from situations where you feel beaten down, to cease. If you have years of experience working with all kinds of people (including a few HMMs), you know that striving for conflict resolution with this type of person can sometimes be rewarding, and is often frustrating. How far you're willing to take the process with this person will depend on what has defined the person as being a HMM and your current state of affairs (i.e. your stress level).Use the Help of an AdvocateDoes your
      a few feet away from you and they’re listening to what you’re saying but in their mind they’re flipping channels, waiting for you to say something that catches their attention.

      If you’re doing a speech or a training session and what you’re saying sounds anything like high school – lots of facts and figures and numbers that remind them of being bored to tears in chemistry class, they mentally flip the channel. They may be looking at you, but their heads are in Jamaica. That’s right, they’re watching the travel channel imagining themselves on a white sandy beach in Jamaica. Why?

      Because they already did the school thing as kids and most of them didn’t like it, so anything that sounds like school turns them off. All the while, you want and need their full attention. You have to be as interesting as Jamaica.

      That’s why you’re not finished talking ’til you’ve told a story. When you start telling a story, and you really get into it by having fun and letting yourself go, then they listen with full attention. That’s what it’s all about - getting their full attention. In order to do that you’ve got to have something better for them to listen to, something more interesting than the noise going on inside their heads. You’ve got to catch their attention.

      So what’s your story? What are the stories from your life that are just like the stories from someone else’s life that they will immediately relate to. Your first job as a speaker is to create a relationship, which means that you’ve got to find something to say that they relate to. Facts and figures and numbers don’t do that.

      Stories do - especially if they’re personal stories, the ones that are part of everyday life. If you can find everyday stories, and then craft them to make a good solid point, you’re a business storyteller. You’re on the fast track to success because you understand something that most people around you don’t - that stories are the best way to deliver content.

      What was phenomenal about my customer service training experience was the sense of connection I had with that audience. At no other point during that entire day had I felt anything like it. One minute the room was chilly and the next minute it was warm. One minute the energy was scattered and the next it was focused. One minute I was trying to hold their attention and the next minute I had it.

      I think you know what I mean. Every speaker who has ever stood in the front of a room to teach or speak or lead a meeting has experienced it. It’s a palpable feeling. You either have it or you don’t. It’s a sense of connection that you have with your audience – a sense of oneness.

      When it’s not there, it’s as if there is a gap between you and your audience. No matter how hard you try to connect, there is a hollow space that separates you. Speakers hate the gap. Audiences hate the gap. It serves neither speaker nor audience. What’s needed is a bridge across the gap – something to connect speaker and audience.

      Stories are that bridge. Here’s what I’ve discovered over the years about storytelling in business:

      • When training people, a story is the best way to help employees “grasp” an abstract concept. It helps them “buy into” a new idea or initiative. The story brings an intellectual idea into the “real world” so they “get” it. Listeners “see” what you’re saying and visualize it - which means they internalize it instead of just hearing it.
      • Using a well-crafted story is the key to winning over resistant audiences. If you have to give bad news, sharing a story often makes list
        Medical Coding Salaries
        A career in the medical profession is a challenge, adventure and competition. One can belong to any of the fields of medical science. One can be a doctor, medical officer, pharmaceutical manager, administrator of a hospital, nurse, medical transcriptor, medical biller, medical coder and much more. However, medical careers are particularly related to the manufacturing, business administrative and management fields of medicine. Among all the careers, one of the most intriguing and interesting fields is that of medical coding.Medical coding requires a great deal of analyzing and understanding. The average salary for a medical coder is not at all bad. This can be understood through the application of straight and simple economics. There is a considerable rise in the price for those products and services whose supply diminishes, or whose demand increases. In case of the profession of med
        noise going on inside their heads. You’ve got to catch their attention.

        So what’s your story? What are the stories from your life that are just like the stories from someone else’s life that they will immediately relate to. Your first job as a speaker is to create a relationship, which means that you’ve got to find something to say that they relate to. Facts and figures and numbers don’t do that.

