How to write exciting scripts and make interesting presentations? Key points from Annette Simmons' book Storytelling. Stories on the theme "Who am I"

Why didn't I like this book?

I was going through my workbooks and came across my notes on Annette Simmons' book " Storytelling. How to use the power of stories"(MYTH, 2013; book on the publisher's website and on Ozone). I remembered that then (in 2014, when I purchased the book) I only briefly got acquainted with the book with the help of" viewing reading ". I looked through it" diagonally ", snatched some key ideas, but decided not to read the book itself.Why?

For a very simple reason: the book seemed too "missionary" to me. A lot of emotions, a lot of enthusiastic phrases about the "power of stories", a lot of irony and criticism in relation to those who "did not believe" in the magic of storytelling. At some points, it even seemed to me that Ms. Simmons contradicted herself. History is not a sermon, not a straightforward labeling, not imposing on the audience a "correct" understanding from the position of an omniscient "guru". But the author constantly slips into this very guruism and missionary work :(. Perhaps it all seemed to me, but on an emotional level the book caused me certain doubts and even rejection. ( For example, P. Guber's book "Tell me to win" seemed to me much more useful -)

It happens to me quite often when some text drives me into a stupor. I seem to understand it intellectually, but at some deep emotional level, the text surprises me. Moreover, this is surprise with a minus sign, this is surprise-disagreement. The text reveals something different, something strongly "not mine". The first impulsive reaction to such texts is to close the book, throw it somewhere far away, and forget :).

I used to do that. But over the years, I came to understand that it is precisely such texts (which contain a frightening, incomprehensible and negative Other) that are most useful for my personal and professional development. Of course, not all and not always. It happens that the text is so alien that nothing can be done about it. But I have a rule: after a while, be sure to return to books that "surprised" (in a negative sense) me. The "other" that is contained in these texts often contains fantastic potential for growth. And if I manage to integrate this potential into my life, truly amazing changes occur.

With the book by A. Simmons "Storytelling" a similar story turned out. At first I didn't like her very much; provoked many doubts and questions. In accordance with my algorithm for working with the IVD book (Ideas - Questions - Actions), I outlined some actions that I wanted to try out in practice. I put the book itself aside, but not even three years have passed :)), when the time has come to reread it again. And understand what she taught me.

Let me start by saying that I am not new to storytelling...

My life in storytelling :)

If anyone is not interested, then you can safely skip this section, because the author is going to praise himself in it :). Of course, the purpose of writing is not boasting, but some kind of retrospective arrangement of the "reference points" of my experience as a storyteller (storyteller).

My first stories were told to my younger sister when I was 10-11 years old, and she was 5 years old. There was a wonderful family tradition at home - our parents read some kind of "bedtime story" to us before going to bed. Of course, the fairy tale was selected unpretentiously, taking into account the age of the sister. It was boring for me to listen to this, but I had to endure it. But after the parents wished us good night, turned off the light and left the nursery, it was my turn :). Usually I took as a basis the plot I had just heard, added new characters, new circumstances, and began to compose a fairy tale.

I suspect that it was mandatory for my stories to be labeled "12+, only for boys" :)). Because there were too many fights and shootouts, chases, secret tricks and gadgets, terrible villains and noble heroes. Sometimes, at the tearful request of the sister, beautiful princesses were added to the story, but usually they were harsh boy action movies, without sentimentality :). Good has always triumphed over evil, but the path to victory itself could be very long and confusing.

My first (and best :)) listener - my younger sister - liked my stories. But the parents chased us all the time (“Sleep, stop talking there already!”). We were put to bed at 9-10 pm, and I could tell my story until midnight and even well after midnight. A couple of times it happened that after hearing the story, the little sister was "all on emotions", and could not fall asleep until the morning. Then the whole next day I went half asleep. As you understand, I got from my parents for such "wrecking" is not weak!

Around the same age, a little older - at 11-14 years old - the ability to tell stories helped me make friends. I was not physically strong and agile, I did not have any special talents or skills; those. nothing at all that would allow me to claim at least some kind of leadership among peers. At this age I was fat and clumsy bespectacled, extremely timid and shy. Plus, I have always been an introvert, who finds it much easier to communicate with books than with real people. I found "my flock" only thanks to the ability to compose and tell stories.

This happened after the release in 1979 (I was 12 years old) of the film "D. Artanyan and the Three Musketeers" (dir. Jungvald-Khilkevich). It will probably be very difficult for today's children to imagine the wild popularity that the film had then. Everyone fenced! :) The noble musketeers sorted things out with the cardinal's guards at breaks, and even at the lessons :), and in every yard after school.

