“The best stories lead from the heart, not the mind.”  Said Stacey Snider, the former Chair of Universal Pictures and now Co-Chair of DreamWorks Studios, more than 20 years ago when she was president of Peter Guber’s company.

Peter Guber was immediately impressed by this insight.  Of course!  In the entertainment business, there’s a perpetual push to ramp up state-of-the-art technology, but without emotional propulsion, no amount of digital effects or gadgetry will get audiences truly excited.

What does Guber mean by “emotional transportation”?  He’s talking about the complex system of action and reaction that operates within stories to move listeners.  Stories that “work” transport audiences emotionally.  They move us to laugh, cry, gasp, sigh, or yell in sympathetic rage, and every listener intuitively demands this emotional propulsion.  It’s important to remember that this is true even in a business context.  Business people are human beings who grew up listening to stories, just like everybody else.  So in business as in show business, if you fail to transport your listener emotionally, you will lose your audience.  Lose your audience, and you can’t possibly expect them to deliver on your intended call to action.

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.