无庸置疑，故事能够改变我们思考、行动以及感受的方式。尤其是领导们，能够运用一个好的故事所产生的影响力来影响和激励他们的团队到达新的高度。故事能够激励人们从理解到行动的每一个环节。它们能够创造传奇故事使得整个职场文化都可以塑造起来，而且它们有足够的力量扫除障碍扭转乾坤。 故事能够引发我们丰富的想像力并使得事情向着真实的方向发展而冰冷的、客观的事实却不能。

毫无疑问----故事可以是非常、非常有力的领导工具。伟大的领袖人物都明白这一点，许多顶尖CEO今天也运用故事去阐明他们的观点、营销他们的看法。

那么，你希望自己成为一名有说服力的激励者吗？如果是的话，就学习一下如何讲好故事。但是该如何讲呢？什么时候你该讲故事，你怎么知道该讲怎样的故事才能达到你所想要的效果？本文总结了我们对《说故事的力量》一书作者安奈特·西蒙斯的专家访谈。

故事的种类

学习不同情境下需要不同的故事。在职场你可以运用6种主要类型的故事：

"我是谁"故事----当你开始带领团队的时候，你的成员有时会自动地判断你是谁。他们也许会看你是一个控制型的领导，这意味着，或者说你“没有和他们在一起”，他们也没有真正认识你。如果你在刚刚成为团队领导的时候讲一个“我是谁”的故事，你就可以让成员们对你有一个深入的了解，而这可以真正激励你。这可以帮助消除你和团队成员之间的隔阂，使他们认识到你也和他们一样是一个普通人。
“我是谁”这个故事的目的应该是向你的成员们透露一些你的缺点或你以前曾经犯过的差错。这到底是为什么呢？因为通过透露你的缺点，你在向你的团队传递一个信息，那就是你很信任他们。透露你的缺点还可以使你表现得更加平易近人，因为它表示你是普通人而已。（需要确定的是这是一个小缺点！）
例如，作者经常发现当顾客第一次遇到她时，他们都会想当然地认为她的主要目标就是销售她书本的复印件或是更多的咨询时间。她提及此事时解释说，她父亲曾经是一名社工而且也希望她能够帮助他人（同时也包括她老板）并认为她应该去法学院。她已经下了决心不这么做，因为她移民到澳大利亚了。这个故事有双重强调的好处，一方面是她没有在一个有特权的环境下成长，因此，她的背景实际上和她的许多顾客是非常相似的；而另外一方面，也是她有时也会做一些愚蠢的决定。 毕竟，不去法学院而移民到另一大陆是一个相当极端的做法。!
"我为什么会在这里" 的故事----这些故事和"我是谁"的故事非常相似。 目的是为了建立信任、消除怀疑，从而帮助你的团队意识到你没有任何不可告人的安排。向他们展示你是好人，而且你和他们一起共同努力实现共同的目标。
例如，学校董事会一位新的成员被任命为小组委员会的委员负责班主任的绩效管理。在他们的第一次绩效评估会议上，回顾班主任是否达到去年所提出的目标，这位董事会新成员对班主任的述职提出了好多方面挑战性的问题。 会议结束以后，这位董事会新成员走近这位班主任身边说，“我相信你一定意识到我的这些挑战并非是针对你个人的。而且我认为你做得很棒。然而，我作为董事会成员的职责就是确保这个城市的教育预算的开支是非常明智的，因此我的工作是确保奖金只在公平的情况下被发放。” 班主任打消了她的疑虑并表示她完全明白，而且事实上，对于她带来了如此严谨的过程表示非常感激。.
教育性故事----离开了演示，教育就变得格外地困难，而这也是教育性故事的整个目的。
关于这一点没有比伊索寓言更佳的例子了。还记得“男孩子叫狼来了”的故事吗？这个故事教育了好几百万的小孩子，除非他们真正需要帮忙，否则不要乱求救。 虽然这个故事很简单，就像多数寓言一样，然而它却被广为流传了几个世纪。
运用教育性故事可以使教育的内容非常清晰明了，从而帮助人们记住为什么他们需要优先做一些事情。
作者告诉了我们一个最近的例子以强调教育性故事的价值。她正在与全国连锁安老院机构一起工作。这些安老院工作人员中有许多人很年轻，他们都具有最善良的愿望，而他们经常使用的声调更加适合小孩子而不是老人。这里的挑战就是要让这些年轻的工作人员记住他们需要使用尊敬的声调来说话。她通过讲述她自己祖母的故事来教育这些年轻员工，她祖母中风以后就再也不能说话了。几个月以后，她开始绝食了，因为她决定与其没有尊严地活着不如死了算了，因为照顾她的人俨然以恩人的方式和她说话。.
愿景故事----说这些故事是为了唤起希望，尤其是当你的团队需要不定期地提醒他们为什么他们需要那样做以及他们应该做什么的时候。愿景故事旨在鞭策行动并提高士气。找一个故事出来可以提醒每个人终极目标是什么，以及为什么每个人完成这个目标是如此重要。这类故事应该是你发自肺腑、动情地讲述的。