The film was released on the eve of the New Year (December 25), and I clearly remember the massive musketeer battles in our yard during the New Year holidays. The battles were costumed - "musketeer" cloaks made of sheets or curtains were put on over winter clothes :), with blue crosses painted on them. "Cardinal" cloaks were either red or black. Moreover, in the process of the battle, it was possible to change capes, moving from one team to another. Swords were made from any improvised pieces of wood, but those made from discarded Christmas trees were especially valued (straight, and a crosspiece "like a real one" near the handle). How we did not cripple ourselves with these sticks - only God knows! Although there were plenty of bruises, scratches and abrasions, but so - nothing serious.

Usually we did not just fencing "wall to wall", but acted out some kind of plot. Any carnage began with an impromptu meeting, at which we all came up with the legend of the game together. Most often, these were some episodes from the film, slightly modified: "Today we have the defense of the redoubt (several houses and a slide on the playground :)) near the fortress of La Rochelle. But besides the Huguenots, a few more cardinal spies will attack from the rear!". I remember that I always wanted to come up with a story that was more interesting. And during the next such "meeting" I said: "Why are we only playing three musketeers?! After all, the book has sequels!". And he told my little-read comrades that there are also other books by Dumas about 10 and 20 years later.

I confess that at that time I had not yet read these books :), I only heard about them. I hope old Dumas will forgive me, because then I began to compose my own continuations of the Three Musketeers, hiding behind his authority. These were short spoken improvisations, right before the game. Episodes were lightly edited by comrades, after which we brought them to life.

Over time, the general excitement around the Musketeers faded. But I made three (of course exactly that many! :)) good friends. We "fairly" alternated musketeer roles - everyone could be Athos, Porthos, Aramis or D "Artagnan. As a result, we not only played musketeers, but composed a continuation of the story with ourselves in the lead roles :). Soon we got tired of the musketeers, and some fantastic and adventurous stories about the conquest of unknown planets and travel to dangerous lands were used.What is surprising for me today is that the friendship based on stories turned out to be unexpectedly strong, and lasted all school years (after passing through various trials).

In high school and college, the target audience for my stories (and the stories themselves) changed radically. Stories were now told exclusively for the beautiful half of humanity :). I am now very ashamed of them - because there was vanishingly little truth in them, but the flight of fantasy was not limited by anything. In general, it was that kind of storytelling in the style of Shakhnazar's "Courier" :) . (I will not) modestly note that the thesis "women love with their ears" has been repeatedly tested and confirmed;)).

Professional storytelling for a psychologist

I learned the word "storytelling" relatively recently, in 2010. But I began to work professionally with the stories themselves much earlier - since the beginning of my career as a practical psychologist-consultant in 1994.

I remember how, during my studies at the university, one of the teachers spoke about the fact that the Siberian peoples shamans are divided into "sitting" and "standing". "Seated" talk to the spirits with the help of texts - poetry, singing, prayers and spells. "Standing" interact with the spirits through rituals, music, dance, sacrifices and other manipulations. The ritual of the former is the creation of a text, the ritual of the latter is the unfolding of actions.

By direct analogy, modern psychotherapy can be divided into verbal and non-verbal. Verbal - where the main tool is speech, dialogue, expressive means of natural language. Non-verbal uses the body, movement, actions, etc. as tools of psychotherapy. Examples of verbal psychotherapy: all psychoanalysis, cognitive and rational psychotherapy, positive, etc. Non-verbal psychotherapy includes many varieties of art therapy and body psychotherapy.

For me, the choice was easy: "teleska" and art therapy, it's great, of course, but not mine :(. I like to take part in such practices, but I don't see them as my working tool. I like to work with Any discourse is good, but there are especially favorites: Jungian archetypes (especially in the psychoanalysis of fairy tales by M. von Franz and D. Campbell's "hero's journey"), the Lacanian/Deleuzian approach "language as the unconscious" and the NLP-ist "structure of magic" and especially therapeutic metaphors by M. Erickson, parables in positive therapy by N. Pezeshkian, in cognitive and rational psychotherapy, I especially liked questioning techniques that can help structure any personal story. Of course, this is not a complete list! For example, narrative is quite popular today psychotherapy, the methods of which I also partly use in my work.

For non-psychologists, I will explain simply. The job of a psychologist is to listen to other people's stories.. Even if a person talks about some current problem, it is still necessary to restore the full context of its emergence and development. Deployment of the problem in time - this is history. And not only problems, but also the life of this person.

