Don't Bore Your Audience by Always Playing the Heroine
When my son was a wee one my husband and I made up fantastical stories. We were both improvisational actors, and versed in making up stories on the spot. One evening we were giving our son a bath and Stinky Jack and the Skeleton Pirates made their debut. At the time we had no idea we’d invented a continuing series, starring a flawed, foibled leader whose every misstep contained a teachable moment.
To this day, my son can retell with specific detail the time Stinky Jack was bragging about his spectacular ability to do handstands on the gangplank when a huge ocean swell pitched him overboard. The captain, unawares, sailed full speed ahead.
My son can imitate Stinky Jack’s gravelly pirate voice, and describe his tattered and, of course, stinky clothes, and the dolphin he hitched a ride on to get back on board ship.
Flawed characters make your stories sticky, especially when you play the role of Stinky Jack.
Stinky Jack was not a vision of perfection. Anything but. And that’s what made the story not only memorable, but re-tellable all these years later.
And yet it’s fascinating to me that when I first start working with clients on identifying their leadership stories, they often make the mistake of drafting stories in which they are always the heroine of the story.
Somewhere along the line I think we invested too much credence in “always paint a positive picture” which bypasses our very human need for the scrappy fun of a rags to riches story, or the heroine returning from a harrowing journey a changed person.
While there is a time and place for you as the heroine of the story, your audience craves a Stinky Jack story with you in the lead role. They are dying to hear how your foibles became your teacher, or how your missteps transformed into superpowers.
And you, the storyteller, must trust your audience will do what humans do when they’re told a good story: their imaginations will paint the picture your story tells. If you imbue your stories with sensory language, they will see, hear, feel, and even taste your message.
So whether you’re making a new business pitch, presenting in an all-hands meeting, or speaking at a conference, great stories come to life when they have a high-stakes problem or circumstance, a cast of characters, drama, resolution, and lessons learned -- the reason for telling the story in the first place.
Tips for the Road
Make your story personal, and true.
Open with a high-stakes hook.
Immerse the story with character(s)
Invest the story with suspense and drama.
End with a takeaway or lesson learned.