Persuasive Narrative Development

You’ve heard the advice, “Use stories in your presentations because people respond to stories!” Great advice. BUT… Your story won’t grab your audience’s attention and communicate your message unless it has these 6 elements. In fact, it could even have the opposite effect! Every story you use as the foundation of your high-stakes presentations needs to have: 1. A logical structure. A story needs a beginning, middle, and end with clear turning points between each section. Don't just jump between ideas randomly. Map your presentation flow on paper first so you can physically move sections around. The most persuasive structure builds toward your most important point. 2. An Emotional structure. In the middle of your story, create a rise of conflict where tension builds. This might be when your audience realizes their current approach isn't working or market conditions are changing rapidly. Plan moments where this tension rises before providing a cathartic resolve. Your audience will stay engaged through this emotional journey from tension to resolution. 3. A clear goal. The protagonist in your story must have something they're seeking–an objective that drives the narrative forward. In your presentation, position your audience as the hero pursuing something important. Whether it's reconciliation of different viewpoints or finding the solution to a pressing problem, make sure this goal is crystal clear. 4. Meaningful conflict. Every story needs the hero to face obstacles. This conflict might be with themselves, with others, with technology, or even with nature.  When preparing your presentation, identify what's standing in the way of progress. Is it internal resistance? Market challenges? Technical limitations? Acknowledging these conflicts shows you understand the real situation. 5. A resolution. Every narrative needs to resolve the conflict, though resolution doesn't always mean a happy ending. It could end positively (comedy), negatively (tragedy), or be inconclusive, requiring your audience to take action to determine the outcome. For business presentations, this inconclusive ending can be particularly effective as it prompts decision and action. 6. A lesson worth learning. While rarely stated explicitly (except in fairy tales), every story teaches something. Your presentation should leave your audience with a clear takeaway about what approaches to emulate or avoid. The quality of your story often determines the quality of your high-stakes presentations. Take time to really think through the stories you’re using. Hand-selecting the best ones will help you leave a lasting impact on your audience. #Presentation #StorytellingInBusiness #PresentationSkills

🔔 Welcome to Part 3 of the "Speak Like A Pro" series! 🔔 We've been journeying together, exploring the art of storytelling, understanding the crucial role of setting clear communication goals, and mastering the Communication Quadrant. Today, we're diving into the backbone of compelling messages - Communication Structures. 📐 One of my biggest fears in speaking isn't just losing my train of thought; it's losing my audience! When I struggle to find the right words during difficult conversations or presentations, these structures are my lifelines. For instance, when giving feedback to a team member about their performance or disagreeing with someone I'm working with. Have you ever found yourself lost in a speech, overwhelmed by an email, or dazed during a presentation? It likely lacked a clear structure. Communication structure is the skeleton that shapes and supports your message, guiding your audience along a clear path and ensuring they understand and remember your key points. Without it, your communication can end up unorganized and confusing. 🏰 So, what structures can we use? Let's explore: 🔹 Problem-Solution-Benefit: Ideal for persuasive communication. Identify a problem, propose a solution, and highlight the benefits. 🔸 What? So What? Now What?: A versatile structure, great for decision-making, introductions, and giving feedback. State the facts (What?), discuss their significance (So What?), and propose next steps (Now What?). 🔹 Compare, Contrast, and Conclude: Perfect when discussing alternatives or making recommendations. Analyze two ideas side by side, highlight their similarities and differences, and conclude with a final insight or recommendation. 🔸 The Rule of Three: Organize your key points or ideas in groups of three to enhance recall. 🔹 The Story Arc: A go-to tool for storytelling in business. Set the scene, introduce characters, build tension, reach a climax, and wrap up the narrative. 🔸 SARI (Situation, Action, Result, Insight): Effective when detailing experiences. Describe the situation, share your actions, discuss the result, and reflect on the insights gained. It's now time for action! 🚀 Try incorporating these structures into your communication this week. Notice their impact on the clarity and potency of your message. Do you have a favourite? Or is there one you're eager to try out? Share your thoughts in the comments! Stay tuned for Part 4 of our series, where we'll explore understanding your audience. Part 4, coming next Tuesday: Know Your Audience! 🕵️♀️ #SpeakLikeAPro #communication #CommunicationStructures #publicspeaking #tipsandtricks #professionaldevelopment