The "first move" in the communication between the psychologist and the client is always with the client - he tells a story about himself and his problem. The psychologist may choose different listening strategies: from maximum passivity (the principle of "dispassionate mirror" in psychoanalysis or non-reflexive listening in Rogerian psychology) to active participation-co-authorship in the client's story. The psychologist can guide and structure the client's story, for example by using question techniques.

I will add that not everyone has well-developed verbal abilities. Over the years of practice, I have met quite a lot of people for whom even a simple coherent story about themselves (their problem, their life, etc.) is very difficult. You literally have to “pull out” a story from them with the help of leading questions. This should be done very carefully (using open-ended questions) so as not to add too much to the story.

Sometimes it is enough just to tell/listen to the story. For example, for situations of acute grief, empathic listening is the number one method. For situations of breakup or loss, the best way to "survive" them to the end is to tell (and maybe more than once) the story of these losses. If only you knew how many amazing stories I have heard over the years! And not always tragic or terrible, namely amazing, in which grief and joy are closely intertwined. Over the years, I understand more and more that life is much richer and more diverse than books or movies. From time to time I joke that when I retire, when I quit studying psychology, I will start writing scripts for TV shows :) So many stories have already accumulated in me that it’s easy enough for several 100-episode soap operas :)).

But for now - ts-s-s, silentio! No one has canceled medical secrecy yet, and I, of course, guarantee complete confidentiality to my clients. Their stories are stored inside me more securely than in the Chernobyl sarcophagus. And by the way, there is significant difference: storytelling offers to make your personal story as open as possible (" Share it with other people and it will be easier!"), and in psychology, the story is put into the ears of only a trusted person - a psychologist or psychotherapist (" Give away your history. Put it in a secure safe and live freely. There will come a time when you're ready - take it back - cleaned and rethought").

I do not share the enthusiasm of storytellers who believe that any honest story told to the public is good. The story told begins to take on a life of its own, acquires new owners, and, sooner or later, will surely be used against us:(. This is a law that should always be remembered. I have several such cases, but one of the latest was the flash mob #I'm Not Afraid to Say in 2016 in social networks, when women - victims of sexual violence - openly told their stories. I admit that the problem sexual violence exists, we need to talk about it. But it is one thing to change public opinion, and quite another thing is the reaction of loved ones and the "near society" (at the level of our suburb). The neighboring society is morally and psychologically not ready to accept such stories, it does not want them There is rejection and reciprocal aggression; the victim of sexual violence is even more stigmatized, and instead of the long-awaited relief, the story-recognition gives rise to new pain and new misunderstanding. Instead of release, the victim of violence is even more convinced that "everything is bad with me" the consequences of such "storytelling" are already in the psychologist's office.

...Something I went to the side :) I return to the methodology: sometimes it is enough for a psychologist to act only as a listener to the story (which already helps to improve the emotional state of the client), but in the vast majority of cases, the psychologist acts as an active co-author. The meaning of the psychotherapeutic dialogue is in the transformation, in the "rewriting" of the client's story. New semantic accents are added to the story told by the client (and sometimes the meaning of the story as a whole changes); new structural elements appear in it - details, characters, events, situations, etc.; there are unexpected plot moves, and perhaps the ending of the story changes.

I wrote my first psychotherapeutic stories for children, to correct children's fears. In Gianni Rodari's excellent book, The Grammar of Fantasy (Introduction to the Art of Storytelling), I read the idea that you can re-invent fairy tales. Of course, good usually defeats evil anyway, but a fairy tale can be remade so that this victory is sophisticated :) and especially convincing. Such an unconditional victory gives the child a sense of control over fear. I began to remake scary tales with the children - more precisely, stories - "horror stories" that they composed themselves - and then I learned (from Alexander Ivanovich Zakharov) that such fairy tale therapy has been used for a long time. I consider A.I. Zakharov my Teacher; and all sorts of now popular Zinkevich-Evstigneevs :) appeared much later. By the way, at one time I even collected children's "horror stories"; under my scientific supervision, several theses were written about ways to respond to children's fears through stories.

Of course, I used stories not only with children, but also with adults. I heard something about fairy tale therapy, I didn’t know anything about storytelling then, but gradually I came to my own method of working with stories. I just called her - THREE ( Storytelling Technique); and in the early 2000s even held a couple of workshops for practical psychologists in our city "Storytelling Techniques in Child/Adult Psychotherapy". According to the reviews of colleagues, the system turned out to be quite working. In this note, I will not retell the THREE method :), otherwise the size of this not small text will increase three times)). But "maybe someday" ;) .

