The Story Factor Book Summary - The Story Factor Book explained in key points

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The Story Factor summary

Name: The Story Factor
Rating: 4.4 (129 reviews)
Author: Annette Simmons

Annette Simmons

Inspiration, Influence, and Persuasion through the Art of Storytelling

4.4 (129 ratings)

17 mins

Table of Contents

The Story Factor
summarized in 9 key ideas

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Key idea 1 of 9

What’s in it for me: Influence people by unleashing the power of stories.

For thousands of years, people have wanted to hear stories, whether from travelling bards in the old days or best-selling paperbacks today.

Why are we so drawn to narratives, when surely we really just need facts to make decisions?

Put simply, a good story helps people interpret the facts and see the bigger picture. Things people would not believe, understand or care about become compelling and meaningful as soon as they are seen through the lens of a simulated personal experience: a story.

And if you’re the one telling the story, you can influence the way your audience interprets facts. This makes good storytelling a very powerful tool indeed.

So how do you tell a good story?

Stories help us make sense of the world and are effective tools for persuading others.

In order to know how to tell a good story, we must first know what a good story actually is.

Quite simply, a good story is one that simplifies the world and makes us feel we understand it better.

The world today often seems complicated and chaotic, but a story has the power to make sense of it. It gives listeners a plot to follow, around which they can organize their thoughts.

This not only makes it easier for the listener to understand your argument, but can also help them make sense of their personal problems and frustrations. For example, if someone has lost their job or gone through a tough break up, a story about someone in a similar situation will help them to recover.

In this sense stories – though indirect – are more effective than direct guidance. This is because direct guidance only applies to one situation and then loses relevance, whereas the lessons of a story can be adapted to fit multiple situations.

Let's say you have a colleague who frequently sends obnoxious-sounding emails around the office because he can’t be bothered to word them properly, and you’d like him to change his behavior. You could, of course, tell him outright to stop doing this, but it would be even more effective to tell him a story about someone who lost their job due to a misunderstanding in a poorly worded email.

Your colleague would probably remember that story every time he was sending an email. He might even start applying the lesson about being polite and professional in his other communications.

So even though stories are an indirect way of relaying a point, they can be much more effective than the direct, raw truth.

Telling an immersive story requires more than just words – use your whole body.

Let’s say you now know what story you want to tell. So how do you tell it properly?

You have to realize that you have many channels of communication available. Imagine you’re not merely telling a story, but enacting a play for your listener: your voice, face, hands and body are the actors, stage costumes, music and props that can add a whole new level to your story.

A convincing speech or presentation must tell six different stories.

If you really want to be able to influence your audience, you have to tell them not one, but six different stories.

First, tell them who you are, and second, tell them why you’re there. This is because people won’t trust you until they know the answer to these questions, and if you tell them using stories it will be far more convincing, making you seem more trustworthy.

Stories wield a powerful influence because they relax and disarm your audience.

Now that you know you can influence people with stories, you probably want to know why that's the case.

First, they help you overcome suspicions: people are often distrustful when someone is trying to influence them, but stories allow you to bypass their suspicion because you can frame the audience on your side: your interests and theirs overlap. This will make them more likely to trust you.

You can influence even reluctant or indifferent audiences – if you don’t think of them that way.

Of course, not all audiences are eager to listen to what you have to say. Often you’ll find you have to speak to people that you might find unwilling, disinterested or unmotivated.

So how can you influence them?

You can also influence others by listening to their stories.

You’ve seen how important the art of storytelling is, but there’s another side to the coin. If you truly want to be able to influence someone, you also need to be adept at storylistening. In a dialog you need to genuinely listen to your partner.

This way you’ll come to understand not only his opinions and arguments but also his uncertainties and true feelings, because he’ll see how closely you're listening and feel comfortable opening up.

The three don’ts: don’t act superior, don’t be boring and don’t impose negative emotions.

Though there are many ways to tell a story well, there are also a few surefire ways to make a mess of it. To avoid the latter, keep these three simple don’ts in mind.

Firstly, don’t act superior to your audience.

Becoming a storyteller can change your outlook on life, but it brings great responsibility.

In the previous blinks, we’ve discussed how becoming a great storyteller will make you more influential and persuasive in the eyes of others. But that’s not all: you’ll also notice changes in your own life.

This is because a storyteller sees the world differently. You’ll begin to see your life as a story, and you are the person who chooses how the plot unfolds. For example, if you’re currently living in a story where you’re constantly stressed and frustrated, it’s time to rewrite that plot into something more positive.

You need critical thinking, but you also need story thinking.

These days, it seems the most valued thinking skills in the world are rational and critical. They are taught at school, and they help you get jobs. But in fact there’s another kind of thinking that can be very beneficial for a storyteller, namely story thinking: framing problems and situations as stories.

When approaching a problem or situation with purely rational thought, the goal is to remove all ambiguity, anecdotes and emotions from the equation. It’s like using a ready-made recipe or formula: you know what you’ll end up with, but it definitely won’t be anything new or innovative.

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What is The Story Factor about?

The Story Factor explains what a powerful tool narratives can be, and unravels the art of telling your own stories. Stories are far more effective than mere facts or figures when you're making a presentation or trying to inspire people to take action.

Best quote from The Story Factor

A story is less direct, more gracious, and prompts less resistance than the naked truth.

—Annette Simmons

Who should read The Story Factor?

Anyone who wants to learn how to influence others
Anyone who often gives talks, presentations or lectures
Anyone who wants to improve their public-speaking skills

About the Author

Annette Simmons turned a career in marketing and an interest in psychology into a new way of thinking about the age-old art of storytelling. She is an expert in the art of narrative who has given popular storytelling seminars for years. She is also the author of Whoever Tells the Best Story Wins.

Categories with The Story Factor

Marketing & Sales Communication Skills

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