Articles on Success, Significance and the Evolving Role of Work

Need to Tell a Quick Story With Video? Steal from Dylan

Have you seen the video of Bob Dylan flipping through signs to his song, Suberranean Homesick Blues? It was the opening scene in D.A. Pennebaker’s classic documentary, Don’t Look Back. Here it is:

When it comes to quickly telling a story or communicating a message through video, let this concept of using word collages inspire you.

I would like to share two recent examples of this. Feel free to steal this idea!

My company, Jackson Healthcare, needed a short video to play at our annual corporate kickoff meeting. The job of the video was to capture the spirit of our corporate culture and our mission to improve the lives of everyone we touch.

Here is how Thomas Starr, Kyle Shattles and Kelli Straub used a Dylan-like word collage and our associates to achieve this:

A month later, we were asked to create a video to kickoff the Association for Community Health Improvement’s annual conference. The job of that video was to quickly tell the story of our national awards program and feature the 10 winning hospital programs. Thomas and Kelli created this:

As you can see, these simple videos use word collages to build a narrative. And it’s been very effective.

If you have questions about how to do this, or want help, I encourage you to reach out to Thomas Starr. I’m blessed to get to work with him every day!

Why You’re More Likely to Say Yes After You Say No

Imagine yourself sitting at a coffee shop, catching up on some reading, while sipping a warm, fresh cup of brew.

Then, someone walks up and asks if you have a dollar you could spare.

What you would do (and say) in that moment is a result of your worldview — a unique elixir of your past experiences, biases and beliefs.

Let’s imagine, you said no to that person’s dollar request. Maybe you didn’t have any cash on you. Or maybe you did, but something about the situation didn’t quite feel right.

Something happens to you in moments like this. Moments in which you say no to someone’s request.

The discomfort created by saying no to someone typically stimulates feelings of guilt you will feel compelled to resolve. Which means it’s highly unlikely you will say no to the next request.

In that coffee shop scenario, after no giving that person a dollar, if someone were to ask you to donate a dollar to a cause or something, there is a strong probability you would do it. And research backs this up.

I first became aware of what I call the “second ask effect” during my undergraduate studies. (I’m sure there’s a scientific name for it, but I haven’t discovered it yet.)

When I first learned about it, I decided to conduct my own experiment. I decided to approach a girl on campus and ask her out. Knowing the high probability she would say no (if she had any sense!), I would then follow-up with a second request and see what happened.

Here’s an abbreviated version of how it played out:

“Hi, I’m Keith,” I began. “I think we’re in class together on Tuesday afternoons. I would love to grab drinks or something with you sometime. Are you open to it?”

“I’m so sorry, but I can’t,” she feigned regret. “I have a boyfriend.”

“Completely understand,” I said. “How about I give you a lift to wherever you’re headed?”

“Sure. That’d be fine.”

I was floored. It worked.

So what’s the takeaway for you?

When you are preparing to ask someone for something, your tendency will be to focus on the cost of the “yes.” But the people you’ll be asking will focus on the cost of saying, “no.” They’ll be asking questions like, “How uncomfortable will saying no make me feel?” And, “How will saying no make me look to others?”

Each time you ask someone for something, work hard to give them a “yes” moment. Make sure what you’re asking them for helps them get an important job done in their lives functionally, emotionally and/or relationally.

Then, be prepared to follow-up with a second ask for those who say no to your lead request. Give them an opportunity to quickly resolve that no with a yes. (But please use this technique ethically, for the benefit of the people you serve and sell. Not at their expense.)

And remember that you, too, are a consumer. As a prospective buyer/donor, be aware that others may employ this technique on you. So pay attention to how you feel next time you say no to someone. And pay attention to what they ask for next.

If you’re interested in going deeper on this, then start here.

(Image by Barabeke on Flickr)

Choose One: Inform, Inspire or Invite

I enjoyed a call with an inspiring couple today. They are beginning a new story — bringing hope to a small community.

I’ve always believed that when you’re equally excited and terrified, you’re doing something important. Something that matters.

One of the core questions we discussed was how do you get people to support your story? How do you emotionally engage them? And how can you move that emotional connection to physical and financial participation in your story?

More specifically, how can you create this connection through your communications?

With every piece of communication you craft — letters, flyers, emails, landing pages, you name it — ask yourself whether your goal is to inform, inspire or invite.

If the goal of your letter is to invite someone to meet with you, then make sure the letter is designed to do that job.

If the goal of your email is to give someone a new insight or piece of information, then design the email to inform.

If the goal of your presentation is to breathe new life into people, then design the presentation to inspire.

Make sense?

And, just as importantly, don’t introduce anything else into your communication piece that competes with or distracts from that primary goal of informing, inspiring or inviting.

Can you combine two of these in a communications piece? Can your piece both inspire and invite, for example?

Yes, but don’t get distracted by that.

I’m writing this piece to inform you. That’s its job. I’m not inviting you to do anything. And I’m not intentionally trying to inspire you.

Choose one — inform, inspire or invite — and do only that job.

Repeat This Storytelling Mantra Daily

“Hello Keith!” his email began. “I am trying to take my business to the next level and would like to pick your brain about some ways I could tell my story better.”

“I need your help,” she said. “I am making a presentation to my company’s executive team and I would like to use storytelling to get buy-in.”

Image by Margie Deeb (Thanks, Margie!) — Image by Margie Deeb

Now, re-read those two inquiries.

Do you notice how the focus is on them, not the people they serve?

Almost every time someone reaches out to me, their initial motive is to use storytelling techniques to tell their story.

I call this “expressive storytelling.” With expressive storytelling, you want to tell your story in a way others will hear it.

But there’s one big problem…

Others aren’t interested in your story. They’re interested in their story. And stories of others like them.

In business, you are hiring stories to do specific jobs for your business and your clients. And, often, that job is to move people toward a specific action.

The stories that best do this job — the job of engaging and moving people — are connective stories.

Connective stories are never about you, your company or the stuff you sell.

Connective stories are for and about those you serve.

If I were to offer you a choice between these two stories, which would you choose:

I’d like to tell you my story
I’d like to tell you about someone facing a situation like the one you’re facing right now

That second story is more appealing to you, isn’t it? That’s because through that story, you and I can connect around a shared purpose (i.e. your wants and needs).

When it comes to storytelling in your business life, repeat this mantra daily:

The best stories are never about us. The best stories are about the people we serve.

(Image by Margie Deeb)

Instead of Telling a Story of Achievement, Try This…

Tell a story of shared purpose.

Too many organizations tout their achievements. Hospitals love to advertise their awards. Advertising agencies love to do this too.

Press release after company press release tells of a new milestone or client contract the organization is “proud to announce.”

Even client testimonials are all about how great the organization is.

I encourage you to tell stories of purpose. Of promised lands. Of passion.

Share the gritty details about how a client almost hit the skids and how they emerged stronger and better.

The people you serve want something. That’s their purpose.

Help them see that their purpose is your purpose.

And, when they’ve achieved something noteworthy or newsworthy, help them share their story.

Not your story. Their story.

Faith Popcorn once wrote, “Connecting women to each other connects them to your brand.”

I believe connecting people to others like them connects them to you and your organization.

The way you do this is through a combination of storytelling, strategy and a carefully-honed system.

Instead of telling a story of achievement, try telling a story of shared purpose.

I’m confident you’ll be delighted with the results.