Today everyone - whether they know it or not - is in the "emotional transportation" business. More and more, success is won by creating compelling stories that have the power to move partners, shareholders, customers, and employees to action. Simply put, if you can't tell it, you can't sell it. And this book tells you how to do both.
Historically, stories have always been igniters of action, moving people to do things. But only recently has it become clear that "purposeful "stories - those created with a specific mission in mind - are absolutely essential in persuading others to support a vision, dream or cause.
Peter Guber, whose executive and entrepreneurial accomplishments have made him a success in multiple" "industries, has long relied on "purposeful story telling" to motivate, win over, shape, engage and sell. Indeed, what began as knack for telling stories as an entertainment industry executive has, through years of perspiration and inspiration, evolved into a set of principles that anyone can use to achieve their goals.
In" Tell to Win, "Guber shows how to move beyond soulless Power Point slides, facts, and figures to create purposeful stories that can serve as powerful calls to action. Among his techniques:
*Capture your audience's attention first, fast and foremost
*Motivate your listeners by demonstrating authenticity
*Build your "tell" around "what's in it for them"
*Change passive listeners into active participants
*Use "state-of-the-heart" technology online and offline to make sure audience commitment remains strong
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 Normal 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.
Review
Former chairman of Sony Pictures and current CEO of Mandalay Entertainment Group, Guber illustrates how powerful storytelling-about yourself or your product-can be the ultimate tool to get the meeting, engage the listener, and close the deal. With brisk and readable anecdotes, the author relates what he's seen and learned in Hollywood, and how his celebrated friends-Bill Clinton, the Dalai Lama, Arianna Huffington, Nelson Mandela, and Frank Sinatra-impressed upon him the power of a well-crafted story or appeal. The celebrity name-dropping lends some glitter to Guber's very reasonable precepts: as he urges the reader to harness the power of metaphor in crafting the core narrative of a pitch or advertising campaign, he refers to how Michael Jackson taught him about drama by making him watch a python slowly stalk a helpless mouse, and how KISS frontman Gene Simmons, son of Holocaust survivors, used his backstory to fuel his ambition and his business strategy. This valuable and inspiring book will help readers deliver an authentic and meaningful story to customers, colleagues, or prospective clients. Publishers Weekly