        Stories do - especially if they’re personal stories, the ones that are part of everyday life. If you can find everyday stories, and then craft them to make a good solid point, you’re a business storyteller. You’re on the fast track to success because you understand something that most people around you don’t - that stories are the best way to deliver content.

        What was phenomenal about my customer service training experience was the sense of connection I had with that audience. At no other point during that entire day had I felt anything like it. One minute the room was chilly and the next minute it was warm. One minute the energy was scattered and the next it was focused. One minute I was trying to hold their attention and the next minute I had it.

        I think you know what I mean. Every speaker who has ever stood in the front of a room to teach or speak or lead a meeting has experienced it. It’s a palpable feeling. You either have it or you don’t. It’s a sense of connection that you have with your audience – a sense of oneness.

        When it’s not there, it’s as if there is a gap between you and your audience. No matter how hard you try to connect, there is a hollow space that separates you. Speakers hate the gap. Audiences hate the gap. It serves neither speaker nor audience. What’s needed is a bridge across the gap – something to connect speaker and audience.

        Stories are that bridge. Here’s what I’ve discovered over the years about storytelling in business:

        • When training people, a story is the best way to help employees “grasp” an abstract concept. It helps them “buy into” a new idea or initiative. The story brings an intellectual idea into the “real world” so they “get” it. Listeners “see” what you’re saying and visualize it - which means they internalize it instead of just hearing it.
        • Using a well-crafted story is the key to winning over resistant audiences. If you have to give bad news, sharing a story often makes list
          Does Your Small Business Need A Facelift?
          How you look affects your self esteem and how your business looks affects your bottom line. But what if you need to improve your business image but have minimal staff or budget to support those changes?Not to worry. There are some simple tips you can apply that cost nothing or next-to-nothing and that can get almost immediate results. So where do you start? First, you need a plan.Plan Your BrandA facelift, also known as an *identity* plan deserves detailed thought because it involves more than your logo and letterhead. Having a plan assures that everything you put before a potential customer carries a unified image so that the customer can identify the product or service with your business. This identity becomes the brand upon which you build future business, so putting optimal resources toward your brand development will provide the best return.R
          n. Every speaker who has ever stood in the front of a room to teach or speak or lead a meeting has experienced it. It’s a palpable feeling. You either have it or you don’t. It’s a sense of connection that you have with your audience – a sense of oneness.

          When it’s not there, it’s as if there is a gap between you and your audience. No matter how hard you try to connect, there is a hollow space that separates you. Speakers hate the gap. Audiences hate the gap. It serves neither speaker nor audience. What’s needed is a bridge across the gap – something to connect speaker and audience.

          Stories are that bridge. Here’s what I’ve discovered over the years about storytelling in business:

          • When training people, a story is the best way to help employees “grasp” an abstract concept. It helps them “buy into” a new idea or initiative. The story brings an intellectual idea into the “real world” so they “get” it. Listeners “see” what you’re saying and visualize it - which means they internalize it instead of just hearing it.
          • Using a well-crafted story is the key to winning over resistant audiences. If you have to give bad news, sharing a story often makes listeners understand a decision and accept it, even when they don't like it.
          • Storytelling enhances your powers of persuasion. If you are proposing a product or service and your listeners aren’t "buying it," telling them a story that paints a picture of how the product or service has been used successfully elsewhere "proves" its merit by allowing the listener to test drive the product or service.
          • Storytelling has the power to connect with an audience as no other medium can. It bridges the gap and removes any sense of separation.
          • Not all stories work. There are good stories and bad stories. The good ones create a bridge that connects the speaker and his or her audience. The bad stories fall flat or even worse – widen the gap.
          • Storytelling is a skill that can be practiced, learned and perfected. It’s like any other skill or discipline – the more you know, the better you become.

          So what’s the morale of the story? Tell a story – make a point. Follow this simple advice and you will…never be boring again!

          **********