成爲一個會講故事的人 你的溝通技能將從此爆表

“To be a person is to have a story to tell.”

“一個人就是一段故事。”

——IsakDuneson

——丹麥作家愛莎克o迪內森

In previous articles on this blog we have shared our experience regarding the use of storytelling as one of the most powerful leadership tools available to modern leaders. It’s really no surprise, since leaders throughout the ages have used personal stories, parable and anecdotes effectively to ensure that listeners could easily absorb and integrate information, knowledge, values and strategies.

在這個專欄打頭的幾篇文章中，我們已經分享了一些現代領導者如何將講故事作爲一種最強大領導力工具的經驗。這並不出奇，古往今來的領導者都曾使用個人故事、寓言和軼事來幫助聽衆有效地吸取和整合信息、知識、價值與策略。

Beyond merely understanding the power of stories, however, there remains the need for specific action and commitment to become a storyteller. I hear people say: “Sure, I can see your point about telling stories…but do I really need to make the effort to become a storyteller myself? It doesn’t seem to come naturally to me.” My answer is always something like: “Yes, I understand. And there was also a time when walking, reading and writing, typing and using a computer program seemed unnatural. But when you clearly understood ‘why’ learning these skills was worth the time, you simply got busy and did it. Right?”

除了要懂得故事的力量，我們還需要知道怎樣做才能成爲一個會講故事的人。我曾聽人說過：“當然，我明白講故事的意義，但我是否要付出一定努力，才能使自己變成一個會講故事的人？這種能力貌似不是自然生成的。”我總會回答說：“是的，我理解。曾幾何時，直立行走、讀書寫字、使用電腦也曾經是非常不自然的事。不過，一旦明白了‘爲什麼’學習這些技能是值得的，你就會很樂意這樣做。對嗎？”

So in this article I want to remind readers of the compelling reasons why it is worth your time to become an effective storyteller, in the hopes that more managers and leaders will just get busy learning to tell stories instead of just spewing out information, directives and platitudes. Here are some of the many reasons why it is so worth it for you to decide, today, to become a great storyteller in 2015 and for the rest of your life:

因此，在本文中，我想告訴讀者，花點時間努力成爲一個會講故事的人，具有令人信服的理由。但願更多的經理人和領導者能夠學會講故事，而不是乾巴巴地擺數據、定方向、說一些陳辭濫調。接下來，我就給你說說爲什麼你應該在2015年、乃至餘下的整個人生中，成爲一個會講故事的人。

People Remember and Share Stories.The human brain is actually structured to retain memories in story format, with a beginning, middle and end. Long after listeners have forgotten your data, they will remember your story, and the wisdom embedded within it. And, if your story is authentic and compelling they will eagerly share it with others. Many leadership stories from your personal experience even have the potential to go viral, taking on a life of their own, spreading far and wide in your organization or social networks.

人們會記住故事並分享故事。儲存在人類大腦中的記憶往往是各種故事，故事有開始、過程和結局。哪怕聽者忘掉你的數據已經很久了，他們仍會記得你的故事，以及其中所隱含的智慧。如果你的故事是真實而吸引人的，他們會非常樂於與他人分享。很多源自個人經歷的領導力故事，甚至有可能獲得自身的生命力，然後像病毒一樣在你的企業或社交網絡上廣泛傳播。

Stories Engage all the Senses, Memories and the Emotions.Try this now, following my instructions exactly: I now forbid you to imagine a purple elephant. I repeat: Do NOT think of a purple elephant right now. Further, I forbid you to imagine a purple elephant on roller skates, whizzing down a mountain road at 100 km per hour, with a bright red scarf around its’ neck, streaming behind it in the breeze. And do NOT imagine the blissful smile on the purple elephant’s face as it goes whizzing down the mountain, freedom of the ride.

故事會引起所有的感覺、記憶和情感。做個小試驗，現在嚴格遵照我的指示：我現在禁止你想象一頭紫色的大象。重複一遍：現在不要想象一隻紫色的大象。然後，不要想象這頭紫色的大象穿着溜冰鞋，以100公里的時速從山路上滑下，它的脖子上繫着一條在微風中飄動的鮮紅圍巾。不要想象它在滑行過程中臉上掛着喜悅而自由的微笑。

Ok, how did you do? The fact is, once you read my words, I instantly engaged your imagination and you have installed a purple elephant in your imagination. At the same time, you have accessed your own memories of moving at high speed, feeling joyful, bright red and purple colors. Stories are immediate, engaging and irresistible. I told the story, but you created it in your own imagination, and you now own it. Perhaps you even smiled as you had fun doing this.

