(This article was originally published in The Productivity Institute (PI) Newsletter)

Regardless of your message, every great leader knows the power of a good story.  While facts and figures are essential, it’s in crafting that information into a compelling, inspiring narrative that will inspire in your audience everything from deep understanding to action.  As a leadership tool, storytelling can be a powerful, persuasive technique to capture your audiences’ attention and bring home your meaning.  It’s important to match the type of story to the occasion, and once mastered, these techniques are powerful tools.

Here are five kinds of stories guaranteed to get your point across:

1. ‘I Am’ Stories
Make things personal.  When striving to lead a team one of the greatest challenges may be getting everyone on your side.  Revealing who you are and what motivates you may go a long way to building trust among your team members.  Presenting yourself as fallible by offering a humorous anecdote can help break down any defensive walls or perceived barriers, as well as make you seem more approachable.  Explaining your motivation, the ‘why you’re here’, helps assure your team that you’re not interested in hidden agendas but simply want to work well together.

2. Teaching Stories
Demonstrations are some of the most effective teaching tools.  Think of parables or morality tales – how many fables can you remember?  Use teaching stories to illustrate examples; this demonstration of your point helps people learn and remember your message.  A simple narrative clarifies your meaning and makes it much more memorable.  Your audience may be more sophisticated than most children but the learning principle is the same.  Drive a good story home by using a relevant example and your audience will get the point.

3. Value Stories
What’s in a word?  When talking about values it’s important to remember that esoteric concepts may mean different things to different people.  How do you define integrity or authenticity?  In wanting to ensure clarity and avoid inaccurate assumptions, tell a story illustrating this value in action.  Your team can’t know what a particular value means to you (or how to satisfy your expectations) unless you guarantee that you’re all on the same page.  If great customer service is important in your business then tell a story that exemplifies this.  Using a value story can help guarantee that you’re all starting from the same place, right from the get-go.

4. Doubt Stories
At some point you’ll have to persuade your audience.  Whether you’re pitching a service or outlining a new business practice, your audience will have doubts.  If you can respectfully head them off by indicating that you ‘know what they’re thinking’ and respect their thoughts, you’ll be much closer to getting your point across and convincing them that you’re right.  Anticipate what the objections might be, and provide descriptive examples of how this objection doesn’t apply or might be transformed.  Use the story to show that you are actively listening and are committed to creatively meeting your audience’s needs.

5. Vision Stories
Everyone needs inspiration.  Use a vision story to remind your team of why they’re doing what they’re doing, and to give them a lift.  If you all share a common goal, choose a story that illustrates this and helps everyone envision success.  It will help renew their commitment levels and boost morale.  Be authentic – tell the story with conviction and emotion and you’ll be sure to enhance your audience’s buy-in.  A well delivered story can be the ultimate pep talk.

Some last words
Regardless of which type of story best communicates your message, keeping these tips in mind will be sure to enhance your effectiveness:

*    Make the story an experience. Try to appeal to as many of your listener’s senses as possible.  Don’t just tell the story – paint the picture and show them what you mean.
*   Never forget to practice. Like any performance, good story-telling is an art.  Hone your craft by practicing – not only will this allow you to pay more attention to your audience, but you will be much more effective if you come across as confident and knowledgeable.
And lastly,
*    Always be authentic. Everyone can spot a faker.  Choose your stories wisely and tell them truthfully with real emotion. If your audience thinks you’re lying to them, your story will undermine your integrity.  Tell it with authenticity and you’ll move and inspire.

By Katie Mead