6 Steps to Telling the Perfect Story: Part II

Storytelling (and telling the perfect story) is an innate part of our lives, whether in our personal lives or business. It has even become a widespread technique in marketing because of the power it can yield in cultivating relationships and building trust with potential customers.

Part I of 6 steps to telling the perfect story uncovered the first three tips: 

• Trusting the teller (being open and transparent to generate feelings of trust)
• Being relatable (telling stories that are commonly experienced or struggled with)
• Showing imperfections & dramatics (because no one likes a boring story)

If you missed Part I, check it out for more details. But, here are my final three tips for telling the perfect story. 

4. Simplicity Is Key

When you take the complexity out of your stories, it’s easier for your listener to understand the main points. When storytelling, don’t lose the forest for the trees. It can be easy to get stuck in the minute details of a story and get bogged down with triviality. When you do that, it can confuse your reader and make them lose sight of the main points of your story.

Instead, take out everything that doesn’t serve your narrative. For example, maybe your story took place in the summer, but is that relevant enough to include? If it doesn’t serve the story in any way, it’s best to leave it out. Remember: you are most familiar with the story you’re telling, so it’s easy to understand the main points. But for someone who hasn’t heard or experienced what you have, keeping things simple is the key to ensuring your consumer comes away with what you intended in the first place. 

5. Allowing Agency

No one likes to be told how to act or feel, and the same applies to storytelling. So while it’s important to be relatable, truthful, and engaging when telling your story, don’t cap it off with trying to tell people how to feel. 

When you tell a story, give people the chance to come up with their conclusions. When done right, most people will reach the conclusions you intend, but by allowing them to come to that on their own, you’re building a relationship and rapport with your listeners. Of course, trust works both ways — if you want your consumers to trust you, you have to trust them to understand and come to conclusions on their terms. Ultimately, stories are the most persuasive when people can create their meaning and aren’t told how to think, act, or feel. 

6. Immerse Your Consumers

This point goes back to the first two found in Part I and is essential because people like to feel like they can understand and relate to what you’re saying. However, feeling immersed in a story goes beyond trust and relatability. 

If you tell a story so wild and unfamiliar that it seems unbelievable, it’s hard for people to be immersed in your story. The more familiar and engaged people can be when hearing your story, the more power it will have.