結果如何？事實上，一旦你讀了上述句子，我立刻引起了你的想象，你已經在想象中成功建立了這樣一頭紫色大象的形象。同時，你又利用自己的記憶，產生了高速、興奮、鮮紅和紫色等聯想。引人入勝，令人無法抗拒的故事會一下子抓住你的心。我講了一個故事，但你在自己的想象中將它建立了起來，並牢記在心。當你饒有興致地構想這些形象時，你甚至有可能露出會心的微笑。

Stories Allow Listeners to Draw their own Conclusions.Let’s suppose you have a personal story about an authentic experience in which you, or someone else, faced an overwhelming challenge, experienced multiple frustrating obstacles, made some embarrassing mistakes due to bad choices, but in the end, overcame the difficulties and demonstrated outstanding results. As your listeners experience your story, they are also learning vicariously: they are paying close attention by first identifying with the situation, feeling the pain of those unworkable choices, the tension and uncertainty about the outcome, noticing how the person overcame their mistakes and feeling the joy of their ultimate success. They automatically integrate the key learnings and retain them easily due to the story format.

故事能讓聽者得出自己的結論。假設你有一個基於個人真實經歷的故事，在這個故事中，你或另外某個人經歷了一項非常艱鉅的挑戰，經歷了很多挫敗和阻礙，由於選擇不當而犯了很多難堪的錯誤，但最終克服了所有困難，獲得了傑出的成績。對於聽衆來說，聆聽這個故事也是一個間接的學習過程。他們會對這個故事給予很大的關注，首先會判明情況，感受到這些失敗決策所帶來的痛苦，以及結果的不確定性所帶來的壓力，關注這個人如何克服了失誤，感受到他們最終成功的喜悅。由於你採取了故事的模式，聽者會自動吸收關鍵的經驗，並且輕鬆地記住它們。

Stories Build Trust.Best of all, in the above example, you avoided the fatal error of just preaching or “telling” people what to do. Because people don’t like being told what to do! But, they do love a story that allows them to decide for themselves what was effective and willingly apply their learning to future situations. In fact, you will gain more trust from people by telling failure stories from your own experience than by merely boasting and bragging about all your successes. When you reveal your mistakes and vulnerabilities with others, you show your human side and they automatically like you better and trust you more. This is where stories can move you from being a leader focused on ‘transactions’ (tasks) to a leader focused on human relationships grounded in trust.

故事能建立信任。上述例子的最好一面在於，你可以避免純粹的說教或耳提面命。因爲人們不喜歡你命令他們做什麼。但是他們卻喜歡你用故事來告訴他們怎樣做是有效的，並且樂於把學到的經驗用於未來的情境中。實際中，通過講述你個人的失敗故事，你還會得到人們更多的信任。當你把犯錯和失敗的例子講給他人時，你也就展示了自己人性化的一面，他們會自然而然地更喜歡和信任你。因此，故事可以讓你從一個“任務”型領導者變成一個專注於構建基於信任的人際關係的領導者。

Stories Can Help People Imagine and Embrace an Inspiring Future.As a leader, your success depends on how well you can inspire the willing participation, creativity and passion of others at all levels in your organization. There is a story about US president John Kennedy that illustrates the power of a vision that is embraced by all the players. According to this story, which has since become legendary, Kennedy was visiting NASA during the time leading up to the first US moon mission. During a break he went to use the restroom and encountered a man mopping the floor. Smiling at the man, Kennedy thanked him for keeping the room spotless. The man quickly replied, “No sir, I don’t mop floors. I’m helping us go to the moon.” Deeply touched, Kennedy shared the story with others and it went viral. Here was an organization whose members at every level had fully integrated the Vision into their thinking, regardless of what daily tasks they performed. Imagine, if you can, the power of a group of people similarly inspired in your organization. Are your people excited and inspired by a compelling vision…or are they simply mopping floors?

故事能幫人們想象並擁抱一個更光明的未來。作爲領導者，你的成功取決於能否激發全體員工參與的願望，以及他們的創意和激情。美國前總統肯尼迪有一個傳奇故事：在美國首次登月任務期間，肯尼迪曾經去美國航空航天局訪問。中途去洗手間時，他看見一位男士正在那裏拖地板。肯尼迪向他報以微笑，感謝他把房間打掃得這樣乾淨。那個男人馬上回答：“不，先生，我不是在拖地板，而是在幫助我們登月。”深受感動的肯尼迪將這個故事分享給了其它人，這個故事迅速火了起來。在這個故事中，NASA就是這樣一個各個層級的人充分投身宏偉願景的組織，不管他們每個人的日常工作是什麼。不妨想象一下，如果你的公司的員工也有類似的激情會怎樣？你的員工是否因一個激動人心的願景而興奮？還是他們只是簡單地在拖地板？

Stories can also:

故事還能：

o Rapidly communicate complex concepts using compelling metaphors

o 利用吸引人的隱喻，迅速傳遞原本複雜的理念。

o Make information more believable

o 使信息更爲可信。

o Stimulate engagement and trust across all key stakeholder groups

o 激發所有利益相關者羣體參與其中，並增加其信任感。

o Convey values, ideas, and passion that listeners will internalize

o 傳遞價值、理念和熱情，並使聽者能內化於心

o Eliminate resistance as listeners willingly take ownership of a story’s message

o 隨着聽者欣然接受故事所要傳達的信息，它還能減少阻力

Case Study:Let me close with a true story that went viral in a company that was focused on pet care and helping customers effectively care for their pets. One of importantly the values in the company was “Do whatever it takes to help the customer.”

