HERBIE'S HINTS (named after my dad!)
My Dad loved to tell stories. I may be one of the few people that liked to listen to the stories in their complete and unabridged versions. I liked listening to every twist and turn in his unedited monologues. Not everyone did.
Stories have had value in the way civilizations pass down their history and customs starting with Egyptian hieroglyphics. American Indians sat around a camp fire to allow them to share their social and their ceremonial life. The fairy tales we are so familiar with began as oral stories.
Stories, like all communication, have rules that need to be followed. Especially today when our attention span is so short thanks to text and Twitter. A story needs to be more than a good story, it needs to illustrate a lesson that the audience can apply to themselves.
An exercise I use for clients is to tell their story while they walk down the hallway. They have to tell their story, connect the dots, and connect to the audience. Want to give this exercise a try?