Later, I began to actively use stories on personal growth trainings and professional/career counseling. Here, for example, is a simple technique that is often used in personal growth training: "Draw your life path, and then tell a coherent story from this picture." According to this story, you can ask a lot of "enlightening" :) questions; and the picture itself can, if desired, be turned into a visual map of the future, supplementing it with high-quality time management (well-formulated goals and plans). But it is much more interesting when the author of the drawing tells the story of life based on the drawn picture, and jointly composes all the participants of the training. In this version, the story invented by the group sometimes gives surprisingly powerful insights.

A similar "composition" of one's life path - as the "hero's path" according to Joseph Campbell - works quite well in career guidance/professional counseling for high school students and students. I will not write the details, my presentation on the topic "Storytelling: build your career!".

A lot of storytelling :))) was in my work as political consultant, or rather an image maker. As you understand, politics is applied myth-making, in which you have to not only edit the biography (and life :)) of a candidate to show how "great and terrible" he is, but also "package" the candidate's political ideas into convincing and understandable for the electorate stories.

As business consultant I used storytelling as a tool in solving three problems: 1) creating and promoting a brand ("Storytelling as a method of brand promotion"); 2) the formation of a strong organizational culture; 3) team building, increasing the cohesion of the workforce.

... something I'm tired of writing about myself beloved :), go to Annette Simmons

10 key storytelling ideas from Annette Simmons

1) In applied storytelling (stories told to influence others) there are only 6 main plots:

1. Stories like "Who am I" - a story about yourself, as open as possible, not hiding flaws

3. "Vision" stories - paint an exciting, vivid and graphic picture of the (common, shared) future for the audience

4. Instructive stories - teach new skills with specific examples

5. Stories demonstrating "Values in Action" - the best way to convey the value of something - a personal example (a story about a value choice made)

6. Stories that say "I know what you're thinking" - anticipate, anticipate doubts and objections.

2) Formally "story" = any narrative message drawn from personal experience, imagination, literary or mythological source.

But in fact, "stories" are only those narratives that cause a strong emotional reaction, which we easily remember (often not on purpose, this is a kind of "emotional imprinting"), and which become part of our personality, changing our lives.

History is multidimensional. This means that any good story is a symbol, i.e. hides a whole package of meanings. And history is valuable for us personally precisely because in various life situations we can "print" it, and extract the meanings that we need now, are relevant at the moment. Moreover, this package of meanings can contain meanings that are directly opposite in sign and meaning - history is illogical.

From myself I will add that the internal plan of history is always much richer than the external one. On the surface, this may be a simple parable or an anecdote that is easy to interpret. This is what novice psychologists sin with - it seems to them that it is very easy to understand (and even more so interpret) the client's story / story. This is not true! Any story told is just the tip of the iceberg.

3) Well, I really liked the story about Nasreddin :) It seemed to me very relevant for the business education in which I work. It's just a training method :)

"Nasreddin, a wise, but at times simple-minded man, was once asked by the elders of one village to read a sermon in the mosque. Nasreddin, knowing that his head was full of wisdom, did not consider it necessary to prepare for it. On the first morning, he stood at the door of the mosque, puffed out his chest and began, “My beloved brethren, do you know what I am about to speak about now?” The people bowed their heads humbly and said to him, "We are simple poor people. How do we know what you are going to talk about?" Nasreddin proudly threw the half of his robe over his shoulder and pompously announced: "So I'm not needed here" and walked away.

Curiosity seized the people, and more people gathered outside the mosque the following week. Again, Nasreddin did not deign to prepare for the sermon. He stepped forward and asked, “My beloved brethren, how many of you know what I am going to talk about now?” But this time the people did not lower their heads. "We know! We know what you'll be talking about!" Nasreddin threw the hem of his robe over his shoulder again and, saying, "So I'm not needed here," as he had done the previous week, he walked away.

Another week passed, and Nasreddin, as before, without preparation, appeared at the mosque. He confidently stepped forward and asked the same question: “My beloved brethren, who among you knows what I will speak about?” But this time, people met Khoja fully armed. Half of them said: “We are poor, simple people. How do we know what you're talking about?" The other half said: “We know! We know what you'll be talking about." Old Nasreddin thought for a moment and said: "Let those of you who know tell about it to those who do not know, and I am not needed here." With these words, he wrapped himself in a dressing gown and walked away.

But why is A. Simmons telling this story? People irrationally believe in their rationality :). It seems to all of us that we are "reasonable people" who are ready to impartially perceive only facts, and make their judgments about something only on the basis of facts. But really the story is wider and larger than individual facts. History is a larger context in which we consciously (and often unconsciously) include the facts that we have.

From here there are three important applied conclusions: a) facts outside of history are ignored, overlooked; b) first you need to tell (clarify, update) the story, and only then present the facts in this context/frame; c) if you want to change the perception/understanding/assessment of facts, change the story in which they are included.

