Do you want to improve storytelling skills?
If you do, then you are not alone.
The ability to capture the attention of people with a well-crafted story is not something everybody is capable of doing.
This is because most people have poor storytelling skills.
As a businessperson, storytelling skills can be very useful in persuading people to conduct business with you, invest in your business, and more.
Therefore, possessing effective storytelling should be a necessity.
Since you are here with us, we assume that you see it as such.
Hence, we will assist you by sharing amazing tips on how to improve your storytelling skills.
We promise to make this captivating and informative, so put on your seat belt and join us on our quest for self-improvement.
Let us begin by looking at the basics of storytelling….
What Is Storytelling? – How to Improve Storytelling Skills
Storytelling is defined in different ways.
Some people define it to be an act or process of sharing a story with an audience.
Meanwhile, some other people’s definition is more detailed.
They define it to be the “art” of making use of actions and words to reveal images and elements of stories while evoking the imagination of the listeners.
Let us further explain it.
Storytelling involves listeners and a storyteller.
It is said to be a give-and-take interaction.
The storyteller does most of the work by evoking emotions and images in the mind of the audience or listeners.
However, the listeners’ responses greatly influence the storytelling.
In other words, most times the effectiveness of a story depends on how responsive the listeners are to it.
Furthermore, if the storyteller is not captivating enough, the storytelling will not have the desired effect on the listeners.
Storytelling majorly makes use of words to communicate, this is what distinguishes it from mime and dance performances.
Before, only oral words were used to tell stories.
Now, written words are seen as a method of storytelling.
Apart from words, storytelling makes use of physical movement, gestures, and vocalization.
As we earlier said, storytelling encourages listeners to imagine the story.
The listeners’ major role in storytelling is to create a multi-sensory vivid image of what the storyteller is saying.
Storytelling is an ancient art that only those who possess effective storytelling skills have mastered.
Storytelling Skills in Business – How to Improve Storytelling Skills
We just discussed what storytelling is.
Now, we will be looking at what storytelling skills in business are and some examples.
Understand that storytelling is a vast topic and that different skills ensure that it is effective.
However, we cannot discuss all of them.
Also, since we are business people, we will concentrate on the storytelling skills that are related to business.
So, what are storytelling skills in business?
Well, storytelling skills in business as the phrase implies are the abilities and skills that enable a person to effectively tell stories in business.
These skills ensure that a businessperson understands the different aspect of storytelling, and make use of that knowledge to sell their business idea, product, service, etc.
Business people tell stories to their investors, customers and clients, suppliers, and audiences.
Effective storytelling skills ensure they tell a good story, get people’s attention, and convince them to do business with them.
Below are some examples of storytelling skills in business:
Directness
Most good storytelling knows how to keep their stories direct and impact.
When their stories are short, they fill them with captivating but direct details and points.
Even when their stories are a bit lengthy, or have more contexts, they ensure to not derail from the main idea.
A good storyteller knows how to make his ideas flow logically to contribute to their primary story point.
To do this, they ensure that they eliminate distractions, concisely share their ideas, and keep their listeners engaged from the beginning of the story to the end.
Suspense – How to Improve Storytelling Skills
The ability to put your listeners in suspense is what heightens their interest and engagement in that story.
So, as much as you need to be direct, you also need to possess the ability to keep people in suspense.
However, while doing this, you should not create suspense on the points that are not relevant or add to your main point.
This will ensure that your listeners’ interest does not grow on that point and forget the relevant ones.
Impression management
This is a business term used to define the process of gauging the public’s perception or reaction toward a product and working to change it.
When it comes to storytelling in business, this is viewed as a skill.
As a business person and storyteller, you should be capable of predicting the impact telling a particular story could have on people’s feelings about you, your brand, or your employees.
When you can predict how people feel about your brand or yourself, you can make use of storytelling to reinforce or combat those ideas.
Copy-writing – How to Improve Storytelling Skills
As we earlier said, storytelling is not only done through oral communication anymore.
Written communication is also used to tell stories.
In business, written communication is used more than oral communication to tell stories to customers.
Hence, as a business person and storyteller, you should possess copy-writing skills.
This will help you to create and write captivating and persuasive stories and content that can be for marketing, and other activities.
