Making Storytelling for Business Easy: Add the Element of Surprise

I love seeing movies. It's one of my favorite leisure activities, but sometimes I'm extremely disappointed. The other day I watched one that fell flat as an airless balloon.

Maybe it's happened to you. There's a new release and the trailers make it look really good. In this case, it's a comedy with a cast that should be fantastic. The plot looks fun and you think you're about to be entertained.

But this film failed me.

Why?

Because after less than 2 minutes, I already spun out the entire plot for the movie. Oh sure, I missed some of the slapstick elements, but I knew exactly what to expect throughout the movie.

As you can imagine, this made for an unsatisfying evening. Has this ever happened to you? I'm sure it has.

I love it when a story surprises and captivate me. And I know you do too.

I love it when I think a movie or a song or a story is going in a particular direction only to find out it's more like that Monty Python sketch, "And now for something completely different."

Anytime you're telling a story, you want to add an element of surprise. A twist or turn that the reader may not anticipate. That's how you capture someone's attention and captivate them.

Recently, I watched a YouTube video of a young woman named Erin Murray, who wrote this piece of music. She is dressed formally, as one might expect for a stage performance. The music begins, sad and sweet, and she starts to sing what sounds as if it iss going to be about lost love. She starts with these words: "So you say you're leaving...leaving me alone."

Watch out for that unique twist that comes a short way into the song. You're fooled into thinking you'll hear a sad ballad about a forlorn lover. Soon you will find yourself eyes wide in surprise, and perhaps mouth covered in shock.

What happens next is a little like paying a visit to the Twilight Zone... She starts singing about taxidermy. One of the lines is, "I'll put you in the parlor and you'll always be mine. I'll put a Santa hat on you come Christmas time. Baby, I love you."

And Ms. Murray takes it even further as the song progresses. You'll hear the audience reacting during the song and you'll hear their uproarious applause at the end.

Watch her video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4m9w-OZYQTQ.

You will believe you're about to hear a sad song. Instead, you will most likely find yourself belly-laughing and thinking, "I can't believe she just SANG that!"

What this singer-songwriter accomplishes has a terrific storytelling lesson for you. because you want to keep your audience involved. "Audience" has a broad interpretation in business (and indeed in life as well).

Your audience might be a person reading an article, an individual in a coaching session, someone reading your book, a small group at a meeting, or a live audience of dozens, hundreds or thousands. Realize that even a group is composed of individuals hearing or reading your story inside the privacy of their own experience.

You want to tell stories everywhere -

* on your blog
* in emails
* in articles
* in your info products (like ebooks & special reports)
* in your copywriting
* in your books
* in your coaching/mentoring
* on stage
* in meetings
* ..... you get the idea!

Adding an element of surprise - a twist - will make you a better storyteller.

My experience is that storytelling tends to trip people up simply because you aren't sure what kind of tale to tell. So I'll make it easy for you.

FIguring out What Story to Tell

As a matter of fact, it's easy to know what kind of story to tell. The "trick" is beginning with the end in mind. The first question you want to ask yourself has to do with the goal.

1. What's the desired end result?

2. Who will gain most from hearing/reading your story?

3. How will you "move" the story receiver emotionally?

4. How might you add an element of surprise into your story?

5. What do you want your audience to do next?

Save these questions for yourself in a special file and answer them anytime you are writing a story or figuring out which one to tell in a live situation. This will help you be intentional about what you share, and therefore you will attain better results than if you simply "wing it" or tell a trite tale with a blatant message.