4) Good history = history representation= "theatre of one actor". The story deals with emotions, so ANY expressive means (ways of expressing and intensifying emotions) are good. In addition to the expressive means of speech/language, our entire body is involved in storytelling.

Practical conclusion: a good storyteller "pumps" and skillfully uses body language - facial expressions, pantomime, voice, plasticity, etc. In short, acting skills training is highly recommended :).

5) Purpose of history - integration. A good story builds bridges between the storyteller and the audience, between the listeners, between the audience and humanity, between the space of history and the vast outside world. History "sews together" heterogeneous and multidirectional interests, needs, goals with a common meaning.

There is always something more than our immediate needs. There is always something more valuable than the values actualized in a given situation. The story, as it were, "spreads" the situation and its understanding, bringing the audience to a new meta-level.

A good story helps you first feel (at the level of emotional involvement) that there is something more; then understand these meta-values and common goals; then accept them.

6) The scale of a good story is a holistic personality and its destiny(i.e. ALL life).

Our inner stories are the scripts we live by. This is our personal myth, in which we already have a rigidly fixed role (or roles). Many of our inner histories are laid down in us in childhood, at a preconscious age. And this means that our old stories will inevitably resist any new stories.

Can new stories "beat" old ones? Through direct conflict, victory is impossible. New stories can only "absorb" the old ones by including (integrating) them into themselves. A new story will only take root when it shows us a new "better" version of ourselves - a more complete and larger version, based on our best qualities, but also accepting the "past me". The new story gives the vision of a "new me in my new life" (throughout this lifetime).

On my own behalf, I’ll add that Simmons reveals this idea extremely indistinctly :(. But the idea itself is very good, and fits perfectly with Jungian individuation, Maslow’s self-actualization and other self-development methodologies.

7) Negative stories don't work! Even if we are trying to draw the attention of the audience to terrible and objectively unpleasant problems, we should not press on negative emotions. Stories should inspire, not kill hope.

Exist six difficult situations- emotional states of listeners - in which the influence of history weakens (and what to do to overcome these states):

1. Cynicism, skepticism, increased criticality - telling a story in such a way that it connects/includes the personal impressions/experience of the listeners, this will be the best evidence for them;

2. Resentment towards the narrator - to demonstrate respect for the individual; look for "intersection points"; fix common interests; show a common perspective (vision of a common future);

3. Envy - / similar to item 2 /;

4. Hopelessness, discouragement, disbelief in success - a "value in action" story showing that change starts with us, and that even great changes start with small steps;

5. Apathy, lack of motivation, passivity - the cause of apathy usually lies in the fear of strong negative experiences, plus this is a consequence of a lack of strength, vitality. We need stories about what makes us alive, what helps us find the sources of "living water" in ourselves and in the world around us;

6. Greed, selfishness - in general, the strategy is the same - the search for common interests, but I really liked the story (from the category of "alternative value in action" :)) from a book that can be told to selfish people:

“Once the animals gathered in the forest to decide which of them was the strongest. Each went out into the clearing and demonstrated what he was capable of. The monkey jumped up the tree, and then began to deftly jump from branch to branch. All the animals began to applaud her. Then an elephant came up to the same tree, uprooted it and lifted it up to the sky. All the animals agreed that the elephant was stronger than the monkey. But the man said: "I am stronger anyway." Everyone laughed - how could a man be stronger than an elephant? The man became angry and took out a gun. The animals scattered and fled forever from man. Man did not know the difference between strength and death. And animals are still afraid of his ignorance. "

8) There is a very good chapter in the book about the ability to listen. The principle is simple: before you tell a story, you need to listen to the story your audience. Otherwise, there simply will not be a common basis for conversation.

Personally, this chapter was of little use to me, because. listening skills are my daily working tool. I came up with two ideas for myself: a) stories are told not only by clients in my office :), and we need to pay more attention to random stories; b) less analytical and critical (especially in relation to random stories).

9) Narrator and listener - two equal and complementary roles. Proper storytelling is possible only when there is a position of partnership, equality and respect between all participants in the situation. Perhaps the biggest mistake in storytelling is to take on the role of an all-knowing guru who lectures down on an unintelligent audience. I can’t help but give a brilliant quote from a book about guruism:

"My friend, a successful writer, speaker and teacher, complained that people want to label her as a guru at all costs. Achieving influence requires pauses, and I did not say anything, but I wanted to say:" My dear, if they they stick to you so much, it means you provoke them to it yourself". Any person who has even a little charisma and can speak fluently can win over those who readily renounce independent thinking. Actually, the role of a guru is very tempting. But becoming an object of worship is very dangerous, because then the thinking public is automatically excluded from the field of your influence.

