Communications consultant Bob Dickman, who co-authored The Elements of Persuasion, made a comment at one of Peter Guber’s story conclaves that reminded him why heroes play such a critical role in purposeful stories. “All the passion in the world won’t do any good,” Bob told the conclave attendees, “unless you have someplace to put it. That’s where the hero comes in. By hero, I don’t necessarily mean Superman or a grandmother who rushes into a burning building to save a baby, but the character in the story who gives the audience a point of view. The hero’s both our surrogate and our guide.”
In other words, the hero is the character that your listener will identify with.
Why is this identification important in telling to win? Because, if your audience experiences the story through your hero, and the story leads your hero to embrace your call to action, then your audience automatically will hear and hopefully heed your call, too!
MORE ABOUT TELL TO WIN
To validate the power of telling purposeful stories, Guber includes in this book a remarkably diverse number of ‘voices’ – master tellers with whom he’s shared experiences. They include YouTube founder Chad Hurley, NBA champion Pat Riley, clothing designer Norma Kamali, “Mission to Mars” scientist Gentry Lee, Under Armour CEO Kevin Plank, former South African president Nelson Mandela, magician David Copperfield, film director Steven Spielberg, novelist Nora Roberts, rock legend Gene Simmons, and physician and author Deepak Chopra.
After listening to this extraordinary mix of voices, you’ll know how to craft, deliver – and own – a story that is truly compelling, one capable of turning others into viral advocates for your goal.
