A few years ago, I was invited to join a mastermind that consisted of 10 like-minded professional services business owners. I had known the facilitator for years, so thought I would give it a try.
 
A week before the meeting I received the agenda. I perused it quickly, but stopped when I noted the facilitator’s approach for our introductions. Not only did I need to prepared to discuss my business, I needed to be CREATIVE. I needed to tell a story.
 
Our assignment was to introduce us and our business with the help of a story. We had three minutes to tell the story. The instructions were each story needed to be not only grabbing, but it needed to clearly articulate our why, who, what, and how. The story we presented needed to be remarkable, but reasonable, as well as repeatable. Sounds like an easy exercise. 
 
The day arrived and we gathered in a conference room, exchanged the normal pleasantries, and grabbed a beverage and snack before sitting. What I noted was a few of the owners were fidgeting in their seats, clearly uncomfortable. 
 
We analyzed each story after it was presented. Questions such as “Could you clearly understand the focus of the business?” and “Did you understand how the client’s problem was solved?” were contemplated.  The final question was “Did you gain enough insight to understand the ideal client criteria so that you could refer potential clients?”
 
I wish I could say that every story was presented with clarity. I wish I say I could quickly ascertain the why, who, what, and how as well as the benefit or result the client obtained, but I couldn’t. Several people struggled trying to be creative and others used jargon and alphabet soup words that were foreign to some of us around the table.  What I can say is regardless of how well or poorly the story was told, all of us walked out of the room humbled but with ideas as to how to improve communicating our services.  
 
My top two take-aways...

• None of us were professional story tellers like Mark Twain, Stephen King, or J. R. Rowling. Great writers earn every penny they make. We were business people and for us, storytelling was not easy. Several people struggled starting with setting the stage. They did not know how to build the scene with the right characters including the antagonist. Occasionally the result or benefit was not clear and sometimes the presentation style was shaky preventing the story from sinking in. I realized that as much as I believe in the power of storytelling, I need to continually work to hone my storytelling skills. 
• It is important to be careful when using of jargon and alphabet soup words. Simply, if the average person does not understand your story, you’ve lost them and in a business setting there is a good chance you’ve lost a potential referral person. I started to look at my stories from a different perspective, critiquing the words I used to ensure my message left no ambiguity and the words were understandable to everyone.  

People like to hear stories because they are real and relatable. Stories are a great way to communicate ideas and explain complicated concepts.  I  believe storytelling is a critical, but an often overlooked, skill for every business owner, consultant or not, to hone because stories can help you grow your business and succeed.
 
Oh, before you ask. The mastermind group I refer to in this story lasted less than 6 months, but it was good experience while it did.

*****

Until Next Week,

Laura Dallas Burford