Fairy Tales, Dolphin Trainers & Storytelling for Influence

Jacqueline Leou
Nov 21, 2023
3 min read

I love stories.

It helps us to link concepts, remember messages and adds a bit of escapism to our day. We all remember the story of the Boy Who Cried Wolf, or Little Red Riding Hood. (Poor wolves – they get a bad rap!)

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In the corporate world, we might think that storytelling isn’t as relevant.

But those in the know, know that stories are the best way to create an emotional connection, influence and inspire. In fact, leaders who are seen as ‘charismatic’ use storytelling to motivate and connect with listeners.

Back in 2009, Bill Gates did a TED talk on the efforts of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in reducing the spread of malaria. Transmitted by mosquitoes, malaria is more prevalent in poorer, tropical areas of the world.

To emphasise his point, Gates walked to centre stage and opened a small jar.

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Out flew dozens of (non-infected) mosquitoes as Gates quipped,

"There’s no reason only poor people should have the experience. We'll let those roam around the auditorium a little bit."

While props like a jar of mosquitoes might add a "wow" factor to a story, the first step is to get the basics right.

The Harvard Business Review says "many of the best talks have a narrative structure that loosely follows a detective story."

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In fact, when you think of the stories you were told as a child, the best ones always had the main character facing a problem which had to be solved.

It's still the same when telling stories to corporate audiences - with one difference.

We're not here to listen to fairy tales.

We want to know what's in it for us. What was the solution? What was the Return on Investment? How was it beneficial to our colleagues or our customers?

And how can I take what you've just shared with me and use it to my benefit in my role?

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Jevon Wooden, CEO of Brightmind Consulting Group, identifies five steps to take when crafting compelling and impactful stories:

Define your objective – what is your message?
Forge emotional connections – what is the shared sense of purpose and commitment?
Embrace simplicity – how can we make our narratives clear and understandable?
Ensure relevance – what is the story trying to convey that is relevant to the audience?
Take action – practice your storytelling!

And it doesn’t hurt to add a dose of humour!

As a Communications specialist, I’m constantly reminding people to be conscious of the words they use. Recently, I shared a story about a Dolphin Trainer to a corporate audience that highlighted the importance of the words we use.

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An old man was driving one day, and accidently crashed into the back of a beautiful Mustang.

The owner of the Mustang got out of his car, took one look at the mangled bumper and pulled the old man out of his car, yelling, "You better give me $10,000 or you're going to very sorry!"

The old man was terrified, "Ohhhhh.. ... I don't have that much money. Let me call my son. He'll know what to do. He's a dolphin trainer!"

As the old man’s son picked up the call, the Mustang owner grabbed the phone out of the old man's hand and screamed, "So you train dolphins. La-di-da! Your old man just smashed the back of my car. You better bring me $10,000 or your old man is going to be very sorry!"

The son answered with, "Okay. Give me 15 minutes and I'll be there."

Exactly 15 minutes later, the son pulled up in a Jeep. Four men jumped out... and taught the Mustang owner a lesson.

The son walked over to his dad and said gently,