{"id":53,"date":"2019-11-01T09:00:12","date_gmt":"2019-11-01T09:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ifg-global.com\/blog\/?p=53"},"modified":"2019-10-31T18:15:32","modified_gmt":"2019-10-31T18:15:32","slug":"from-hollywood-to-bay-street-success-is-defined-by-the-story-you-tell","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ifg-global.com\/blog\/from-hollywood-to-bay-street-success-is-defined-by-the-story-you-tell\/","title":{"rendered":"From Hollywood to Bay Street \u2013 Success is Defined by the Story You Tell"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Famous Hollywood screenwriter and Professor Robert McKee\nonce said that \u201cStorytelling is the most powerful way to put ideas into the\nworld.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stories are all around us. They\u2019re part of our DNA. From as\nfar back as childhood, we can still remember our parents reading stories to us.\nStories are how we share information and impart meaning to our world. They\u2019re\nhow we experience emotion and put our lives in context. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the business world, at some point in your career,\nsuccess will depend on how well you can sell your story. If you\u2019re the CEO or\nCFO of a public company, you better have a compelling and engaging story to\nattract shareholders and investors. Money begets money, and one way to get it\nis to have a good story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nImportance of Story in the Finance Industry<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

No one can dispute the fact that the world of finance is\ndriven by numbers. Data is everywhere, and savvy CEO\u2019s and CFO\u2019s are hard\npressed to find meaning and context in the numbers. In a world where financial\nprofessionals are being pulled in all directions to translate complex\ninformation, they must also find a way to move beyond being a traditional\n\u201ctalking head\u201d and structure data and information in a way that incites a call\nto action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a competitive environment stories are the real connector\nand, if used effectively, can provide a bridge between the C-Suite and Main\nStreet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to\nbe a Better Storyteller<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

1. Look at the structure of successful stories <\/p>\n\n\n\n

American author and Professor Joseph Campbell\u2019s theories have been used by a wide range of writers and artists including George Lucas of Star Wars<\/em> fame. His books The Hero with a Thousand Faces <\/em>and The Hero\u2019s Journey<\/em> delve into the structure and mythology of story by describing plot lines, story structure and characters that follow a series of archetypes. Stories have a beginning, middle and end as well as an \u201carc\u201d involving some sort of conflict. The conflict creates tension until the hero moves in to deal with it moving the story forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Good stories involve a hero <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Campbell\u2019s archetype of a hero refers to someone who is able to perform huge tasks and overcome great odds to succeed on behalf of a particular group or person. For financial professionals, look at how you were able to overcome conflict and achieve a goal. How did you respond to a hostile bid? Why did you decide to restructure a particular department? What did you do to win the big sale? What was the story behind each action and who were the key characters? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Decide what you want from your audience <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Craft your story to suit your key audience. Some parts of your story will be more important to some audiences than to others. Connect the dots for your listeners and follow the narrative to give them what they want. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Effective\nPresentations \u2013 It\u2019s All About the Story<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Financial information isn\u2019t usually seen as being the type of content that would easily excite an audience. To engage an audience and make them interested in what you have to say, you have to present information in a compelling and memorable way. So how do you go about designing a presentation that energizes everyone in the room and makes the numbers come alive? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Think like Joseph Campbell \u2013 Explain your current situation and tell people where you want to go. By showing them a better way to do things, you\u2019re highlighting a conflict that has to be solved and you will look like a hero if you\u2019re able to solve it <\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Know your audience \u2013 Define your audience. What exactly do they want to hear and what is important to them? Think of your presentation as a press release. What\u2019s the who, what, when, where and why behind the numbers?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Develop your narrative \u2013 Structure your presentation as a story. Use subheadings to highlight key parts of your story. Who are the main characters and who is the hero?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Be brief and avoid jargon \u2013 Tell your story in layman\u2019s terms and don\u2019t put too much information on each slide. Keep it simple<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Use great images and graphics \u2013 Images tell a great story and can reinforce your narrative<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How\nStorytelling Can Advance Your Career<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Seth Godin, bestselling author and marketing guru, said\nthat \u201cMarketing is no longer about the stuff that you make, but about the\nstories you tell.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To cut through the clutter, you\nhave to tell your story in an engaging way, and develop nerves of steel and\ndogged determination to be sure your story is heard by the right people, at the\nright time. Your career will be full of rejection, but successful people are\nable to take that criticism and constructively use it to get their own story\nheard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you can\u2019t\npresent your ideas, you won\u2019t get very far. Feed your passion, and develop the\nskills needed to effectively present and sell ideas to people who can benefit\nmost from those ideas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don’t give up.\nThe world is waiting for a good story. Let yours be the one everyone starts\ntalking about and your world will open up in ways you never dreamed possible.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Famous Hollywood screenwriter and Professor Robert McKee once said that \u201cStorytelling is the most powerful way to put ideas into the world.\u201d Stories are all around us. They\u2019re part of our DNA. From as far back as childhood, we can still remember our parents reading stories to us. Stories are how we share information and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-53","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-candidates"],"yoast_head":"\nFrom Hollywood to Bay Street \u2013 Success is Defined by the Story You Tell | IFG Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ifg-global.com\/blog\/from-hollywood-to-bay-street-success-is-defined-by-the-story-you-tell\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"From Hollywood to Bay Street \u2013 Success is Defined by the Story You Tell | IFG Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Famous Hollywood screenwriter and Professor Robert McKee once said that \u201cStorytelling is the most powerful way to put ideas into the world.\u201d Stories are all around us. 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