What makes Buy-In different? (Most methods focus on what to say) Buy-In focuses on how belief is transferred, emotionally, neurologically, and narratively. The model draws from a wide interdisciplinary foundation and makes these theories teachable and practical for salespeople, recruiters, founders, and leaders. Core theoretical foundations of Buy-In 1. Behavioral psychology Humans don’t act based on information, they act based on reinforced behaviors and environmental cues. 👉 Buy-In aligns with behavior change models like Fogg Behavior Model and Bandura’s Social Learning Theory to design messages that trigger action, not just agreement. 2. Neuroscience of trust Trust is not conceptual, it’s chemical. Studies show that oxytocin, the “trust hormone,” is released through eye contact, storytelling, and emotional attunement. 👉 Buy-In techniques are designed to activate trust circuits in the brain, creating conditions for receptivity. We don't just speak to the mind. We signal to the nervous system: ‘You are safe to believe this.’ 3. Identity-based motivation People are more likely to act when a message aligns with who they believe they are, or who they want to become. 👉 Buy-In applies insights from Self-Perception Theory and James Clear’s Atomic Habits to shift identity, not just behavior. "Help someone believe this message fits their story and their action becomes inevitable." 4. Motivational interviewing This evidence-based technique, widely used in therapy and coaching, shows that people believe what they say more than what they are told. 👉 Buy-In integrates reflective listening, open-ended questioning, and self-generated commitment as part of persuasive conversation design. "We don’t push people to act, we guide them to say yes to themselves." 5. Tactical empathy & narrative transportation Borrowing from Chris Voss, Green & Brock, and the Harvard Negotiation Project, 👉 The Buy-In method teaches how to use story, tone, and timing to mirror emotion, create shared reality, and immerse others in a new narrative. "If you enter their story, they’ll start believing yours." The bottom line? Buy-In is a belief technology. It's what makes our clients not just speak, but win deals and talent. Which one stood out the most for you? Drop it in the comments 👇

6 storytelling frameworks every SDR needs to know. (unless you want to be an SDR forever) Most SDRs get storytelling wrong. And it's costing them promotions and pay-rises. I've seen brilliant ideas die in in meetings. Watched prospects check their phones. Noticed colleagues peers eyes glaze over when they talk. Not because the ideas were bad. But because the story wasn't there. These 6 frameworks change everything: 1) Simon Sinek's Golden Circle ↳ Don't start with what you do. Start with WHY you do it. ↳ Then explain HOW you do it differently. ↳ Only then share WHAT you actually offer. When Airbnb pitches, they don't just say "we rent rooms." They start with "we create belonging." Lead with vision. 2) Minto's Pyramid Principle ↳ Hit them with your main point first. ↳ Support it with clear evidence. ↳ Add details only if they ask. Your busy prospects will love you for this. No more waiting until 15 minutes into your cold call for the punchline. 3) The Pixar Pitch ↳ "Once upon a time..." (set the scene) ↳ "Every day..." (show the problem) ↳ "Until one day..." (introduce your solution) ↳ "Because of that..." (share the impact) ↳ "Until finally..." (reveal the transformation) This structure is pure magic for showing your company's journey or vision and how your prospect can join you. It shifts their belief system and helps them take action. 4) StoryBrand Framework ↳ Your customer is Luke Skywalker ↳ You're Yoda, the guide ↳ Show them how to win Stop making your company the hero. It's not about you. It's about your prospects. 5) What, So What, Now What ↳ State the facts clearly ↳ Explain why anyone should care ↳ Define the next steps Perfect for turning QBR from sleep aids into action drivers. 6) ABT (And, But, Therefore) ↳ Set up what everyone agrees on ↳ Introduce the challenge ↳ Present your solution When you need to be quick and compelling, this is your go-to. Great for 1:1s with your manager. In today's world, the best story wins. It books the meetings. It closes the revenue. It wins the deals. Your dials deserve a story that matches it. Master these frameworks, and watch what happens to: Your quota. Your commission. Your career trajectory. P.S. What's your go-to storytelling framework? ♻️ Repost to help an SDR in your network. Follow Chris Ritson for more SDR content.

