Social Animal: #12--Grand Narrative

The Grand Narrative: We tell ourselves stories—narratives about who we are. Unfortunately, sometimes those stories are delusional. Overconfidence is one such illusion. For example, 90% of drivers, professors, entrepreneurs and students taking the SAT think they’re all above average! In one study, managers in advertising thought that their answers to industry knowledge questions were 90% correct, but they actually were (on average) only 49% correct. Computer industry folks thought they were 95% correct but (on average) were just 20% correct. In fact, over 99% people in one study overestimated their success. The stock traders—who were the most confident—traded the most and underperformed the market. We have a built-in psychological immune system that makes us delusional—often (if unchecked) allowing us to take in only that which confirms our good qualities, denying that data that attacks our worst ones. Finally, incompetent people exaggerate their competencies more than their better performing peers. So, to say that most people suffer from overconfidence, even delusional about their competence, is an understatement.

Good Strategy-Bad Strategy: Post #7 The Kernel--Diagnosis

The Diagnosis: This step tries to answer the question: What’s going on here? Like medicine, leaders look for emergent patterns when trying to diagnose a problem. And reducing overly complex situations to a story or an analogy can often help leaders from becoming hopelessly stuck. Rumelt uses the Lou Gerstner story at IBM as a way to approach diagnosis. Gerstner determined that IBM needed to move from an integrated IT model to an integrated consulting model focused more on the customer than the technology. That story began to penetrate the market and change the course of IBM’s slump in the mid ‘90s.

Made to Stick: Post #8--An Example

One Sticky Example: The authors add the simple story of Jared—the young man who lost a ton of weight on the Subway Diet. It follows the S-U-C-C-E-S-s pattern: Simple: Jared eats Subway sandwiches every day to lose weight; Unexpected: Jared loses weight on a fast food diet; Concrete: He holds up his huge old pants; Credible: he’s a real guy—not an actor; Emotional: We have a soft spot in our heart for Jared’s overcoming his weight issue; Story: A good guy overcomes adversity and wins…a classic story.

Made to Stick: Post #7--Stories

Stories: Ever since most of us were kids, some adult saying, “I want to tell you a story,” has always quieted down the kids. Something about hearing a story that captivates all of us. And when it comes to ideas sticking, stories work better than facts or “data points.” We also know that mentally rehearsing something like imagining ourselves completing a dive or giving a speech gives us 67% benefit of actually practicing the technique. Stories are just like a flight simulator. We often tell ourselves stories, both good and bad, and thus, succeed or fail often based on how sticky those stories we tell ourselves are.

Tell To Win: Post #9--Final Words

Guber gets public speaking. He’s been a storyteller his whole life. He certainly knows how to tell a story. And in this book, he invites us into his vast experience with the power and persuasion of oral narrative.

Tell To Win: Post #8--Tell It

Tell It. After getting ready and getting set, it’s time to tell your story. Again Guber offers some great advice as a movie producer, successful businessman, and accomplished speaker himself. First, he suggests that good speakers “get into a state.” Great actors, musicians, entertainers and athletes know this state. I call it getting into the zone. And it requires that you physically, mentally, and psychologically get set to deliver. Guber mentions a very important element, “…your intention [as a speaker] is actually what signals listeners to pay attention to you (p. 174).” Dan Siegel told Guber that mirror neurons in the mind of the audience only get tuned in and turned on when the speaker is acting intentionally and with active purpose. So when I move, point or raise or lower my voice, I literally turn on your mind. This is why nonverbal communication is so critical for public speakers. BTW, don’t forget to smile…highly contagious with audiences! There’s a TON of good stuff in this section…about being interactive with the audience, getting attention, engaging their senses, and being willing to go off script to adapt to the situation.

Tell To Win: Post #6--The art of the tell

The art of the tell: Putting your story to work. Guber uses a simple, effective
structure in this section: Get Ready—Get Set—Tell It. Get Ready. Guber outlines several aspects of getting ready to speak. First, let preparation be the master of your success. What’s the essence of your goal as a speaker? Or, what do you want the audience to say, do, or think when you’re finished? Second, are you aligned and congruent with your own goals? Just like animals, finely tuned people can sense when you’re enthusiastic and congruous with your message. Before anyone will go a mile with you, they have to trust you. Third, do you know your audience? It’s ultimately all about them…your idea has to resonate with them or you’re just musing in public. What are their perspectives or biases? And what’s the right context for the speech—informal, formal, mediated or in person, etc?

Tell To Win: Post #4--Story Elements

Story Elements: Guber offers early on a kind of screenwriting 101 course for the novice. First, good stories come from the heart, not the head (Thomas Jefferson would be proud…read his Head Heart Letter to Maria Cosway). Guber tells us that facts and logic can only take us so far. We need to use stories to transport the listener emotionally, or even the best data will fall flat. Audiences want a distinct hero, a decent struggle over something that matters both to the speaker and audience (he calls it a me-to-we factor), and an element of surprise. Guber describes Dan Siegel’s (a UCLA neuroscientist) theory that the critical requirement of a good story is surprise. Siegel breaks it down this way: surprise expectation + violation of expectation. It’s the uncertainty of the struggle that engages any audience. For example, the struggle uncertainty happens every year with March Madness. We get most involved when Ohio State and Duke get knocked off…not when they win! It’s the unexpected surprises we live for, which then are the stories we love to tell.

Tell To Win: Post #3--Emotions

Emotion: It’s the E-word that matters! Storytelling in speechmaking succeeds to the extent of the emotions it stirs in the hearts of the audience. Audiences (listeners/readers) need to be emotionally hooked in the introduction, have their emotions amplified in the body or struggle, and then be stoked to action by the conclusion.

Tell To Win: Post #1--Overview

Tell to Win: Connect, Persuade, and Triumph with the Hidden Power of Story by Peter Guber (Crown Business, 2011). Reviewed by Steve Gladis, Ph.D., April 2011.

If Peter Guber had his way, the CEO would be the Chief Emotional Transportation Officer because Guber believes a leader needs to emotionally transport people to action. Guber—an extraordinarily successful entrepreneur, movie studio chief, pro basketball team owner and more—leverages his moviemaking career to give us a fundamental lesson in people: We like drama—also known as story. Although not mentioned in the book, story has its roots in Aristotle—the point guard on my personal fantasy intellectual dream team. Author of many classics including Rhetoric, Aristotle notes that to have a good story (or speech) you need to have an introduction, a body and a conclusion. I like how Guber puts it (true to his moviemaking roots): We need a challenge, a struggle and a resolution. He steps it up by saying that in the storytelling process, good speakers (storytellers) transport people to action by emotionally engaging them through story. His book is rife with personal stories of him interacting with all manner of people including presidents and dictators—I especially enjoyed the story about his conversation with Castro. So, Guber practices what he preaches. His message is simple, powerful and something every leader, and especially every Chief Emotional Transportation Officer, should heed.