Telling Your Idea Story – Create a convincing story so that others will sacrifice to make your idea successful

How do you create a convincing message so that others will sacrifice to make your idea successful?  Its all about storytelling.  If you follow the same structure used by movie industry and by book authors, you can create a story that will attract others to your killer idea.  What is that structure?

1. Stimulate their emotion
   • Change the mood.  Create an environment for the storytelling (why are movies better in theaters?)
   • Establish fear/concern.  Need to create tension so there is something to be solved/fixed.
   • Put the listener into the story.  Weave the story so they see the challenges from their perspective.
2. Change their opinion
   • Change their mind.  Listeners will immediately try to solve the problem and most likely their solution will not be aligned with your idea.
   • Show them a way out.  Just like in the movie, you need to have a way to relieve the fear/concern/tension created.
3. Get them to act
   • Create a desire to act.  Establish a sense of urgency.
   • Show how easy the idea is to make real.  Focus on simplifying the idea so that listeners don’t get distracted.
   • Show them what the future will be like.  Establish hope.

This alone will not be enough to ensure you have the right story. You will need to:

1. Don’t wing it.
   • Write it out
   • Get comfortable with your story so that you can present it without notes/slides
   • Be able to adjust the story based on the audience
   • Remember – its a discussions not a speech
2. Always end early
   • Time is the most precious resource someone can give you
   • Show respect for the time and end early.  It will leave a positive impression on your idea.
3. Ask for feedback
   • What do you think of the idea?
   • How would you suggest I improve the idea/story?
   • Who else would you recommend I talk with about the idea?
4. DON’T GIVE UP!!!
   • Get out there a tell your story
   • Don’t listen to the negative voices (inside yourself or from others)

The difference between winners and losers is that winners keep getting up everyday and try.  Losers just give up.

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