What makes a sales narrative persuasive? According to the smartest person I know in sales, The Challenger Customer is the best sales book of all time. So I’ve been rereading it. It says the answer is to provide “Commercial Insight” Think about what your narrative needs to accomplish: It needs to get the customer interested in the first place. Then get them to decide it’s worth it for THEM to change/buy. Then decide it’s worth convincing OTHERS internally. Then actually convince them all. Etc. In other words, the content of your message is VERY important. Two types of messaging have a statistically significant impact on buyers’ decision making. (1) Teaching the customer something new about their own business needs or challenges (2) Providing the customer with compelling reasons why it was necessary to take action They also share what DOESN’T move the needle (screenshot). They give examples of “thought leadership” like saying 90% of CIOs believe X or 80% of CEOs say Y. These don’t move buyers. Think about how much of the marketing and sales narratives at our companies breaks these rules. Yikes. But they also tell a story of a company called DENTSPLY getting this right. This company created some new dental tool. It was wireless. Lighter. Better. So they went to market talking about these great benefits. “It’s lighter!” “Ergonomically designed!” Dentists said “it’s interesting” But when it came time to buy? “Check back with me next year.” It didn’t sell at all. So, back to the drawing board. They reformatted their sale to provide commercial insight. What do dentists care about? Running a good practice (they’re mostly small businesses providing for families) and taking care of patients. They realized there was a problem hurting practices and patients. Dental hygienists were constantly calling out sick, taking time off due to injury, retiring early, etc. The sales reps would quantify the cost and negative impact of this problem with the dentists. See how they’re (2) “providing the customer with compelling reasons why it was necessary to take action”? The dentist cares about the practice and the patients. This problem was hurting those two things. Worth taking action? The dentists thought so. Then they’d explain that the reason this was happening was the tools they were using. The weight of the heavy cord was causing carpal tunnel. (1) “Teaching the customer something new about their own business needs or challenges” Together, this was real Commercial Insight for the dentists. The sales rep would explain that they set out to fix this. They’d come out with a new line of cordless tools that completely mitigated the injuries, alleviating the negative financial, operational, and medical impacts on their businesses. It worked. Narratives are major drivers of sales success. I’d be very curious to hear examples from your sale or other real world examples you love…

The power of narrative media in changing social norms and behavior   Are personal beliefs or perceived norms more important in reducing behaviors that reflect intergroup prejudice?   Following the terrible genocide in Rwanda, a radio program was designed to change Rwandans’ perceptions of what other Rwandans do (descriptive norms) or should do (injunctive norms) in terms of getting along. Over the course of 1 year, villagers were exposed to four 20-min episodes of the radio program each month.   Realistic Rwandan characters, whom villagers could associate with, were depicted in the radio program. Messages of intergroup harmony were enacted by these fictional characters. For instance, scriptwriters portray positive behaviors through two Romeo-and-Juliet-like characters—a boy and a girl from different communities who pursue their love in the face of community disapproval. Unlike Romeo-and-Juliet, however, this romance has a happy ending.   Important insights were generated through this experiment: - The media can have a significant impact on reducing intergroup prejudice and conflict: - The radio soap opera led to changes in listeners' perceptions of social norms and their behaviors related to intermarriage, open dissent, trust, empathy, cooperation, and trauma healing. - Group discussion and emotion were important factors in the process of media influence. - Communication of social norms may be more effective in reducing prejudice and conflict than trying to change personal beliefs. - The perception of social norms plays a crucial role in shaping behavior, even if it contradicts personal beliefs. - Depending upon the context, personal beliefs may be difficult to change, and media may be more effective in communicating social norms than telling people what to think. - Resistance to persuasive messages can occur when personal values or egos are involved. - Normative pressure, applied through the media and other sources, can promote or restrain ethnic violence. - Emotional and group processes are critical to the observed changes in behavior and norms. - The power of narrative media, such as radio programs, lies in their ability to provoke emotional and imaginative processes and allow people to think through difficult issues. #narrativemedia #massmedia #Rwanda #norms #behavior