¿Cuáles son algunas de las mejores prácticas para usar la narración de historias como una técnica de influencia?

Understanding your audience is essential for effective storytelling. Identify their goals, challenges, values, and emotions. Consider how they perceive you and your message, as well as their potential objections. Tailor your story to meet their needs and interests. From my experience, sharing a story about overcoming a significant project hurdle resonated more deeply when I addressed the audience's common concerns about project delays and team dynamics. By showing empathy and understanding their situation, you build rapport and trust, making your message more impactful and relatable.

It's great to share relatable stories where a lesson is learnt. Stories with meaning and reasoning will help you create better personal connections with your audience, network and existing clients.

Identify your objective before crafting the story, understand your audience to tailor the narrative effectively, use emotions to evoke a response, keep the storyline simple and relatable, and incorporate authenticity to build trust and credibility. Remember to stay focused on your purpose throughout the storytelling process to maximize its impact on influencing others.

With any good story (or pitch) I've found two things resonate well with almost any audience... 1. Start with a hook: The opening of your story should grab the attention of your audience and make them interested in hearing more. You can use recent traction, sales wins, recent achievement or development in the product roadmap, a surprising fact, or an anecdote that creates curiosity. 2. Setting the scene: Provide context for your story by setting the scene and describing the situation or problem you or your customers are facing. This will help your audience understand the background and appreciate the significance of your story.

The importance of coherence in a story is very high. You need to make sure there is a flow in the story. It's not random. That's how you keep your readers engaged till the end.

In today’s marketplace customers are using more than a product’s features and benefits to make their decisions. They want to “connect” with a brand and know that it shares their values. Being likeable is essential and when your customers like you, it elicits consumer loyalty. How do you get anyone to like you? Tap into their emotions with GREAT stories! Stories inspire us and engage our imaginations by planting seeds in our brains, which over time influence who we are, including the decisions we make.

Very many of our best memories are linked to sensory memories. Purposefully engaging all of your audience's senses is likely to both unlock existing memories and enrich the memory they are forming based on your discussion. The more richness you add, the more ways this memory can be unlocked for them again in the future.

1. Practice Your Story Regularly! The more you practice, the more comfortable you’ll feel telling the story. Rehearse in front of a mirror, record yourself, or practice with a small group. Familiarity with your narrative boosts your confidence. 2. Be Authentic - Speak from your own experiences or share meaningful company anecdotes. Authenticity builds trust and reduces the pressure to "perform." People connect better with genuine stories, so trust that your real, human experience is compelling enough. 3. Use Your Body & Voice effectively - Stand tall, make eye contact, and vary your tone to emphasize keypoints. This non-verbal communication signals confidence and keeps the audience engaged.

Once you've shared your story, don't hesitate to ask for feedback from your audience. Be specific about the kind of feedback you are looking for and encourage honest and constructive criticism. There may be contrarian views to your story or solutions, so be open and receptive to other perspectives, personal experiences or backgrounds that your audience shares. Not everything requires a retort or answer, sometimes simply receiving the feedback and acknowledging it is enough to make your audience feel heard and can go a long way in creating an environment for future feedback.

This is what I would like to add: When it comes to storytelling as an influence technique — add your personality, basically let your personality shine!