Tool No 18: Personal Story
HOW? Think of an episode from your own life that illustrates your message. Repeat it out loud four times to yourself. Every time you repeat it, leave out the least important element until the essence is crystal clear.
A personal story consists of one – and only one – episode from your life, at one time, in one place. It doesn’t need to be special. In fact, mundane situations are actually quite effective.
A board member once had to convey a message about simplifying rules. He said: “Our rules remind me of the box of cables I have in the basement at home. On Sunday, I was assembling a stereo unit, so got the box out. The cables were all jumbled up. I ended up dumping them all on the floor, un- tangling them all, and tossing a third of them in the bin ’cause they were no longer any use. We need to do the same with our rules. Get rid of the irrelevant ones and present the rest in a way that makes it easier to find the ones we need.”
