Why 2 + 2 = A Better Story

We all know that two plus two equals four. But what if I told you that sometimes, two plus two could actually equal a better story? That's right - sometimes, a more exciting and compelling story can come from adding just a few extra elements to the equation.

We are all born problem solvers.

In 2012, Andrew Stanton- who wrote the Toy Story movies and directed Wall-E- gave a speech explaining how to tell a good story. He stated that audiences want to work to understand the story. They want to be able to figure things out for themselves from the clues you give them. Well-organized absence of information draws us in. This lack of knowledge is what intrigues us and pulls us into the story.

What does this mean for the business leader? Sometimes, the best way to tell your story is to look for the ways it deviates from the expected norm.

Good business storytellers can engage and educate.

When I talk about business storytelling, it is not about a fairy tale; it is about performance. A Good business story will align the needs of a client to your product and services, backed with proof of a business case.

Therefore to tell a good story, you must clearly understand your Audience and the problem you can solve for them. Today, leaders should consider leveraging technology to interpret the mass amount of data to understand better the Audience they serve, so they can start to craft a story that will resonate with them on multiple levels.

In business communication, you should state the moral of the story more directly than in a cartoon for children. However, this does not mean you cannot provide your Audience with some suspense along the way. The more suspenseful your story is, the more likely your Audience will be engaged and educated or challenged by it.

If you want to add a touch of suspense to your business stories, here are a few tips:

1. Start with emotion. Emotion will capture your Audience's attention and set the stage for what's to come. Begin your story with an exciting scene, insights, or an intriguing problem that needs to be solved.

2. Raise the stakes with logic. Once you have your Audience's attention, it's time to start making things more complicated. Introduce new problems and insights slowly until you reach the most exciting moment of your story.

3. Conclude with a twist that leads to a clear path. It would help if you thought about what to put into your story and what to leave out. The Audience will want to know what will happen next, so be prepared to guide or have a use case. Your clients will be anxious to hear more from you in the future as a result.

Today we live in a world that drowns us with information and noise. We all have built filters and have different views and opinions. However, compelling business storytelling will create alignment & common ground.