作者分享了她的愿景故事，这是一个人类通过共同努力拯救地球脱离生态灾难的故事。她强调了在一个社会里人们协同合作的重要性，当她最近有一次在机场时，她的飞机第三次延迟了。当她几乎想要对机乘人员发牢骚的时候，记起了需要帮助其他人员协作的重要性使得她平静了自己的情绪。.
"行动价值观"的故事---- 当你看到单词“正直”时，你想到了什么？诚实？为正当的理由做正当的事情？
每个价值都会因人而异有着不同的意义。如果你需要在你的团队传递价值观，你需要从定义那些价值观对你来说意味着什么开始 。因此，如果你希望你的团队能够展示高水平的客户服务，那么，你就需要讲述故事能够真正让大家明白客户服务对你来说意味着什么。

例如，一家连锁眼镜店打广告说，如果顾客回到家里以后发觉不喜欢的话，店里可以提供一个新款眼镜。这么做也引起了店铺很多眼镜生意成本的上升。然而，一家店铺的经理经常定期地告诉他的店员说，有一位顾客利用了商店的这些优惠----最带着歉意的，但是，从那以后他不仅一直多年保持对这家连锁店的忠诚，还把这家连锁店推荐给他的家人和朋友。结果是，生意上面一点小小的损失给这家连锁店带来了很多有利润的购买。.
"我知道你在想什么"的故事---- 商业世界经常存在讨价还价。讲述此类故事的好处在于您能够认可对方的不同意见，然后再向对方说明为什么在这种情形下他们所持的意见是不合适的。您可以对其它不同意见表示尊重，而这样做可以使对方对您的观点信服。

例如，一位童鞋店的售货小姐在说服孩子母亲购买一双价格昂贵的优质鞋子时，她向这位母亲解释说如果她的小孩在穿了这双新鞋一周以后发现不舒服的话，她可以把鞋子带回到店里要求换鞋或退钱。这里的情况是即使那双鞋子被穿过了而且没法再卖得出去。售货小姐告诉顾客上个星期就有这样一位顾客这样做了来让孩子的母亲相信她所说的话，仅管上星期的那个顾客是唯一发生的一次，顾客的小孩不喜欢这双鞋子。
贴示

当您在讲述故事的时候一定要牢记以下这些建议：:

真实可信----最优秀的故事讲述者都是发自内心来讲述的，因此如果您没有那份真实感受的话，请不要做作。您的听众非常有可能看穿，到时候您的故事就会支离破碎、了无价值。.
注意您的观众----过于冗长的故事通常会令人生厌。要把故事讲好，但是别不停地讲下去。.
练习----在讲故事以前您先试着练习。即使面对镜子中的自己或者是摄像机自己拍摄，您也先试着讲给自己听一遍，这有助于您面对真正的观众时的表现。.
创造体验----记住当您讲故事时，你其实是在为您的听众创造一种体验。不要只采用声音（词语），您还需要动用其它感官。画图给听众看，不要只是用嘴说。

