The Power of Storytelling
You stand before a powerful King. The royal court, counselors, bishops and other noble men listening to what you have to say. You are here to take Gold from him. Real, physical Gold to finance an expedition. To build ships and travel to places that nobody has seen before. There is no reference, nothing you can show to prove that these lands actually exist. It could all be a dream, the vision of a crazy man. The adventurous spirit of an explorer, wanting to go on a senseless trip into the unknown!
How do you convince a King to hand out his precious treasure for a trip that has all odds against it, that nobody before you has done, to reach shores that nobody has seen and risking ships that are expensive to build? How do you get to his mind, his heart to decide against the counsel of his closest friends and ministers? If you fail, he will be ridiculized. He will have to use Gold that was destined to wage a war or keep his people happy. But here you are, standing in front of the throne. There is silence, you can hear the drop of a pin on the stone floor of the great hall. All eyes are on you now.
Yes, you could appeal to the King’s pride, to his vanity, to promises of untold riches and fame, but HOW do you accomplish that? The vehicle, the tool that will make this possible is just one: powerful Storytelling!
You have no facts. No experience. No proof. Just words that will create pure magic, because they will paint a vivid picture in the minds of your audience. The Story you are telling will stimulate their imagination. You are taking them with you on a journey. A journey to lands far away. They can see exotic trees, hear the sounds of birds from another world, beasts that are as strange as mythical creatures. Right before their eyes there is this mountain of Gold. It is so real that they can almost grab it — especially the King who sees himself using this Gold to do wonderful things and become the most noble of all Kings on earth!
The Gold only exists in his mind, but entire worlds, glorious buildings and huge armies are built with imagination. The spark to embark on dangerous journeys, to start new ventures, to build cathedrals starts with a picture in our minds. A picture that is so powerful and runs so deep that we find the strength, the creative energy to transform a digital version of whatever we see in our mind and bring it into the physical world.
It doesn’t end here. If the King allows you to take his Gold and sail away, you still have to convince a crew to follow you in this journey. The men are fearful that the world might end at the horizon, they will encounter sea monsters and things that the human mind cannot conceive. They are not motivated by power and fame like a King. Some are, but most of them need to be persuaded to step with you into a ship, with stale food, damp sleeping quarters, undrinkable water, without women and probably a certain death without burial. Your Storytelling skills will be put to the extreme test!
I am sitting right now in a coffee shop in Lisbon. The picture of four caravels leaving the port in Lisbon to embark into the unknown is fueling my imagination. It also motivated me to think about Storytelling as a way to motivate, to inspire, to give hope, to teach and spark every creative energy in you to move forward.
In a certain way we are all explorers. We are not stepping into wobbling wood ships to sail into the sunset, but we have to show the same remarkable courage to start a new business, to guide our children in a world of uncertainty. Like these sailors and adventurers we often don’t know what will happen next. There is no guarantee that something will succeed. We can’t see farther than the horizon. What lies behind that fine line in the distance? We don’t know. We don’t know if our business is still thriving next year. We don’t know if we will be alive to see another day. We don’t know anything.
What we have is our imagination. The dream of a better future. The fuel that keeps our hopes alive. The desire to see our children grow up and living wonderful Life’s. This is the driver. It has always been the driver in every human endeavour: be it the construction of marvellous pyramids or finding the cure to a new disease! We are driven by the Stories that feed our imagination — often against all odds!
It is the Story you tell yourself that will drive you to try another day. To not give up. It is the Story you tell your children that will teach them a valuable Life lesson. It is the Story you tell your employees that will keep them believing in your vision, despite the difficulties you might be facing. It is the Story that we tell about humanity that will keep us thriving, looking for solutions, for a better tomorrow. What Story will you tell yourself today? Will you come out as a hero?
I am Pedro Ferreira and I am passionate about Stories. Fascinating Stories about the human spirit overcoming incredible hardships. Mysterious Stories about the Unknown. Heart wrenching Stories from people that — despite not even believing in themselves — still made it through with persistance.
Would love to hear YOUR Story. Is there a little Story you want to share, that could give us a glimpse of hope? Please feel free to share!
I use different Storytelling techniques to deliver your message in a better way, to build communities around brands and attract customers to any product or service you want to sell: www.avalonwriting.com
