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Hardcover
Publisher: Collins Business
Format: Bargain Price
"Every great leader is a great storyteller," says Harvard University psychologist Howard Gardner. According to master storytellers Richard Maxwell and Robert Dickman, storytelling is a lot like running. Everyone knows how to do it, but few of us ever break the four-minute mile. What separates the great runners from the rest? The greats know not only how to hit every stride, but how every muscle fits together in that stride so that no effort is wasted and their goals are achieved. World-class runners know how to run from the inside out. World-class leaders know how to tell a story from the inside out. In The Elements of Persuasion, Maxwell and Dickman teach you how to tell stories too. They show you how storytelling relates to every industry and how anyone can benefit from its power. Maxwell and Dickman use their experiences—both in the entertainment industry and as corporate consultants—to deliver a formula for winning stories. All successful stories have five basic components: the passion with which the story is told, a hero who leads us through the story and allows us to see it through his or her eyes, an antagonist or obstacle that the hero must overcome, a moment of awareness that allows the hero to prevail, and the transformation in the hero and in the world that naturally results. Let's face it: leading is a lot more fun than following. Even if you never want to be a CEO or to change the world, you do want to have control over your own work and your own ideas. Ultimately, that is what the power of storytelling can give you.
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| It's All in The Story |
| Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 |
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Storytelling is a powerful way to engage people within the sales process. The authors in this book immediately begin in the first chapter help you understand how to construct a powerful story. There are five elements involved in this creation.
1. Passion - the energy of delivery and emotions expressed
2. Hero - provide a point of view and engages the audience
3. Antagonist - obstacles that need to be overcome
4. Awareness - opportunity to learn from story
5. Transformation - the happy ending
Within the passion element, the authors contend that a good story has an element of surprise. This surprise factor helps to spread the story through word of mouth. Modern day examples of heroes cited included: Warren Buffet, Frank Perdue and Colonel Sanders. Then the authors walk the reader through the other four elements.
This book is a great template to help sales professionals craft a compelling story and learn how to leverage storytelling as part of their sales skills allowing them to truly be The Red Jacket in a sea of gray suits
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| Hugely disappointing |
| Customer Rating: 1 out of 5 |
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I bought this book to improve my storytelling. Big mistake. The book is a mishmash of everything trendy, New Age, Ancient Greek, modern TV,neuroscience, Viagra, Zen and buzz mixed together in an distasteful and incoherent 224-page glop.
Take for instance, their trivializing the Marines Corp as "one of the most effective brands in history" (sorry to hear your son was killed by friendly fire ma'am, but hey, isn't the Marines Corp a terrific brand!)
Much more useful than all the psychobabble would be some before and after stories showing how they had improved someone's storytelling. One of the authors claims to teach 'narrative strategies', but strangely gives no such examples.
Save your money.
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| Elements of Persuasion |
| Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 |
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Excellent intro & in my opinion, the most effective way to "embody" the unique knowledge presented would be to take some of the courses presented by the School(Arica Institue/Oscar Ichazo Foundation)the authors cite to provide a map of the full range of the highest awareness available to a human being through knowledge/logic (all depends on what kind of logic one is using) rather than faith/belief (a valid path in itself though not necessarily "easier" than the way of knowledge/logic) & working practices/trainings to stablize & make such real & permanent.(And yes,I am still working at this.)
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| Exceptionally well-written business storytelling insights revealed |
| Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 |
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In my quest for learning how to communicate better in business, I found this book and am thrilled with the consultative, practical insights shared by the authors. Very effective in using stories to communicate key points (as in Ritz and others) as well as specific strategies, this book reveals many practical business leadership skill "how to" tactics that any of us in executive or entrepreneurial roles will find useful.
One of the better-written, thoughtful and useful books I've read all year. Superb job on it - highly recommended.
-ken calhoun
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| The Case for Storytelling as a Business-Critical Skill |
| Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 |
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Most of us would probably not identify storytelling as a business critical skill, and it is not likely to be found in the curriculum of business schools. But the authors are serious business consultants and have worked with some top-notch companies. Moreover, they don't just talk about storytelling, they practice what they preach. The book is filled with engaging, powerful stories about the impact leaders can have when they understand the power of a compelling story. They recount examples of leaders who have done this successfully, as well as some who did not - to the detriment of their shareholders.
Although this is a quick, entertaining read, it merits careful study. This is not simply a book of stories, it is a practical how-to for those struggling for a way to capture the importance of their mission, their vision, the potential of a new technology, or any other idea crucial to success. When you have finished, you will consider you critical messages in a new way, looking for the Passion, Hero, Antagonist, Awareness and Transformation that will embed your story in the listener's mind, and if successful, stir them to action. If you are a business leader, and especially if you are someone who sells products, ideas or concepts, this book belongs on your reading list.
Not all great business books are about strategy, execution, innovation, customer-focus or operational efficiency. This one is about a soft skill with hard impact. Highly recommended.
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