If such a condescending guru takes his eyes off the admiring faces of his followers for a moment, he will see less admiring faces. Eyebrows raised in surprise, glances averted - this is the answer of a thinking person to a condescending smile, long vague explanations and wise aphorisms. Those who are not part of a close circle of followers, the spirit of superiority will be annoying, and you will not be able to influence such people. Giving up the role of guru may disappoint fans, but in return, you may get a wider audience."

With which I completely agree :)

10) And the last super-idea from the book is 7 ways to find stories for storytelling:

1. Look for patterns: a variety of topics that reveal you as a person; stories about moments of spiritual uplift, proving that you are on the right track; recurring failures that encourage you to look for stories about why you are here; stories about your triumphs, about what they all together mean to you.

2. Look for regular sequences: remember the good and bad results of your efforts in the past, see how they can be used for future success; evaluate how good and bad results affected your relationships with people; read moral stories (such as Aesop's fables) to remember similar experiences in your life.

3. Learn lessons: remember critical situations and formulate the lessons you learned from them; remember the biggest mistakes you made; remember the moments when you were glad that you obeyed your parents; remember the turning point in your career and the lessons learned from it; look back and think about what you would do differently now.

4. Look for the good: remember the story that changed you, the story that organically intertwined with the old story; remember other people's stories that worked; Do you have a "home" story in your arsenal that could be useful in the workplace? Ask others to tell you a story that has influenced them and ask permission to use it.

5. Look for vulnerabilities: talk about your weak points; remember when and why you last cried; remember the last time you were so happy that you wanted to start dancing; remember the moment when you wanted to hide under the table out of shame; remember touching family stories about those you truly loved.

6. Imagine future experiences: turn your “what could have been” dreams into a full story with real characters (people love to be included in stories); expand your misgivings into a full story with potentially bad consequences - what they will be and who will be hurt.

7. Find a story worth remembering: find a story you remember and explore its deeper meaning; You liked a movie or a book for a reason - try to tell its story from your point of view, so that others understand what meaning you see in it.

As a bonus, catch a mind map - not for the whole book, but only for 7 ways to find / create stories. When I read about these seven methods, I immediately had an idea - is it possible to create some kind of templates from these methods ( or "guides" as they are called in freewriting ;)), such as "once upon a time," from which you can not only start telling a story, but also which can become a kind of "skeleton", the basis of the story? In the mind map you will find such templates you can use to create your own stories. Of course, these are just the options that came to my mind, and you can always supplement them with your own author's ideas. The map below is clickable (to enlarge), this mindmap can also be downloaded in *.pdf formats

In the beginning, I also mentioned that I worked through the book using my IAD algorithm (Ideas - Questions - Actions). I don’t want to report in detail, I will publish here 10 questions that I formulated for myself after reading the book. I can only say that I am still working on answers to some of these questions. Maybe these questions (more precisely, the answers to them;)) will be useful to you:

1) Which plot (out of 6 typical ones) is the most relevant for me now? To achieve my life goals, what kind of stories do I need to tell now?

2) What stories have shocked me in the last 2-3 years? What stories have changed (and how?) me, become part of my personality?

3) History = yoga (Skt. "together") = rope to tie... what?! Why exactly do I need a story? What parts of my life / fate / World as a whole do I want to connect? What integrity, what unity do I lack?

4) Am I a good storyteller (and writer) of stories? What exactly, what specific skills do I need to "pump" in the ability to present stories orally and in writing?

5) Who is my listener? Who would I like to tell my stories to? What is the portrait of the "audience of my dreams"? :) And most importantly: what kind of "togetherness" can I offer my best audience?

6) What story(s) am I living in now? What are my roles/characters today? And what's next in the story? How can my today's stories end, what actions does the logic of my role push me to?

Do I want my story today to be immortalized in a book? Or is my real "personal myth" much bigger? Isn't it time to enlarge the scale of my today's story?

7) Which of the six barriers (cynicism, apathy, etc.) do I and my stories encounter? What can be done? Amplify stories? Change audience? Talk about anything else?

8) Whose stories do I like to listen to today? Why do I want to listen to them, why do I really need it?

9) What can I do to improve the dialogue with my audience? So that it really was an exchange of stories "on an equal footing"?

10) Where does my story take me? What ending do I want and can compose?

... these are the questions :) Believe me, while answering them, self-coaching turned out to be not frail :)) Try it!

Good luck and good storytelling ;)

If you liked / found this text helpful, be sure to check out "Tipping"!

