Kindra Hall’s love of storytelling began in the fifth grade. She wasn’t having a particularly pleasant year while her best friend was super popular. Then, her teacher assigned her class to choose a story and tell it to classmates. From the time she captivated her classmates with her chosen story, Good Giant's Big Toe, she got hooked on storytelling.
When Hall became vice president of sales for a multinational corporation, she was still telling stories. “I thought I would leave it behind because it’s kind of fluffy. Then I realized I was at my best when I was telling my story,” Hall told a packed room of educators at the 2016 NAIS Annual Conference in San Francisco recently.
She studied under the world’s best storytellers, and in 2014, she won a Storytelling World Award. In 2013, she released her first book, Otherwise Untold: A Collection of Stories Most People Would Keep to Themselves.
In her presentation, Hall answered three questions:
- Why is storytelling so effective?
- What is and isn’t a story?
- What tools do you need to put your story to work?
How a Good Story Raises Value
| Storytelling makes price irrelevant, Hall said as she relayed a study on significant objects. Researchers put 200 little knickknacks on eBay and paired them with a compelling story to see how much they would sell for. As an example, they posted a No. 4 tile, which is available for $6 from Home Depot. They paired that tile with a story of a couple moving into their first home. The tile sold for $88. In another example, they posted a cute little pony, which they purchased for $1, and paired it with a story of a woman whose daughter’s favorite toy was that pony. She said she hoped that someone would enjoy it as much as her daughter did. The selling price: $104.54.
If you’re having trouble convincing others about the value of an object or idea, “you’re not telling the right stories. People will pay a lot of money for a good story,” Hall said. In the study of 200 objects, researchers spent $250 on items that sold for a total of $8,000 — a 3,100 percent increase.
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 Kindra Hall speaks at the 2016 NAIS Annual Conference |
In Daniel Pink’s A Whole New Mind, he notes the way stories place facts in context and deliver emotional impact.
Stories can also affect cortisol and oxytocin levels, studies show. Cortisol is responsible for increased focus and attention while oxytocin helps in building trusting relationships. “If you want to fast-track relationships, share one story about yourself. Don’t be afraid to be vulnerable,” Hall said.
Making an emotional connection is a vital element of storytelling. Think about your school’s viewbook. Does it tell the stories of your students or merely provide data about your graduates? Remember that your story will outperform statistics and information any day — even when the stakes are high.
Why Are Stories So Powerful?
Stories are memorable because we co-create them. In fact, this is the unique advantage of storytelling that no other strategy can match. As someone tells you a story, you are creating images of your own. For example, when Hall was describing her fifth grade experience, we in her Annual Conference audience were imagining the hallways we walked through in school. We could see them, and smell them, she said. “Because we participated in that experience together and because we created it together, it will stay with you longer.”
As Rudyard Kipling said, “If history were taught in the form of stories, it would never be forgotten.”
What Isn’t a Story
A story is not:
- a tagline;
- a slogan;
- a mission statement;
- a history lesson;
- a date on a calendar (If the first line on your website is the year you were founded, you’re missing the point, she said);
- statistics;
- impressive results;
- vague, high-level, principled talk; or
- a theory.
At one point Hall worked with a builder who would talk only about integrity, without being specific about what it meant, so she asked him to share a story that illustrated the value.
He found his story: He was once sitting across the table from a really big client who told him that $1 million in cash was in his briefcase under the table. The client then asked the builder if that changed anything. The builder replied, “I’m sorry; that’s not how we work here.”
Later, the client called and said, “ ‘You’re exactly the builder we want to work with.’ They’ve been working together for 30 years. That’s a story about integrity,” Hall said. That’s principle grounded in real life.
A story happens in a moment, in a single interaction, in the classroom, she said. It happens in a particular place and time. Story requires talking about emotions. It has a beginning, a middle, and an end. In a story, there are characters to care about and something at stake.
Many times organizations allude to their story but don’t actually tell it. It’s the biggest mistake they make, Hall said.
The Art and Science of Storytelling
Hall’s three key steps to storytelling:
- Finding the story (not easy)
- Crafting the story (not easy)
- Telling the story (easiest part)
On Finding the Story
Keep in mind that stories attach themselves to the nouns in life: people, places, things, and events.
She suggested making a list of every place you’ve ever lived. “Even as you think of the name of the house, don’t stories start coming back to you about the things that happened in that house?” she asked.
Hall described working with a magazine publisher covering innovation. To go beyond merely talking about innovation in his publisher’s letter, she instructed him to make a list of all the examples of innovation that he had witnessed over his lifetime. He relayed the first time he used his dad’s cellphone, which came in a big suitcase. He used it to make a call at the gas station that ended up costing $300. That compelling story conveys the significance of innovation, Hall said.
To ferret out your own story:
- Make a list of values. (What story involves people and values?)
- Make a list of objections. (Why don’t people choose you?)
- Make a list of proudest moments. (These usually involve challenges and students.)
- Make a list of your happiest students or parents.
- Describe when your “why” was born. (Why do you do what you do? As Hall said, “It’s not for the fame and fortune. Tell the story to your students so they know that they are loved.”)
On Crafting the Story
Remember that a story has a beginning, middle, and end. Now, think of the three parts this way: normal (beginning), explosion (middle), and new normal (end).
Typically, we only hear about the explosion, or the happening, not what came before it. In other words, people don’t start their stories with the normal, Hall said.
Begin your story by describing one of your students before he or she began attending your school. Then, move to how he or she met you. Finally, talk about the graduation or transformation to the new normal. Remember that the family is in the normal part, and they’re looking for opportunities for transformation.
When crafting the story, set the scene, use emotions, and be strategic about the details. “I’m not asking you to write the Great American Novel here,” she said. Don’t be afraid to offer a directive in your story, she added.
On Telling the Story
Finally, adhere to the No. 1 rule of storytelling: “What do I want them to think, feel, know, or do as a result of hearing this story?”
Places to tell your school’s stories include:
- school walls;
- online, via blogs, video, and social media;
- campus tours;
- printed material, such as brochures and pamphlets;
- PR pieces; and
- in your classroom.
A Good Story Lives On
In Hall's case, her school woes had a happy ending. Hall's fifth grade teacher gifted her the story she loved at her graduation. As Hall noted, the present was both a celebration of her achievement and the continuation of her teacher’s legacy – and a reminder that a good story lives on in our hearts.
Now, it’s time for you to get out there and tell your own stories! I invite you to share a story from your school in the comments.
