Storytelling isn't just a skill. It’s your secret weapon for influence.
Whether you’re pitching an idea, motivating your team, or communicating your vision, great stories make your messages memorable and impactful.
Ultimately, it's about connecting with others on a deeper level, evoking emotions, and inspiring action.
I often share how effective communication is a top skill in reaching higher levels of growth in your career. Within that, storytelling is a crucial lever to achieve your fullest potential.
Here's how you can become a better storyteller.
Pitfalls that hurt your storytelling
As the storyteller, you’re in charge of crafting a narrative that resonates. However, even the best stories can fall flat if you fall into these common traps.
→ Overcomplicating the message: Packing too much into a story like extra details, side plots, or unnecessary information, can confuse your audience and obscure your core message. Only include details that directly support your main points. Before sharing, ask yourself, “Does this detail clarify or distract from my story?”
- For example, instead of saying, “We restructured the department, hired 5 new people, and launched a new tool,” keep it concise like “Our restructure improved productivity by 20% in the last quarter.”
→ Ignoring your audience: A great story for one group might fall flat with another. Failing to tailor your story to your audience's interests or needs risks losing their attention entirely. Instead, research your audience’s priorities, hot topics of the moment and what they care about most right now. From here, you can adapt your tone, examples, and language to align with their expectations.
- For example, when presenting to executives, you'll likely want to focus on measurable outcomes like ROI, whereas when presenting to your team, you'll likely highlight collaboration and individual contributions.
→ Neglecting the emotional connection: Stories without emotion can miss the mark entirely. It's not just about what you say, but how you make people feel that will garner you more support and buy-in. If your narrative doesn’t engage your audience’s feelings, it won’t leave a lasting impact. Instead, use real examples/anecdotes to illustrate your points, and evoke empathy, excitement, or curiosity in your delivery.
- For example, instead of saying, “We had a successful product launch,” you can say “We faced a tough deadline, but our team’s grit led to a launch that generated $350K in its first week, 10% ahead of target.”
[Check out my recent newsletter on 3 ways to present to executives with confidence]
3 ways to improve your storytelling skills
1/ Craft a strong narrative arc
A strong narrative arc guides your audience through a story that is both engaging and impactful. It ensures your story has a clear beginning to set the stage, a middle to present challenges or conflicts, and an end that resolves those conflicts and offers actionable insights or next steps.
Here's how you can bring this to life.
→ Start with context and curiosity: Lay a solid foundation by sharing the “why” behind your story. Frame it in a way that hooks your audience immediately. Some examples include opening statements like "Imagine if I told you that..." or "What if tomorrow you could X, would that excite you?".
- For example, instead of “Our sales rose last quarter,” start with, “What if I told you we implemented a strategy that increased sales by 25% in just 3 months? Let me take you through how we did it.”
→ Make the stakes real: Use data and facts to highlight challenges or obstacles, but bring in emotion to humanize your story.
- For example, when discussing a project delay, say, “We faced a 3-week delay due to a supply chain issue that slowed operations on our product line. That said, it was a turning point that tested our creativity and collaboration, and led to us solving the problem with an even better solution. Here's what we did...”.
→ End with a lasting takeaway: Wrap your story with resolution and a key insight. Make sure your audience walks away with a clear message or action step.
- For example, “Because of our open communication between marketing, sales and ops, we not only met the deadline but exceeded expectations, achieving a 15% efficiency gain. Here’s how we can apply this to future projects.”
2/ Reinforce an emotional hook
Emotional engagement is the secret sauce that transforms good stories into unforgettable ones. Leaders who connect emotionally drive action, foster alignment, and inspire change.
Humanize your content and turn abstract data and objectives into relatable, impactful narratives.
→ Align emotions with your message: Identify the core feeling you want to evoke, whether it’s confidence, resilience, or excitement. Then, share stories that embody these emotions.
- For example, instead of presenting numbers alone, say, “This strategy didn’t just improve revenue by 15%, it also gave our team the confidence to innovate further after years of stagnant growth.”
→ Show the struggle and resolution: Bring your audience into the challenges and triumphs that make your story relatable. Highlight the human effort behind successes.
