The Story Factor (2nd Revised Edition)
by Annette Simmons
List Price:
Our Price: $9.00
You Save: $7.95 (47%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $7.50 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions
Book Summary Information
Author: Annette SimmonsForeword: Doug Lipman
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2006-04-04
ISBN: 0465078079
Number of pages: 320
Publisher: Basic Books
Product features:
- White paperback with with design expressing inspiration. 299 pages
Book Reviews of The Story Factor (2nd Revised Edition)
Book Review: Transform Your Persuasive Speaking Skills
Summary: 5 Stars
I discovered this book by reading "The 100 Best Business Books of All Time" by Jack Covert. Covert's book was good for identifying other books worth reading, but otherwise not useful from a content point of view.
Among the countless personal and professional development books that I consume, I found The Story Factor to be among the most valuable. Bravo!
Bearing in mind the author's advice that "bullet points don't change behavior" (p. 252) and that putting storytelling into a framework is like cutting a kitten in half to see why it is so cute, here are the key messages I got as a reader.
Other reviewers have mentioned this is not a "how to" type book. The author is pretty explicit that this is not her goal. I'm a structured, frameworks driven person. To make the book really resonate, open your mind and let the stories and the analysis subtly alter your mental model of effective communication.
IMPORTANT: The following summary cannot capture the impact the author has in communicating this information through story. You have to read the book to "get it":
- Practice to make story telling a habit (ex: make non-smilers smile)
- Deeply listen to others to understand their stories so that you can connect with them
- Story first, facts later!
- Give evidence of what is in it for you before you tell them what is in it for them
- Use language, tone, gestures, and body language that are congruent & genuine
- Connect with the deep needs of your listeners for:
--> Love & Belonging: Be proud of their lives & feel like they are important, known, & understood
--> Desire & Self Interest: Achieve personal gain or joy in giving
--> Self Development: Help them feel curious about themselves and their world
--> Hope: A vision of the positive promise of tomorrow that is reachable and worth their effort
- Tell stories that:
--> Are specific and rich in personal, emotional content and vivid, descriptive, sensory detail
--> Adopt a particular subjective point of view (or distinct sequential points of view)
--> Connect to and reinforce what your listeners already feel is important
--> Establish trust by showing you "walk the walk" and that you care
--> Are about things that happened to you
--> Are indirect enough for people to be able to think for themselves
--> Reveal wisdom and interpretation, not facts
--> Do not challenge your listeners ego (i.e. by proving them wrong)
--> Acknowledge deep disillusionment but move toward positive outcomes
--> Focus on how smart your listeners (not you) are
--> Are authentic, passionate, and fun
--> Are not overtly outcome focused
Summary of The Story Factor (2nd Revised Edition)
The new material for this revised edition offers an expanded case study of storytelling in action that focuses on one of Simmons?s success stories. Over one hundred stories drawn from the front lines of business and government, as well as myths, fables, and parables from around the world, illustrate how story can be used to persuade, motivate, and inspire in ways that cold facts, bullet points, and directives can?t. These stories, combined with practical storytelling techniques show anyone how to become a more effective communicator. From “who I am? to “I-know-what-you?re thinking,? Simmons identifies the six stories you need to know how to tell and demonstrates how they can be applied. This revised edition offers a guide to using storytelling in specific business circumstances, including corporate reorganizations, layoffs, and diversity issues.