Editing
Before any good story is told, it would have undergone editing.
Editing skills will help you edit your stories and make them impactful.
Before you can edit any work it should have had its content prepared and arranged.
Your content should include a story line, resolution, and conflict.
Humor – How to Improve Storytelling Skills
Who does not like humor?
Humor is one of the best arsenals a storyteller can wield when telling a story.
It makes challenging and complex topics more interesting and fun for listeners, and readers.
This helps them to relax and relate better to the topic.
Creativity
Creativity skills help you to come up with amazing ideas for your story whether it is fictional or non-fictional.
Also, they help you to connect your ideas and events into cohesive story lines.
You also need these skills to come up with analogies that help to demonstrate or relate a point to your listeners.
Finally, creativity skills can be used to decide the medium or platform to tell or share your story.
Timing – How to Improve Storytelling Skills
Timing is an important but subtle skill in business storytelling.
Your knowledge of when to bring in certain events, characters, and other story factors can help to increase the effectiveness and impact of stories.
Good timing helps you to create suspense, generate and increase interest, and then provide a rewarding payoff to your listeners.
This makes them yearn for more.
Empathy
Empathy helps storytellers to focus on people’s feelings and thoughts.
This helps them to understand their listeners’ viewpoint, and then make use of it to create contents that are most likely to impact them.
In other words, if you possess empathy as a storyteller, you will use impactful word choices, and phrases to describe situations based on your listeners’ feelings.
In business, doing this ensures that customers connect and relate with the company’s mission and story.
Check here to discover why empathy is important in the workplace.
Importance of Storytelling Skills – How to Improve Storytelling Skills
Before now, we have dropped some hints about why storytelling skills are important in business.
However, now we will be discussing the importance of storytelling skills more broadly.
Knowing the importance of storytelling skills can serve as a motivation to work better at improving them.
So, we advise you to keep following us.
Create Deeper Connection
When you possess storytelling skills, it will not be hard for people outside your employees to know and understand your business’ culture, vision, and mission.
Your storytelling skills will help you to tell your company story well, and people will understand how it works and its values.
This can make people feel connected and appreciative of your business.
Great storytelling skills evoke emotions within people.
Hence, if you possess effective storytelling skills, and make use of it to talk about your products and services, it will make customers emotionally connected to you and your business.
They will buy into your story, the idea or visions behind it.
As a result, it can make them loyal to your business.
Improved Sales and Idea Presentation – How to Improve Storytelling Skills
Apart from using storytelling skills to make people understand your business better, storytelling skills can help you to improve your sale and idea presentation.
When presenting your ideas to investors, or trying to make a customer buy your product, you communicate with them.
If your communication is boring, it is likely to discourage potential investors and customers.
Storytelling skills help you to bring life to your presentation.
They enable you with the skill to capture the attention of your audience or listeners, and make them interested in investing in your idea, or patronizing you.
Creation of Great Advertising and Marketing Strategies
Effective storytelling skills can help you to create great advertising and marketing strategies.
People do not just want to patronize businesses.
They want to feel connected to them.
A good businessperson understands this and makes use of their effective storytelling skills to create advertisements that their targeted audience will relate to.
They Convey Your Experience and Knowledge – How to Improve Storytelling Skills
When you make use of effective storytelling skills to communicate to people, you demonstrate to them that you know what you are saying.
This is because you will know how to skillfully say the right words at the right time.
When you portray your experience and knowledge through storytelling, it will help draw people close to your business.
Improves Persuasion Skills
As we have said, storytelling skills can help you to capture the attention of your listeners.
It also makes you sound convincing.
People will believe that what you are saying is true.
As a result, you will easily persuade them.
In other words, storytelling skills can improve your persuasion skills.
Increases Employees Engagement and Efficiency – How to Improve Storytelling Skills
Storytelling has a way of motivating people, filling them with hope and purpose.
When you possess effective storytelling skills you will find it easy to cultivate a good culture in your business.
All you just need to do is to share the history, struggles, values, and aims of your business with your team or employees.
Tell them of those things that are valuable to your business, and their meaning behind them.
This can provide them with something inspiring to believe in, and make motivate them to work better.
As a result, your employees’ engagement and efficiency will improve.