- For example, “When the launch team faced supply chain issues, they didn’t give up. They brainstormed alternatives for several days, resulting in a solution that delivered on time and exceeded customer expectations.”
→ Speak to your audience’s priorities: Tailor your narrative to what matters most to your listeners, whether that’s innovation, collaboration, or impact.
- An example for clients could be, “Here’s how our solution cut energy costs by 20% while reducing environmental impact, which aligns well with your sustainability goals.”
- An example for teams could be, “Your recommendation during last month’s project was the reason we hit the deadline. That effort inspires the entire company as a best practice in tackling these kinds of situations head-on.”
[Check out my LinkedIn Learning course on Storytelling to Influence Leadership and Decision Makers]
3/ Focus on simplicity
Simplicity is the cornerstone of effective storytelling. When time is limited, delivering complex ideas in straightforward terms ensures your message is clear, memorable, and actionable.
Contrary to what many believe, simplicity doesn’t dilute your story. It actually amplifies its impact by focusing on what truly matters and clearing away distractions. You can follow these steps.
→ Clarify your core message: Start by identifying the 1 key takeaway you want your audience to remember. Cut out anything that doesn’t directly support it.
- For example, instead of listing every detail of a project, you can say, “This initiative reduced costs by 20% while doubling efficiency. These were the steps I put into place to make it happen.”
→ Use plain, concise language: Avoid jargon and technical terms unless they’re essential. Translate your ideas into relatable language your audience can easily grasp.
- For example, instead of “We leveraged cross-functional synergies,” say something like “We brought together our marketing and sales teams early on in the planning process which directly benefitted our initial sell-through that came in 20% higher than anticipated. In the past, sales was only looped in closer to the go-to-market timing which created a lack of clarity on how to maximize first-month targets together."
→ Bridge concepts with analogies where possible: Analogies simplify abstract ideas by connecting them to familiar ones. It's also easier to remember an analogy tied to your work than the details itself.
- For example: “Think of our supply chain strategy like a relay race where each team must pass the baton smoothly to avoid delays. This is exactly what we leaned into for [X project] to ensure we had consistent, clear communication together and optimized for efficiency.”
→ Incorporate visuals: Charts, infographics, or simple diagrams can convey information faster than words alone. Use them to emphasize your key points and keep your audience engaged. It's also an easy way of not having text-heavy visual support so the focus remains on you as the storyteller.
Pro tip: If you're short on time or your meeting is running long, this is a perfect moment to condense your story by having your 3 essential messages top of mind. This could sound something like "Given that we only have 5 minutes left, I'd like to focus on X, Y and Z to ensure I get your alignment on [project / approval / direction]." This also demonstrates that you know your stuff even when faced with time pressure.
How will you share your next stories?
Storytelling is a career-transforming skill. Every story you share is a chance to engage, inspire, and lead others toward action. By mastering the craft, you’ll enhance your communication, deepen connections, and amplify your influence and impact.
You've got this!
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This week's mission is designed to practice your storytelling skills. Whether it’s a presentation, a team meeting, or a 1-on-1 chat, take the opportunity to share a story that captivates, connects, and inspires.
1/ Narrative arc challenge:
- Pick a recent project or experience. Craft a story with a clear beginning (set the stage), middle (highlight challenges), and end (share the resolution and impact).
- Share it with a trusted colleague or your boss and ask “Was the structure clear?", "Did the story flow well?” and "What were your biggest takeaways?".
- Note any feedback to refine your approach for next time.
2/ Emotional engagement exercise:
- Think about a meaningful challenge or success you’ve had. Create a short story focusing on the emotional journey, what made it significant, and how it felt to overcome it.
- Share this story in a team meeting or with a mentor and watch their reaction. Did it resonate? Did they feel connected to your message?
3/ Simplicity in action:
- Take a complex concept or ongoing project you’re working on. Break it into a simple, engaging explanation that someone outside your field could easily understand.
- Test it out with a friend, family member, or junior colleague and ask for feedback “Was this easy to follow? What part could I simplify further?”.
- Adjust based on their input and incorporate this clarity in your next work presentation.
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