World Bank is told repeatedly, how his story reached the president of World Bank and lead to a certain change in the organisation.
Well-Prepared Is Half Won
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The preparation for a storytelling performance is laborious and repetitive but the actual performance is like white-water rafting. The various options must be considered, tried out, and evaluated for the possible impact. During the performance, the rush of events will sweep you, the lips will be moving faster than the mind and you will flow effortlessly. With effort and discipline, anyone can get it right. It is the result not of natural powers but of meticulous preparation.
Springboard Story
A springboard story tells how one person typical of the audience carried out some recent change that improved the organisation. It explains what would have happened without the change. The story has a happy ending, and the teller closes with a link to the purpose he or she hopes to achieve: how these examples can springboard the audience and organization to a better future.
Timing Matters
When starting a story, don’t announce, “I am going to tell you a true story…” there is likely to be a pushback from the audience. When someone tells you he’s an honest man, you tend to reach for your wallet to make sure its still there. The better way to signal that you are telling a true story is to start with the date and place.
“In June 2010, I was in Singapore for a project..”
Begin With The Negatives
I am going to tell you about something that happened when Titanic Sank. It was a horrible thing. Fifteen hundred people drowned. It was a massive engineering disaster for a ship that was supposed to be unsinkable. Gross incompetence and stupidity on the part of the captain. Criminal negligence in not supplying the ship with enough lifeboats.