例如，告诉人们说外面正在下雪，这件事情是比较容易的。但是，如果您希望您的听众真正地体验到雪的话，那么您得描述出雪是如何的冰冷以及风是如何把雪吹到您的眼睛里的。告诉他们当您铲完马路上的积雪时您是多么渴望得到一杯热可可 ，以及由于您的靴子不够暖和使得您的脚趾都冻僵了。尽量在您的故事里面调动您的五官来帮忙：味觉，触觉，视觉，听觉和嗅觉。这些感官会使得您的故事活泼生动。
关键点
故事可以成为领导力的有力工具----如果运用得当的话。

了解需要讲述什么类型的故事，然后花时间进行脑力激荡、找到适合不同情境的好点子。记住，您是在为您的观众创造一种体验，因此当您在讲故事的时候一定要侧重于至少两种或三种感官来表述。创造出听众的兴趣，然后把您的听众吸引进来。要给他们看您在讲什么，而不是仅仅说给他们听。

There's no doubt that stories can change the way we think, act, and feel. Leaders, especially, can use the power of a good story to influence and motivate their teams to new heights. Stories can inspire everything from understanding to action. They can create legends that an entire workplace culture can build upon, and they have the power to break down barriers and turn a bad situation into a good one. Stories can capture our imaginations and make things real in a way that cold, hard facts can't.

Make no mistake - stories can be very, very powerful leadership tools. Great leaders know this, and many top CEOs today use stories to illustrate points and sell their ideas.

So, do you want to be a persuasive motivator? If so, learn how to tell a good story. But how? When should you tell a story, and how do you know what kind of story to tell to get the results you want? This article summarizes our Expert Interview with Annette Simmons, author of "Whoever Tells the Best Story Wins."

Types of Stories
Learn what kind of story to tell for different situations. There are six main types of story that you can use in the workplace:

"Who I Am" Stories - When you start leading a team, members of your new team sometimes make automatic judgments about who you are. They may see you as controlling, mean, or "out to get them" without really knowing you. If you tell a "Who I Am" story when you first become a team leader, you can give a powerful insight into what really motivates you. This can break down walls and help your team realize that you're a person just like them.

Your goal with a "Who I Am" story should be to reveal some type of flaw about yourself or mistake that you've made. Why? Because by revealing a flaw, you show your team that you trust them with this information. Revealing flaws can also make you more approachable, because it demonstrates that you're only human. (Just make sure it's a small flaw!)

For example, the author often finds that when clients first meet her, they assume that her primary goal is to sell them copies of her book or more consulting time. She gets past this by explaining that her dad was a social worker who wanted her to help others (while also being her own boss) and so felt she should go to law school. She was so determined not to do this, that she moved to Australia. This story has the double benefit of emphasizing that she didn't grow up in privileged circumstances, and so actually has a background similar to that of many of her clients, and also that she might sometimes make slightly foolish decisions. After all, emigrating to another continent is a rather extreme way of getting out of going to law school!

"Why I'm Here" Stories - These are very similar to "Who I Am" stories. The goal is to replace suspicion with trust, and help your team realize that you don't have any hidden agendas. Show that you're a good person, and that you want to work together with them to achieve a common goal.

For example, a new member of the school board was appointed to the sub-committee responsible for the head teacher's performance management. In their first meeting, which looked at whether the head had met her stated objectives in the past year, the new member challenged the Head on several aspects of the proof presented. After the meeting, the new board member approached the Head, and explained "I'm sure you realize that my challenges are not personal. And I think you're doing great work. However, my duty as a board member is to ensure that the city's education budget is being spent wisely, and so it's my job to ensure that bonuses are only paid when there's a real justification for doing so." The Head reassured her that she understood this perfectly, and was, in fact, grateful for the rigor she had brought to the process.

Teaching Stories - It can be very hard to teach without demonstrating, and that's the whole purpose of Teaching Stories.