Storytelling. How to use the power of stories

The author dedicates this book to the memory of Dr. James Noble Farr

Foreword

Once, in a convention center nestled among picturesque green hills, I was leading a seminar on storytelling, the art of oral storytelling. The gentle Virginian climate had slowly melted the ice shell that had shackled me through the long Boston winter. The enthusiasts gathered in the hall were friendly and benevolent. And suddenly I noticed in this crowd a truly radiant face, in it, as if in a mirror, my whole story was reflected. I realized that I hit the target - a spiritual connection arose between me and this listener.

After the performance, I tracked down this girl and immediately realized that she did not quite fit into the company of teachers, lecturers, religious mentors and just lovers of storytelling: Annette Simmons and her friend Cheryl DeChantis came from the world of big business. And both were terribly excited about the prospects that our art promised this field of activity.

I regarded their venture with suspicion, if not skepticism: the world of business was terribly far from me. Do they really think that directors, managers, salespeople - all these people who are accustomed to operate only with accounting calculations - will be seriously interested in my art and will be able to derive some benefit from it?

However, Annette convinced me. At the time, she was working for a company as a “difficult situations” consultant: explaining to cool managers how to solve problems with “uncomfortable” people. Annette weaned them from the crude tactics of street fighters and instilled in them the graceful skills of martial artists.

By understanding the meaning of storytelling, she was able to delve into the details that, in fact, make it an effective business tool. Annette fully felt the full power - even if indirect - of this peculiar form of communication. Her knowledge of the basics of the communication effect of advertising also helped her: Annette managed to combine both approaches and received a powerful method of influence as a result.

Very soon I felt like not only a teacher, but also a student. I helped Annette understand the art of storytelling, and she helped me become an ambassador for storytelling in the big business world. Now Annette has written a book that, like any good book, demonstrates the truth in a way that simply cannot be overlooked.

What is valuable in it? This book brings together three closely related ideas. First, the revival of storytelling in our advanced world and the understanding of the mental and emotional processes that storytelling unleashes. Second: the growing understanding in the business community that the success of an enterprise is possible only when the people working in it give their physical and mental strength to the cause; otherwise, it turns out to be a hack, from which both employees and companies suffer. And finally, the third: storytelling helps us to use the achievements of practical psychology and achieve a sustainable impact on people, while maintaining a respectful attitude towards them.

Annette's words do not diverge from the deed. She convincingly uses stories and their plots. She treats the reader with respect. It highlights and emphasizes what great leaders and speakers have always known: storytelling plays a key role in motivating, persuading, and inducing voluntary, meaningful cooperation. Annette was the first to describe all this with extraordinary clarity and passion, and this passion makes the book close, understandable and useful to all people, no matter what they do.

Storytelling. How to use the power of stories

Publishing text http://www.litres.ru/pages/biblio_book/?lfrom=430652910&art=5024483 Storytelling. How to Use the Power of Stories: Mann,

Ivanov and Ferber; M.; 2013 ISBN 978-5-91657-507-1

annotation

Storytelling, or storytelling, is a persuasion technique that is widespread in the West. The author of this book, Annette Simmons, is not only a communications consultant. She is also a professional storyteller who teaches this art to business people.

In her book, she gets to the heart of storytelling and explains how stories “work,” how they affect the listener’s emotions, and why they convince, motivate, and inspire better than orders, logical reasoning, or philosophical reasoning.

This book will be useful to anyone who has to speak to a large audience, as well as those who want to improve the effectiveness of communications.

Annette Simmons Storytelling. How to use the power of stories

The electronic version of the book was prepared by Litres (

www.litres.ru)

The author dedicates this book to the memory of Dr. James Noble Farr

Foreword

What is this book about

Annette Simmons is a professional storyteller. She teaches this art to business people. In her book, she goes to the core of storytelling and explains how stories "work" and why they help build the listener's trust. The book deals with six types of stories that can be adapted to a variety of settings and audiences. Different types of "problem" listeners are described, which are especially difficult to influence. Besides,...

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What is this book about
The Indians have a saying: "Who tells stories, he rules the world." This truth can be confirmed by any storyteller. Every day he observes how the timely and correctly told story helps to influence a person.

Stories evoke emotions, they are perceived on a completely different level than orders, logical arguments or philosophical reasoning. After listening to your story, the person gains confidence in you, and it becomes much easier for you to convince, motivate or inspire him.

Why we decided to publish this book
More than one generation of storytellers in the West has grown up on this book. Its first edition came out 10 years ago!

The Story Factor (this is the original title) was included in the book "The 100 Best Business Books of All Time".

