Never Be Boring Again : Make Your Business Presentations Capture Attention, Inspire Action and Produce Results
- Book Review,
by Doug Stevenson
Howard Putnam, author, Winds of Turbulence, June 2003
"This book reads like an intimate conversation that you'd have with your speaking coach."
Marianne Williamson, author, Return to Love, September 2003
"This book provides a roadmap for you to discover and develop your own personal stories."
Jack Canfield, author, Chicken Soup for the Soul at Work, June 2003
"The stories and examples in this book will make it easy for you to become a better business storyteller."
Book Description
Never Be Boring Again is unlike other books on presentation skills because it focuses on strategic storytelling for business professionals. It targets speakers, trainers, entrepreneurs, salespeople and executives and teaches them how to choose, craft and deliver a story that makes a point, teaches a lesson or sells a product. It introduces a breakthrough approach from a dynamic new voice.
From the Author
Other presentation skills books tell you to use stories, but they don’t tell you how. Businesspeople who attempt to use stories recognize that there is an art and science to telling them, but they don’t know where to go for instruction. I wrote this book for business professionals, salespeople, entrepreneurs and executives who want to use stories in a business environment. Never Be Boring Again walks you step-by-step, through the process of choosing and crafting a story that makes a point, illuminates an idea or sells a product. This is strategic storytelling for business using a systematic method. It is pragmatic theatricality to achieve a desired result. In this easy to read book, you’ll learn how to: use strategically chosen stories to sell your idea or product; use a nine step formula for crafting compelling stories; get your point across to insure maximum "buy in;" brand your message with a "Phrase That Pays;" incorporate humor so people laugh while they learn; and make dull and dry technical information come alive.
About the Author
Doug Stevenson is a professional speaker, trainer, speaking coach and message branding expert. He is the creator of the Story Theater Method for Making Content Come Alive which synthesizes acting, comedy and drama skills into the world of business presentations. His articles and interviews have been published in many national publications including Selling Power, Investors Business Daily and Professional Speaker magazine. He has contributed a monthly column entitled Talk Your Walk for the Denver Business Journal. Doug has acted onstage in everything from Snoopy to Shakespeare and in movies and TV. His diverse background as an actor, acting coach and theater director, combined with his professional speaking experience(over 800 speeches for such clients as UPS, Aetna, Abbott Laboratories, The Department of Defense and Southwestern Bell) makes him a leading expert in the field of storytelling in business. Doug is a member of the National Speakers Association and The American Society for Training and Development. He conducts corporate train the trainer and executive development workshops worldwide and is a highly sought after executive speaking coach.
Excerpted from Never Be Boring Again: Make Your Business Presentations Capture Attention, Inspire Action, and Produce Results by Doug Stevenson. Copyright © 2003. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
"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." "A principle requirement of connection is our willingness to be vulnerable. Stories let us let our guard down. They let people in the room know we are willing to self-reveal. Wisdom is the accumulated knowledge of our life. It is by sharing this wisdom through first-person stories that people relate to us." "Stories move people from their head to their heart and back again. If you can connect emotion to information, you can motivate your listeners to change their behavior." "Story Theater is a synthesis of the practical and theatrical. It is a methodology that allows you to teach without seeming preachy, entertain without being artificial, and inspire without being evangelistic." "Strategic storytelling is just that – strategic. Business stories are verbal tools designed to be used in a specific situation for a specific purpose. Their utility is dependent on making a point that is congruent with the story and the audience’s needs. If the point of the story does not address the issue the audience is facing, what’s the point?" "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." "I believe that the messenger is as important as the message. The messenger is the vehicle through which the communication is transmitted to the audience. If the messenger is not confident and comfortable with his or her genuine self, the transmission of the message will not be successful." "An imbroglio is defined as an acutely painful misunderstanding or embarrassing situation. Think of a time when you unwittingly found yourself in deep trouble, and you have the makings for an intriguing imbroglio story. Ironically, some of your funniest stories will come from your most humiliating moments. Imbroglio stories allow us all to be comedians." "Drama is about telling the truth. It requires that we remove the mask of superficiality and appropriately reserved social behavior and let people see and feel our most intimate private behavior. It is about giving voice to the inner world of thoughts and feelings." "Speakers that are compelling and memorable use four types of language. They are: · Verbal - the words and language that you use to communicate your message · Vocal - changes in tone, tempo, volume and inflection · Physical - body language, movement and eye contact · Emotional - true emotion felt within the context of the story you are telling" "Emotional language is a wordless form of communication that everyone, regardless of gender, race, or nationality, understands and responds to. Is it possible for the heart to see and hear? Does it speak a language like no other? I believe it does. In this chapter we’ll explore seven forms of emotional language." "When you "embody" a story and immerse yourself in re-living it, you bring everyone in the room along. Instead of being preoccupied, distracted, or bored, people can’t help but listen with every fiber of their being. They are caught up in the spell of the story and are "one" with the speaker." "The techniques you’re about to learn are like dance steps and they’re the same steps for everybody. All you have to do is follow the directions." "In short, Strategic Storytelling using The Story Theater Methodä is a recipe for ‘communication charisma.’ You take a pint of important information, add a dash of organization and logic, include a cup of genuine emotion, provide two chances for meaningful participation, and Viola!, you’ve created a concoction of longed-for connection that engages everyone in the room." "There is a diamond within you waiting to be polished and I’m calling on you to stop showing up in your life looking like a rhinestone. Story Theater is about polishing the diamond that is already there."
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