Tips on How to Improve Storytelling Skills
We have discussed the importance of possessing storytelling skills.
Now, we will be looking at some amazing tips on how to improve storytelling skills.
So, we advise that you keep following us, and practice the following tips:
1. Watch Professional Communicators
You can improve your storytelling skills by watching professional communicators.
Professional communicators are experts who are good at communicating with people.
These people possess effective storytelling skills that help them to capture the attention of their listeners and keep them engaged.
So, you can learn from them and improve your storytelling skills by watching them.
When we say “watch them”, we mean that you should observe the things they do and work to recreate them for yourself.
Some things you should focus on when watching them include:
- Their voice tone
- How, where, and when they emphasize on
- Their transmission to other points
- The structure of their points
- Their main takeaways
When you keep observing them for a while, you will discover how to incorporate their tactics and skills into yours seamlessly.
So, ensure that it is not a one-time thing.
2. Assume Your Audience Position – How to Improve Storytelling Skills
As we earlier said, your listeners’ responses impact how effective your storytelling is.
This is why your listeners need to be considered when building your story and when telling it.
In other words, meeting your listeners’ needs with your story will ensure that it creates the desired result.
So, to improve your storytelling skills you need to assume your audience or listeners’ position.
Figure out what their needs are.
For instance, you have a skincare product that works to smoothness and tone skin, and your audience needs smoother skin.
Then, you need to play to their need and not the general purpose of your product.
In other words, when telling your story you will focus more on how your product can help them to achieve smoother skin.
When you do this, they will be inclined to listen and patronize you.
3. Be Sentimental
Your listeners’ emotions can not only be evoked by making use of their needs.
You have to provide more than what they need.
In other words, you have to give them a reason to believe you.
Since we are all emotionally beings, the way to play to your listeners’ emotions is by being emotional or sentimental.
To do this, you have to believe in the story you are sharing and be passionate about it.
Your passions should be portrayed in your voice, your choice of words, word flow, your body signs, and other factors you use in telling your story.
4. Tell Stories Every Day – How to Improve Storytelling Skills
To improve your storytelling skills you need to practice every day.
Challenge yourself to do the work that is needed.
Practice telling stories to family, friends, and employees.
Instead of just explaining things plainly, make use of stories.
As it helps to improve your skills, it will also help to make people remember things you say to them better.
5. Make Use of Facts
Since you are a business person, you still need to stick to facts.
Yes, you can add some creative work to your stories, but you have to ensure that they are facts.
When your message is authentic, it will increase your chances of making an impact and good lasting impressions.
This will make your audience believe you better.
6. Learn to Be Concise – How to Improve Storytelling Skills
As a storyteller, you should learn to be concise.
That is, do not make your story too long.
Rather, keep it brief but filled with great and captivating details.
This way, you will not bore out your audience, and you will also leave them wanting more.
7. Be Mindful of Your Timing
Timing is a very essential aspect of storytelling.
It helps you to create suspense which is equally needed for a story to be impactful.
So, if your timing is poor, you should work on it.
Do not be fast to quick to give all your cards or points.
Rather, learn to figure out the right time to drop a point or a new feature in your story.
When you have mastered timing you will keep your listeners or audience wanting more.
8. Read More – How to Improve Storytelling Skills
Reading will help you to gather knowledge about things.
So, to improve your storytelling skills you should be interested in reading more.
Read books, articles, and listen to podcasts about storytelling skills, and use the knowledge to improve your storytelling skills.
9. Learn to Edit
Your editing skills have a great impact on how effective your story will turn out to be.
If your story is not well organized, you might capture your audience’s attention at first with your other storytelling skill.
However, they will eventually get confused and lose interest in your story.
So, you need to work on your editing skills.
10. Have a Core Point – How to Improve Storytelling Skills
Every good story needs to have a core point.
This is because they are the payoff for the listeners.
They make the story more interesting and engaging.
Your story should not be predictable, but your audience should understand what the story is about.
Conclusion on How to Improve Storytelling Skills
Storytelling skills are useful skills that enable you in attracting customers, persuading people, and building a compelling brand.
Therefore, they should be seen as skills that you need to have as a business person.
This is why we have shared with you amazing tips that can help you improve them.
So, we encourage you to take advantage of them and become a better storyteller.
