Melinda Gates Has Uncovered the Secret to Persuasion. Her Strategy Will Make You a Better Communicator.
Melinda Gates has developed her skill as a storyteller because she knows this fundamental secret of persuasion: Statistics don’t inspire, stories do.
Gates is an exceptional communicator because she balances stories and statistics to get you to care. Adopting her approach will make you more persuasive about any topic that fires you up, especially if you’re trying to persuade others to take action.
Melinda combines her mastery of data with her ability to tell powerful stories
After Bill Gates–Melinda’s husband and co-partner at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation–had read the finished book, he wrote in his blog: “What is really impressive about the book is the way Melinda combines her mastery of data with her ability to tell powerful stories about individual women she has met.”
If you’re delivering a presentation or writing a document intended to inspire people to action, don’t start with statistics. Data follows a story. Data supports an argument. The stories should come first.
Tell stories to release the “moral molecule”
Neuroscientists like Dr. Paul Zak have discovered that stories change your brain–in a good way. Stories bind us together. Zak’s research focuses on oxytocin, the neurochemical responsible for feeling empathy. Zak calls oxytocin the “moral molecule,” because a notable rise in oxytocin in the bloodstream make people more generous, charitable, and compassionate.
In Gates’s book, there are more stories than statistics. It’s done on purpose. If you want to get your audience to care, sharing real stories of real people will have a far-reaching impact.
35 days till Summer!
Your customers and facilities need new floor mats, stripper and finish to redo those damaged entrance ways. They also have budget money set aside for new equipment and who knows what else. If you don’t ask the answer is no so if you have not sent a mailing out, an email or just talked to your customers about it they will probably give their orders to another company. Do it next week or your competition will!
Have a great day and an even better sales week!
Scott Jarden