Whoever Tells the Best Story Wins: How to Use Your Own Stories to Communicate with Power and Impact

"This book is actually designed to help you pay more attention to the stories you tell." Well said, Annette! (from page 22.) So... Are you paying attention to what stories are you telling? Are you paying attention to what stories your company is telling? As a filmmaker, I am passionate about telling stories from remarkable organizations. Personal stories is the DNA for corporate videos; it's the lifeblood. We've all seen boring videos from organizations. Have you ever considered why they are boring? Corporate videos are often boring because they lack a personal story with any emotion. If you are looking to put emotion back into your life, your work or your presentations, Annette Simmons's new book is a fresh look on an ancient tool. This new book on storytelling is remarkable for three reasons: 1. It's simple but extremely effective. Annette's style and approach creates opportunities for anyone to begin re-framing their lives, their work and their future with new stories to tell. 2. It's thought-provoking. If you haven't given too much thought as to who you are and why you are here, Annette will guide you step-by-step to discovering your personal story. 3. It works. Period. Our brains are hard-wired for stories so why not consciously learn how to discover, tell and share stories that matter? Annette breaks the code for storytelling so you can implement the results right away. I have shared "Whoever Tells the Best Story Wins" in meetings and the energy of the conversation instantly changes...everyone wants to chime in and share a story! Now, everyone has a new "frame" in which to proceed. It's no wonder, then, it has become one of my favorite storytelling references. Thanks, Annette, for a truly inspiring piece of work!

A story will always bring an idea to life, and help the message stick with the audience. That's what Annette Simmons conveys very convincingly in her new book. It's a joy to read, and packed with stories that demonstrate the strength of her thesis. Definitely recommended for anyone who has to communicate anything as part of their job.

This is a book that anyone who has suffered through one too many mind-numbing business presentations will most certainly appreciate. Storytelling is the antidote to death by Powerpoint. Let's face it, no one ever remembers all the data and information served up in those presentations--or cares, even. What people really want to know is, "What does all this mean? How does this affect ME?" In other words, what's the story behind the data? As Annette Simmons says in Whoever Tells the Best Story Wins, experience is the best teacher--but story is the second best teacher. A story is a re-lived experience. And because people remember what they experience, they remember stories. Business presentations are not the only place stories can be used to communicate clearly. There's the performance review, the job interview, the sales pitch, the consultation, the water cooler gossip and, of course, the ubiquitous meetings. And a story doesn't have to be a long-winded tale or narrative. It can be as simple as a ten-second analogy or example. But there is an art to picking the right story for the right moment, and the trick is to learn how to "think in story." This is what Ms. Simmons shows us how to do in her wonderful book. The previous reviewer provides excellent details about the contents of the book, so I won't go into that here--the six types of stories and the places you go to find those stories. What I would like to add is that--much like How To Win Friends and Influence People or The Power of Positive Thinking--those who read this book and consciously apply it's principles will find their lives changed. I know it has changed mine. I'm thinking in story now.

Annette Simmons truly practices what she preaches. She doesn't just tell you how to use storytelling, she shares story after story throughout the book to make her points clearly and convincingly. What struck me the most was how effectively she conveys how to use story in the business world to be persuasive, show leadership and get colleagues and decision makers to jump on board--or at least stand up and take notice. As an executive coach I frequently work with brilliant scientists, technical geniuses and gifted thinkers who are frustrated when others don't "get it". Their motto is "let the facts speak for themselves" but frequently they are disappointed when no one listens. This is the book that doesn't waste any time trying to convince them to develop their soft side, but makes it very obvious how they can get more mileage out of one good story than another ten facts presented in a pie chart. And for those who think that telling a story would be uncomfortable, out of character or too difficult, Simmons walks you through such a down-to-earth, non-intimidating simple process, she pulls the stories right from you before you even realize it! Although this book is loaded with specific strategic information for more powerful communication, Simmons' very conversational tone and her great stories make it an easy read that will have you laughing and smiling inside as you identify with the situations and stories.

I am among those who have praised Annette Simons' previously published The Story Factor and are thus delighted that she has written this book in which she develops in much greater depth many of the same core concepts of the earlier work, one in which she rigorously examines the basic components of effective storytelling when explaining what a story is and what it can do that facts alone cannot. She suggests how to tell "a good story," in process explaining the psychology of an effective story's influence. She offers excellent advice on how to influence the unwilling, the unconcerned, and the unmotivated. Simmons also devotes an entire chapter to "Storylistening as a Tool of Influence," then in the next chapter identifies a number of storyteller Dos and Don'ts. Simmons concludes her book with insights that have their greatest value only if considered within the context created for each in previous chapters. In this volume, she explains "how to use your own stories to communicate with power impact" and I commend her on the informal, almost conversational tone she establishes and then sustains throughout her narrative. Her focus is on what each of her readers can contribute to all manner of communications with others. Hence the effectiveness of her direct, one-on-one rapport with those for whom she wrote this lively and entertaining as well as informative book. Appropriately, she shares a number of "stories" from her own life and career when illustrating various key points. For example, in Chapter10, she recalls a situation in which she was meeting with a group of international women in Europe only 10% of whom were from the U.S. When explaining how to be a more effective leader, she used a "I know what you are thinking story" to illustrate her key points. She recalled her need to "feel special" (i.e. to be admired, respected, and especially to be accepted) in school, college, and then as she began her career. Only later when she studied group process did she realize that "groups have patterns, and if you can predict the patterns of the group you can be in the right place at the right time. That sort of knowledge is power. I also learned about how ruthless groups can be to members who are innovative (deviant) or perceived as weak." This is but one of several examples - drawn from Simmons' own life and career - that illustrate how a personal story well-told can establish and then sustain a rapport, especially with those in an audience who may otherwise consider your point of view as dangerous, foolish, or simply not worth it. "Demonstrate how deeply you understand their objections by telling a story that validates them." In Part Two, Simmons explains how to find and then formulate stories. She includes a series of exercises for her reader to complete...and do so within the spaces provided in the book. She introduces each exercise with brief comments and suggestions before the reader records her or his own thoughts, feelings, and experience when