Nearly everyone responds to a good yarn, and that's precisely the point behind The Story Factor by Annette Simmons. A "collaborative behavior" consultant to public and private organizations, Simmons argues that storytelling may just be the best management tool available to modern business leaders because it exerts influence in ways that other techniques cannot. And she doesn't suggest that stories be exclusively reserved for formal presentations, either; on the contrary, Simmons shows how they can be used effectively in small group settings and even one-on-one situations. She begins by describing six basic types that can be adapted to any circumstance (Who I Am, Why I Am Here, The Vision, Teaching, Values-In-Action, and I Know What You Are Thinking). She then offers pointers for finding them and advises that ideas be jotted down whenever they appear, built upon consistently, and practiced in private until the telling comes naturally. To that end, she includes helpful tips on presentation, noting that the words are only part of a package that includes body language, clothing, tone, and other components. Follow her lead and you'll likely never relate to any individual or group in the same way again. --Howard Rothman
General Books
Book Subjects
- Arts & Photography
- Biographies & Memoirs
- Business & Investing
- Children's Books
- Comics & Graphic Novels
- Computers & Internet
- Cooking, Food & Wine
- Entertainment
- Gay & Lesbian
- Health, Mind & Body
- History
- Home & Garden
- Horror
- Law
- Literature & Fiction
- Mystery & Thrillers
- Nonfiction
- Outdoors & Nature
- Parenting & Families
- Professional & Technical
- Reference
- Religion & Spirituality
- Romance
- Science
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Sports
- Teens
- Travel
Most talked about in General Books
Shooting Historyby Jon Snow
Harper Perennial; Published: 2005-05-03; Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.28
Managing Meetings (The successful manager)by Paul Brown, Fiona Hackett
Fontana Press; Published: 1990-07-12; Paperback; Book
I Hate Meetingsby Stephen Baker
William Collins Publishers (Australia); Published: 1984-03-01; Paperback; Book
Business Communication: Process and Productby Mary Ellen Guffey
South-Western College Pub; Published: 2002-03-11; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $2.50
Price in other shops:
Googled: The End of the World As We Know Itby Ken Auletta
Penguin (Non-Classics); Published: 2010-10-26; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.98
Price in other shops:
Management Communication: A Case-Analysis Approachby James S. O'Rourke
Pearson Education; Published: 2000-08-11; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $2.97
Price in other shops:
M: Business Communications w/ Premium Content Card and Student Prep Cardsby Marie Flatley, Kathryn Rentz
McGraw-Hill/Irwin; Published: 2009-01-30; Paperback; Book
Best price: $11.85
Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are Highby Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, Al Switzler
McGraw-Hill; Published: 2002-06-18; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.78
Price in other shops:
The Innovator's Dilemma: The Revolutionary Book that Will Change the Way You Do Business (Collins Business Essentials)by Clayton M. Christensen
Harper Paperbacks; Published: 2003; Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.29
Economics: Principles and Policy with Xtra! CD-ROM and InfoTrac College Editionby William J. Baumol
South-Western College Pub; Published: 2002-06-25; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $5.99
Price in other shops:
Similar Books and other products
Just a Job?: Communication, Ethics, and Professional Lifeby George Cheney, Daniel J. Lair, Dean Ritz, Brenden E. Kendall
Oxford University Press, USA; Published: 2009-11-12; Paperback; Book
Best price: $23.79
Price in other shops:
Metaphorically Selling: How to Use the Magic of Metaphors to Sell, Persuade, & Explain Anything to Anyoneby Anne Miller
Chiron Associates Inc; Published: 2004-11-15; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.22
Price in other shops:
Resonate: Present Visual Stories that Transform Audiencesby Nancy Duarte
Wiley; Published: 2010-09-28; Paperback; Book
Best price: $15.27
Price in other shops:
Favorite Folktales from Around the World (Pantheon Fairy Tale and Folklore Library)by Jane Yolen
Pantheon; Published: 1988-08-12; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.90
Price in other shops:
Gung Ho! Turn On the People in Any Organizationby Ken Blanchard
William Morrow; Published: 1997-10-08; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $2.85
Price in other shops:
Fascinate: Your 7 Triggers to Persuasion and Captivationby Sally Hogshead
HarperBusiness; Published: 2010-02-09; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $15.57
Price in other shops:
The Leader's Guide to Storytelling: Mastering the Art and Discipline of Business Narrative (J-B US non-Franchise Leadership)by Stephen Denning
Jossey-Bass; Published: 2011-03-08; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $15.79
Price in other shops:
The Anatomy of Story: 22 Steps to Becoming a Master Storytellerby John Truby
Faber & Faber; Published: 2008-10-14; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.16
Price in other shops:
Improving Your Storytelling: Beyond the Basics for All Who Tell Stories in Work and Play (American Storytelling)by Doug Lipman
August House; Published: 2005-12-15; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.02
Price in other shops:
Whoever Tells the Best Story Wins: How to Use Your Own Stories to Communicate with Power and Impactby Annette Simmons
AMACOM; Published: 2007-05-16; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $11.37
Price in other shops: