That establishes the context for everything that follows. Set the scene. State your why.what your aim is, or what you're asking for, at the beginning of the story. Here are my tips for telling a good business story: Now you’re sharing a larger story that sparks a discussion on more efficient allocation of resources. It’s more compelling to say instead that you combined sales, marketing financial and other data to prove you spent more overall, but that company profitability is much better in one channel than another. It’s not enough to say we spent more on sales than we budgeted. It’s in this area where we as finance leaders can deliver true business insights. This means looking beyond what happened over a month/quarter to investigate the story behind it and consider what it means for the future. Finance need to look forward, towards the many possible outcomes for their business, in order to be most effective in their operational roles. Realising that Finance staff weren't there just to say "no" to requests, colleagues began to seek my help in crafting a narrative around their business cases and began to understand that involving Finance right from the beginning increased the likelihood their case would be approved.Ī finance team is built on a combination of knowledge, technical, analytical and story-telling skills and experience. They asked questions and made good suggestions for improving the numbers.Įngaging people through this type of storytelling approach opened up the lines of communication, and staff members began to contribute ideas about saving the company money, improving sales, and improving performance. Who isn't interested in what their bonus will be? This time people were engaged and motivated. I also told the story of what our performance so far was going to mean for the rest of the year and what impact it would have on the business as a whole and the team as individuals. I talked about those numbers, telling the story of how we hit or missed our targets, naming the people involved and highlighting their contributions and achievements. The next time, I had one slide with a few key numbers on it. I thought that since they were researchers, they would like loads of detail, so my first presentation was basically columns of numbers with explanations alongside in a tiny font nobody could read. People's eyes would glaze over at the very mention of anything Finance.Įvery quarter I had to stand up and talk to them about how the business was doing financially, encouraging them to spend less or sell more of their services. Most staff members were very intelligent researchers who seemed not to care much about the money side of things. Your pitch, presentation, or report is far more likely to succeed if you can trigger the right emotional response in your audience at the right time.Ī storytelling approach helps your audience grasp and retain your key point or message, but it can also help demonstrate the ways Finance can support other teams' activities and ultimately foster collaboration in an otherwise siloed organisation.Ī few years ago, I led the finance team at Millward Brown, a powerhouse market research firm in the advertising industry. That's why they can inspire and motivate us so much. Stories also reach the parts facts and analysis don't: our hearts. It is also more likely to lead to a favourable response, which is particularly desirable if you're pitching for investment or looking for business case approval. Good storytelling helps people better understand what you're saying and remember the information more clearly. Levine reportedly won one of the largest settlements in the history of the state of New York. (Significant pause.) Ladies and gentlemen, I just had lunch with my client. So, I turned to my client, Harold, and said “Why don’t you and I go to lunch together?” We went across the street to that little restaurant and had lunch. He and his client decided to go to lunch together. I saw the bailiff come and take you all as a group to have lunch in the jury room. "As you know, about an hour ago we broke for lunch. Seeking compensation for a client who had lost both arms in an accident, Levine surprised the court and jury, who were accustomed to long closing arguments, by painting a brief and emotionally devastating picture instead: Legendary American lawyer, Moe Levine often used the “whole man” theory to successfully influence juries to empathise with his clients. Our brains are wired to create a narrative. Neurologically, emotionally, and physically, we relive our stories when we retell them. As you replay it in your mind, your brain works hard to trigger the old, familiar emotional responses whilst releasing the requisite hormones: cortisol for the tense or scary bits, oxytocin when something cute or affectionate happens, and dopamine at the happy ending.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |