The Naked Truth – A Parable

I want to share a story with you:

“Truth, naked and cold, had been turned away from every door in the village. Her nakedness frightened the people. When Parable found her, she was huddled in a corner, shivering and hungry. Taking pity on her, Parable gathered her up and took her home. There, she dressed Truth in story, warmed her, and sent her out again. Clothed in story, Truth knocked again at the doors and was readily welcomed into the villagers’ houses. They invited her to eat at their tables and warm herself by their fires. — Jewish Teaching Story”

I found out that this story has been told and retold since the eleventh century. That’s pretty amazing, and it must mean it’s a pretty impactful story.

I’ve talked about story many times before in this blog. This time, I wanted to share a deeper meaning of story and how it can help you in your business and maybe even your personal relationships.

Looking at the story I shared, consider your own experiences whenever you delivered, received, or maybe even avoided “the naked truth.”

When Gloria Steinem was asked about the naked truth, her response – …it will set you free, but first… will piss you off.”

There is a place for the naked truth, and there’s also a place to tell a story that will get you the results you want with less resistance and more grace.

Annette Simmons, the author of The Story Factory, calls this – “Telling the truth clothed in story.”

When using stories, we are appealing to a person’s emotional brain. It’s more creative and accesses that part of the brain that can visualize, like reading a book.

Let’s say you don’t have a lot of time to build trust with someone. The best way to do it is to tell them a story that will simulate an experience of trustworthiness. If your story is good enough, they will come to their own conclusion that they can trust.

The basis of any new relationship is always built on trust.

The better you can tell stories, the more successful you will become.

Here’s an example – let’s say I was asked to speak to a group of leaders whole were struggling after implementing a new system, and their employees were still not getting it.

Instead of focusing on the obvious that maybe they didn’t roll out the system with the help their employees needed or something else, I simply told them this story…

“One of the most frustrating things that happen to me is when I’m walking my dog Lily. When we come upon a light pole, if I’m not looking ahead, she will walk on one side while I’m on the other. So all forward movement stops. She looks at me and wonders why we’re not moving forward. Unless I’ve trained my dog incredibly well to backup, I’m going to have to back up and show her which way to go by pulling the leash and talking to her nicely. Then we will be able to move forward again.”

This story could be a good way to break the ice with the leaders to show them how their people need their guidance and how they need to lead with compassion and thinking ahead.

There is definitely an art to storytelling, and here are some ideas for you:

• Start by making a list of personal stories – maybe your story of origin about why you started your business.
• Make another list of stories you’ve heard or resonate with that also teach some points that share more about your work, philosophy, values, etc.
• When presenting or doing a talk – see how many stories you can incorporate into it that will get across your points in a way that will reach them far better than just talking about the points.
• Quotes – I also like to share quotes as well, especially when they can help bring a point on home – like one of my favorites – “A rising tide floats all boats.” I love this quote because, to me, it means we’re all in this boat called life together, and together we rise. My other favorite one I use a lot – “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”
  
  This is at the core of marketing and copy. It’s NOT ABOUT YOU – it’s about them. And when your marketing materials are focused on THEM (your dream clients), they will resonate with you and know you care.

If you’re interested in discovering more about story – I’m almost done reading Annette Simmon’s book The Story Factor, which I’d highly recommend.

I’ve adapted parts of this email from her book. And I’ve mentioned her before and her six different types of stories you can tell.

I will share more about her six different types of stories in my next blog post.

The big takeaway is that you can become a better communicator, motivator, and influencer when you learn to use stories effectively.

NOTE: Plus, whenever you are ready, here are three ways I can help you achieve your business goals.

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