Robert McKee is no stranger to the power of story.
As one of the world’s foremost experts on story, he’s consulted to hundreds of writers, directors, producers, actors, and executives. And more than a few corporations.
Persuasion is the centerpiece of business. People must be convinced to buy our company’s products or services, employees and colleagues to go along with a new strategic plan, investors to keep investing, and partners to sign the next deal.
But despite the critical importance of persuasion, most executives struggle to communicate, let alone inspire. The main reason is they think logic will win the day. And when that fails, they pile on more rhetoric and logic.
Instead of moving people, they’re met routinely greeted with walls cynicism, lassitude, or outright dismissal.
People are not inspired to act by reason alone. Any intelligent person can sit down and make lists. It takes rationality but little creativity to design an argument using conventional rhetoric.
But it demands vivid insight and storytelling skill to present an idea that packs enough emotional power to be memorable and inspire action.
When we harness imagination and the principles of a well-told story, we get people excited and engaged instead of bored and morose. We get people to pay attention instead of ignoring us.