Storytelling for Business Networking with Dr. Ivan Misner (#72)
Storytelling for Networking with BNI Founder Dr. Ivan Misner
The Founder and Chief Visionary Officer of BNI is also an author, a humanitarian, an expert in the field of business networking and a terrific storyteller. Dr. Ivan Misner travels the world discussing referral networking and personal and professional development. He has been featured in the New York Times, the L.A. Times, the Wall Street Journal and on networks such as CNN and MSNBC.
All along the way, Ivan brings life to stories.
“When I tell a story, I do my best to relive it, not retell it. The truth is if you want to be a great storyteller, don’t retell a story. Relive a story.“ - Dr. Ivan Misner
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Storytelling for Business Networking with Dr. Ivan Misner
Stories are Sticky
Ivan says the best way to teach and pass along information is through story. And he says the point of teaching is to fill “the leaky bucket.” If we tell our story and others take it and go forth, there will be leaks in the story. It’s our job as the teacher to continue to fill that bucket with the real story. those stories, they stay with us. Ivan considers his main job at BNI to be teacher, which to him means storyteller. His stories have to have a point.
“A story has to have a point. If the story doesn’t have a point, it’s called a joke…. there has to be a lesson.” - Ivan Misner on the power of story
The Four (4) Elements of a Story
Over the years of writing, teaching, presentations and more, Ivan has worked a formula for his stories. He says stories must be a fact wrapped in an emotion that compels people to take action which then transforms them in some way.
FACT: You have information you want to get across.
EMOTION: The emotion makes the story sticky. Pull on heartstrings or make them laugh.
ACTION: Sticky stories get your audience to take action.
TRANSFORMATION: That action transforms the audience of your story in some way.
“If they don’t take action, what’s the point of the story? If you can do that with a story, you have hit on every. Single. Cylinder.” - Ivan Misner on the story formula
Connect with Ivan and BNI:
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The Storytellers Network with Dan Moyle publishes every Monday at 7 AM EST.