How to communicate better at work

Have you ever had that experience when you’re talking to someone and their eyes glaze over? Or you’re presenting to your team and you see people shuffle their papers, or worse still, glance down at their watch? It’s not a good feeling but it can happen to all of us.

It’s at that moment that you need to have a couple of short stories or little anecdotes to get your audience back to focusing on you.

At a recent Anecdote workshop, a woman was describing how small actions can make a difference. She was saying that she’d arranged to meet with her manager. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him come over and sit next to her. She said, ‘I really valued that and quite frankly not many GM’s do it.’

Now that tiny snippet says a lot — and in few words. It gives an insight into work culture and suggests a simple way to improve behavioural engagement. 12 months after this employee had shared her experience, other staff were saying the same thing. ‘You know what? When I see my GM, they come round and sit next to me.’ 

The best way to remember this sort of anecdote or mini-story is to start a STORY BANK. Whenever I hear something, either told to me or heard on the radio or television, I make a few notes in my story bank.

Like anything, storytelling takes practise. Even the so-called ‘natural storyteller’ would have practised his or her best ones in front of the mirror.

7 WAYS TO BECOME A BETTER STORYTELLER

1. Create your own story bank. Choose your medium. A notebook for those who like pen and paper. An App like  Evernote  for those who want to sync their stories across different devices. I use both.

2. Make notes as soon as you can to get down the gist of the event. When you do, look for the key moments or turning points.

3. If you can, jot down any sensory details. If it is about you, how were you feeling? Anchor the experience in your body.

4. Give it a title. This helps recall.

5. If you know them, make a note of people’s names, the name of the company, any job titles. (In the case above I didn’t have them so for me that’s an example of an anecdote rather than a full blown story.)

6. Work out the ‘Most Important Thing’ — or MIT — of the story. This is the point of the story. Sometimes one story can have several different points and can be adapted to suit the moment.

7. Practise, practise, practise. As a writer I know how important it is to have a ‘writing buddy’ who can encourage me when I’m working on a new book. I also have a ‘story buddy’ who I practise my new stories on. And don’t be worried that they change over time… that’s a good indicator of you becoming more comfortable in telling them. And the versatility of a good story.

So over to you. What story can you use in your work today to make sure your message is heard?

How details bring stories to life

To bring your stories to life, people need to visualise what you are saying. Back in 2006, my first book, Last Seen in Lhasa, was published. I’d never done any radio interviews before and my publicist sent me a scary publicity schedule. When I went to the ABC offices to give my first interview, my stomach was churning.

I remember fidgeting as I sat in the hot booth waiting for the one-hour live-to-air interview to start. On the line came the gravelly voice of Richard Fidler. He asked if I was ready. Then he said, ‘Remember to answer my questions with word-pictures’.

I’d never heard that phrase before but that piece of advice not only helped me get through the interview, it has stayed with me ever since. Instead of talking with facts, I said things like, ‘As I froze in my gumboots, the Chinese army came swarming over the mountain top.’ The hour flew by and I got great feedback from listeners.

This is just one of several techniques you can use to make your stories more compelling — both in the written format and orally. In a business setting, you don’t need too much ‘colour’, but just a few telling details make all the difference.

5 details to include to make people listen to your stories

1. The name of the person you are referring to. Names are important as we connect with individuals not faceless case studies.

2. Emotions. How did you feel at the moment when your colleague praised you for the report you’d done? How did you feel as you walked out of the lift for your first meeting with your boss? Here, we don’t need a blow-by-blow of every emotion you experienced, but the strongest feeling.

3. Concrete facts. When did the conference take place? Where? Facts help anchor a story. They make it real and tangible. Was it snowing or balmy? Was it on the edge of the city or in the heart of the CBD?

4. The senses. Touch, taste, sound, smell, sight — these connect us to the world, to other people, to experiences. When you evoke one of the senses, it allows the person listening or reading your story to experience it themselves. Again, you don’t need too much, just a sprinkle in the story. Focus on one sense.

5. Chronology. If you are describing a complex series of events a couple of key dates help give the story a timeline. This makes it easier for the listener to make sense of how the events unfolded. It is another way of anchoring us to the crucial moments in your story.

If you want to know other ways to punch up your writing, I’ve done an interview with corporate writer and business book mentor, Steven Lewis from Taleist (below). Like me, Steven has a journalist background, and is an expert in using stories to get his message across.

In the interview I talk more about word pictures. So when you’re thinking of describing someone, perhaps, don’t just have, ‘He walked into the room’ instead have ‘he strode in the room.’ This immediately gives a sense of purpose.

I also discuss how important verbs are to make your stories stronger and how it’s okay to write more than one draft.

So, how do you make your stories more compelling?