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On the pages of the book you will find more than a hundred stories - tales from the world of politics and business, fairy tales, legends, parables. Using their example, Annette analyzes all the opportunities that storytelling gives to people who want to influence others.

Who is this book for?
For people who have to perform in front of a large audience. And also for everyone who wants to learn how to convince their colleagues, partners, clients.

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Every week H&F reads one business book and selects interesting passages from it. This time we read a book by American entrepreneur and professional storyteller Annette Simmons about why stories rule the world and people's hearts. According to Annette, the art of telling good stories is the easiest and most enjoyable way to succeed, both in everyday life and in business.

The hypnotic effect of stories

What Kafka said about good books can also be applied to a good story: it "should be an ax for the frozen sea in us." A good story puts the listener in a kind of trance. As you say, “Now I want to tell a little story,” keep track of what happens next. Your listeners will take comfortable positions, lean back in their chairs, and some will even open their mouths.

History takes people to a different state. Yes, they remain awake, but they cease to be clearly aware of the here and now. It immerses people in a more ancient state of consciousness, closely related to the subconscious and sensory imagination. This allows you and your conversion to more easily penetrate their world. To hypnotize primarily means to bring people into a state of relaxation, heightened sensitivity and the ability to respond. When announcing that the story will now begin, the listeners also lose tension and weaken their internal resistance.

Way to build trust

People don't need new information. They are fed up with her. They need faith - faith in you, in your goals, in your success. Faith - not facts - moves mountains and overcomes any obstacle. She is able to defeat everything: money, power, power, political advantage and brute force. It doesn't matter what form your story takes, whether it's visual or proven throughout your life. The main thing is that she answers one single question: can you be trusted?

If the story is good enough, then people will come to the conclusion that you can be trusted.

A statement like “I am a good person” (smart, informed, successful) and therefore worthy of your trust” is more likely to arouse suspicion. People have to come to this conclusion themselves. If the story is good enough, then people will of their own free will come to the conclusion that you and your words can be trusted.

Topics for a story

I know six types of stories that will help you achieve influence:

1. Stories that tell who I am.

2. Stories that explain why I'm here.

3. Stories about your "vision".

4. Instructive stories.

5. Stories that show values in action.

6. Stories that say "I know what you're thinking."

Typical story characters

There is a very limited set of archetypal characters. Here are some of them: hero, wizard, sage, king, heretic, martyr and wanderer. Of course, none of these roles will be able to explain a particular situation, nevertheless, the stories of these characters are useful for identifying patterns of behavior.

Possible obstacles

Before people allow themselves to be influenced, they want to know who you are and why you are here. If you don't tell, people will do it for you, and their opinion will almost certainly not be in your favor. Such is human nature: people are sure that those who seek influence expect to benefit for themselves at their expense.

When communicating, we spend too much energy on appealing to the rational half of the brain, forgetting about the emotional half. And she lives by the principle of "God saves the safe" and never loses her vigilance. Evolution favors prudent neurotics. She instilled in us a natural caution. If your attempt to influence people fails, it is often because people filter your words through their negative suspicions about your intentions. Suspicions are negative simply because you didn't bother to take the time to tell your good intentions.

Understanding people

People love it when you read their minds. If you are well prepared to talk to those you want to influence, it will be fairly easy for you to anticipate what objections they might have. By voicing these arguments, you will disarm the interlocutors and win them over. They will be grateful that you saved them from having to argue, that you spared no time and effort and tried to see things through their eyes.

Stories like "I know what you're thinking" are great ways to dispel fear. I was recently at a talk by a person who began his speech by saying, "I'm a statistician and the next hour will be the most boring of your life." Everyone liked the joke because he understood what we were thinking about him and dispelled our fears.

Own experience

Look for patterns for behavior in the course of the story: a variety of topics that reveal you as a person; stories about moments of spiritual uplift, proving that you are on the right track; recurring failures that encourage you to look for stories about why you are here.

Tell us about your weaknesses, remember why you cried the last time

Learn from the critical situations you have been in. Think of times when you were glad you obeyed your parents. Look back and think about what you would do differently now. Look for vulnerabilities: talk about your weaknesses, remember when and why you last cried, remember the last time you were so happy that you were ready to start dancing, the moment when you wanted to hide under the table out of shame, touching family stories about those you truly loved.

The story of a vision

One person came to a construction site where three people were working. He asked one of them, "What are you doing?" He replied: "I'm laying bricks." He asked the second, "What are you doing?" He replied: "I'm building a wall." The man approached the third builder, who was humming a tune while he was working, and asked the same question. The builder looked up from the masonry and answered: "I am building a temple." If you want to influence others and get them to follow you, you must tell them the story of the vision.

Portal for the student. Self-training