案例研究：最後，讓我們再說一個真實的故事，有一家公司主要做寵物護理，幫助客戶有效地照顧他們的寵物。該公司的一個重要價值是“不惜一切幫助顧客”。

One afternoon, a group of school children, aged 5-9 years, came into one of the company’s many stores, carrying a cardboard box full of newly born kittens they had found in the woods, abandoned by the mother. They had no money, and no experience, only a strong commitment to take care of the kittens, no matter what. In a pleading voice, one of the children asked, “Can you help us save these kittens? They’ll die if we don’t help them.”

一天下午，該公司一家門店迎來了一羣小學生，他們年齡只有5到9歲。孩子們抱着一隻紙箱，裏面有好幾只剛出生的小貓。這些小貓是他們從林子裏撿來的，可能是被它們的母親遺棄了。孩子們沒有錢，也沒有經驗，只是非常想照顧好這些小貓。其中一個孩子懇求道：“你能幫我們救救這些小貓嗎？如果我們不救它們，它們就會死的。”

The store manager, without hesitation, immediately gave them two large kitten cages, a month’s supply of food, water dishes and some comfortable rags for the kittens to sleep in. She then coached them on how to care for young kittens and made sure they understood their new responsibilities. She also encouraged to ‘come back anytime if you need more help.’ With happy faces, and new confidence, the kids proudly took their kittens home.

這家門店的經理沒有任何猶豫，立即給了他們兩個大的貓籠子，足夠吃一個月的貓糧，以及水盆、碎布等一應物品。然後她耐心地向孩子們講解怎樣照顧小貓，確保他們充分理解自己的新責任。她還鼓勵孩子們一有問題就來找她。孩子們帶着小貓回家了，他們的臉上掛着快樂和自信的笑容。

The next day, some of the parents came to the store, profusely thanked the manager, and happily paid for all the items that she had given to the children the day before. In addition, they bought a lot of other products that growing kittens would need. Most importantly, they praised the manager for taking initiative and they told the story to all their friends and neighbors. As a result, the store immediately gained a competitive advantage as “a business that truly cares for customers and demonstrates its values in action.”

第二天，一些孩子的父母來到店裏，衷心感謝了這名經理，並且高興地付清了她贈送的那些物品所需要的款項。此外，他們還購買了很多養貓所需的其它物品。更重要的是，他們讚揚了經理的做法，並且把這個故事告訴了所有朋友和鄰居。這家店“真正關心顧客、在行動中展示價值”的理念由此深入人心，迅速獲得了競爭優勢。

This story also went viral within the pet care company’s own organization and was proliferated on social media. Even the company’s CEO loves to share this story as a way of communicating their values and especially the message “take initiative” across all levels of the organization.

這個故事也迅速在該公司內部流傳開來，並在社交網絡上走紅。甚至連該公司的CEO也樂於與人分享這個故事，作爲在組織內各個級別傳遞公司價值，尤其是“採取行動”這一訊息的一種手段。

Here’s a few action steps for you, once you decide to lead with stories:

一旦你決心成爲一名會講故事的領導者，以下幾個步驟可以幫助你：

o Think back to situations in your own personal experience that could be the basis for a good story and keep a Personal Story Notebook

o 基於個人經歷，想想過去的經歷中，哪些事可以成爲一個好故事的基礎，養成撰寫“個人故事筆記”的好習慣。

o When you share a story, notice that almost always, you will get a story in return…it’s human nature to match a story with a story. Most important, notice the values, issues, passions reflected in other’s stories and integrate those into your stories. Watch how people resonate as their own values are reflected back to them via your stories.

o 當你分享故事時，你總會獲得另一個故事作爲回報……人們習慣於用一個故事匹配另一個故事。最重要的是，注意他人的故事中反映的價值、問題和熱情，並且把它們整合到你自己的故事裏。當你的故事反映了聽者自身的價值時，注意觀察他們的反應。

o Make a study of stories, read books about storytelling*, keep collecting and fine tuning your stories, and, most important:

o 對故事進行研究，讀一些關於講故事的書，注意收集和提煉你的故事，最重要的是：

o Start telling stories! Stories can transform your relationships with people and make you a stand-out leader. So go for it.

o 開始講故事！故事可以改變你與人的關係，使你成爲一名傑出的領導者。所以開始講故事吧。

As Oprah Winfrey, a masterful entertainer and storyteller says at the end of every story, “That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it!”

正如技藝精湛的脫口秀女王奧普拉o溫弗瑞在每個故事的結尾處所言：“這就是我的故事，我堅持這一點！”（財富中文網）

*See:“Wake Me Up When the Data is Over: How Organizations Use Stories to Drive Results,” a new book by Lori Silverman, available on

*延伸閱讀：Lori Silverman的新書《講完數據之後再叫醒我：企業如何利用故事催生結果》(Wake Me Up When the Data is Over: How Organizations Use Stories to Drive Results)已經在亞馬遜上有售。