There's no better example of this than Aesop's fables. Remember "The Boy Who Cried Wolf"? This story alone has taught millions of children not to yell for help unless there's a real need for it. Although it's simple, like most fables, it's done an effective job for centuries.

Use Teaching Stories to make a lesson clear and to help people remember why they're doing something in the first place.

The author tells a more recent example to emphasize the value of teaching stories. She was working with a nation wide chain of care homes for the elderly. Many of the staff in these homes are young and, with the best intentions, often use tones of voice that are more suitable for addressing young children than elderly people. The challenge was to get these young staff to remember to use respectful tones of voice. She achieved this by telling the story of her own grandmother, who suffered a stroke and was unable to speak. After some months, she gave up eating because she had decided she would rather die than live without dignity, because of the patronizing way in which her carers spoke to her.

Vision Stories - Tell these to inspire hope, especially when your team needs occasional reminders of why they're doing what they should be doing.

Vision Stories are meant to stimulate action and raise morale. Find a story that reminds everyone what the ultimate goal is, and why it's important that everyone reaches that goal. This type of story should be told from your heart, with emotion.

The author shares her own vision story, which is one of human beings saving the planet from ecological disaster by working together. She drew on the importance of embedding this collaborative approach in society when she was at the airport recently, and her plane was delayed for the third time. While it would have been tempting to take out her frustration on the airline staff, remembering the importance of helping others to work collaboratively helped her calm her emotions.

"Values in Action" Stories - When you see the word "integrity," what do you think of? Honesty? Doing the right thing for the right reason?

Every value can mean something different from person to person. If you want to pass on values to your team, start by defining what those values mean to you. So, if you want your team to demonstrate a high level of customer service, then tell a story that reveals exactly what customer service means to you.

For example, a chain of opticians ran an advertising campaign that offered to replace glasses with a new style if customers didn't like the frames when they got them home. Now this led to the transaction costing the optician money in most cases. However, the manager at one store regularly told his staff about a customer who had taken advantage - most apologetically - of the offer, but then not only remained loyal to that optical chain for years, but also recommended the chain to her family and friends. As a result, the small loss on one transaction bought the chain many profitable purchases in the future.

"I Know What You're Thinking" Stories - The world of business involves frequent bargaining. The advantage of telling this type of story is that you can recognize another person's objections, and then show why those objections aren't applicable in this situation. You can show respect for the other point of view while convincing the person that you're right.

For example, a saleswoman in children's shoe store convinces a mom to buy a pair of premium-priced shoes by explaining that if her child doesn't find his new shoes comfortable after a week, she can bring them back for an exchange or refund. This is the case even though the shoes would be worn and couldn't be resold. The saleswoman backs this up by telling of one customer who did that just last week, although she was the only customer whose child hadn't loved the shoes.
Tips
Keep these suggestions in mind when telling your stories:

Be authentic - The best storytellers talk from their hearts, so don't try to fake an emotion that you don't feel. Your listeners will probably see through this, and your story will crash and burn.

Pay attention to your audience - Stories that are too long are generally boring. Tell the story well, but don't go on forever.

Practice - Try to practice before you tell the story. Even if you tell it to yourself just once in front of a mirror or video camera, this can help you when you're in front of your real audience.

Create an experience - Remember that when you tell a story, you're creating an experience for your listeners. Don't just use sound (words), but the other senses as well. Show your listeners the picture you're painting, don't just tell them.

For example, it's easy to tell people that it's snowing outside. But if you want your listeners to really experience the snow, then describe how cold it is and the way the wind blows snow into your eyes. Tell them how you dream of a hot cup of cocoa after you're done shoveling snow in your driveway, and how your toes freeze because your boots aren't warm enough. Try to engage the five senses in every story: taste, touch, sight, hearing, and smell. They'll make your story come alive.
Key Points
Stories can be powerful leadership tools - if they're told well.

Know which kind of story to tell, and spend time brainstorming some good ideas for each type of situation. Remember, you're creating an experience for your listeners, so focus on using at least two or three senses when you tell your story. Create interest, and draw your listeners in. Show them what you're saying, don't just tell them.