Power of the Opening Line
Do not underestimate the power of the first sentence. This may be the only shot you get. What is the goal of the opening line? The number one goal is to engage the reader or viewer enough to influence them to read the second line. That is it. Do not start with an introduction, do not start with a boring aerial shot of the building. Do not start by talking about yourself. Sometimes this works, but, the goal is to tell a story. Engage your audience and influence your audience. A great way to build opening lines: Start your story with, “Meet John, …”
This is why I love storytelling so much!
Storytelling is the building block to relationships and influence. Baby Boomers were very successful because they were really good at telling stories. They were really influential, because they could deliver a message and communicate. Today, this line of communication has been dampened, and even replaced, with automation, devices, and social media. Social Media has created a lack of engagement and replaced it with a sea of noise. If you have a great story to tell, but there is no one there to listen, you simply are there making noise. You become lost in the sea of audio waves smashing into the shores of the viewer.
Where Does Influence Comes From?
I was watching the PGA Tour this past fall and I remember watching Tiger Woods approach the green on the 18th Hole. Tiger looked like Moses leading his people out of Egypt! There was a mob of people following him, thousands. And there I was too, on my couch, cheering him on, with my eyes fixed on the screen. Then it hit me!! What was I doing? Why was I so fixed on Tiger Woods? Why was everyone so fixed on him? It wasn’t that I admired Tiger’s Character, I didn’t aspire to be like him, yet What was I there for? I was there to witness Tiger’s Gifts. I wanted to be a part of a story, I was caught up in the moment of greatness spearheaded by a trial and victory of overcoming the odds. People do not always look up to the man or the organization, rather they admire the talents and gifts one possesses.
A, take it further, RESOURCE: If you would like to learn more about emotional chemicals that are released because of storytelling watch this mini-video from David Philips as he explains the Angel’s Cocktail. It is fantastic. “Magical Science of Storytelling”. The book “Triggers,” by Joe Sugarman, very powerful book about emotional influence. Finally, Roy Williams, “Wizard of Ads.” Wonderful resource on capturing stories quickly.
“https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nj-hdQMa3uA” image_src=”//i.ytimg.com/vi/Nj-hdQMa3uA/hqdefault.jpg”
The Apple Seed
Apple Seeds are stored in dry storage by the orchard owner. In the bag rests a tiny apple seed with a lot of potential to bear fruit. It sits undeveloped in a sack, surrounded in comfort by like-crafted seed. At just the right moment in time, the sower takes the sack of seed and hand-selects the perfect seed at the perfect time. The sower removes the seed from it’s comfortable place and drops it into a hole in the ground. The hole is deep, it is cold, it is lonely. The hole becomes the enemy, as the sower places more dirt over the top, packing it down deeper. The seed now alone in darkness, nearly suffocating, must make a vital decision to get out of the hole or it will die. At that moment, it must make a decision to stop looking at the dirt as the enemy and embrace the dirt for the nutrients it can provide. The moment this happens the seed bursts with life and sprouts up out of the hole. The response leads to a beautiful apple tree. In order for this tree to bear wonderful fruit, two things must happen. First the tree must rely on the other trees that overcame the same odds to encourage and cross-pollinate resources. Second, the sower will have to trim and remove some of its branches that are sucking up too many resources. This puts more energy into the fruit. As the tree produces desirable fruit, people are drawn to it. And when the tree reaches end of life, the wood and branches are collected to make other material goods and the ree lives on forever. And as Shel Silverstein put it so well, and even the stump, with nothing left to give, still was able to provide a place for those who grew weary to come and sit to rest.
HOW DO WE TELL THE NON-PROFIT STORY
Introduce a Character (Identity: opens the door to relationship and understanding)
Every story starts with a well rounded character. Think about your non-profit organization, if you could only share one story from your line of work, whose story stands out the most? Who was it that has had the greatest impact because of your organization, who benefited the most from your cause? Write their name down.
Stories need to be seen through the eyes of…
This gives the audience someone to identify with.
Audience can Hope, Fear and Cheer for this character, why? Because they can relate to the character, they know what the character is going through, the audience has been in the same situation before. Give the reader details. Paint a picture. Richard Branson said, “Share all the bits, share even the naughty bits.” What do they look like, what are their hobbies, what are their bad habits, what are their flaws? What do they look like? Round them out and write down these details. Tell us more about that person who was impacted in your organization.
Introduce a Goal/Mission/Destination/Desire
Throughout the introduction of the character, establish goals or desires.
It is their desire to get what they want, that will drive the story.
Again think about the mission of the person you identified from within your organization…
What did your character want or need? Where were they trying to get to?
How did your organization assist them along the way? (WRITE THESE BULLETS DOWN)
What is the one tool they must possess to get to their destination? Think of Tom and Jerry. Jerry the mouse is on his way out the door carrying the little red sack with white polka-dots on a stick over his shoulder. What is in that sack?
Introduce Conflict
Every Good Story has a conflict. What is standing in their way? Think about the person in your non-profit organization, what real life things did they have to overcome? What things were they willing to do, that others chose not to? What calls did you get from them along the way? How did that impact how you felt toward them as an organization helping them? Write those emotions down. By now you are gaining some insight to your story, your list starts to tell you something.
Introduce the Villain
Doesn’t have to be a person. A villain can be time, a resource, a mindset or a whisper in the characters head, “You are not worthy, you are not good enough…” The villain will become the Someone or something DONORS will want to defeat.
Start the Journey
With help from your organization, the character is ready to step out on this journey and face these fears, setbacks and villains. But how will they navigate all the decisions?
Introduce the Hero!
Empower your Donors to be the Guiding Voice, the Hero, the Yoda, the Jiminy Cricket, the Wizard of Oz. In a product-based business, the product is the hero. In a non-profit organization, the Donor is the hero! During your story, a Choice or Decision has to be made. Donors should be invited to be the hero. This enlightens the donor to feel important, the donor is making the difference.
Showcase the Outcomes. (If this then that scenarios…)
Showcase what you accomplished together or lack thereof. Continue the Story… See the next peak. Some Watch, Some Say, Some Make, Some Wonder What Happened… It is ok to let the villain win, sometimes this is a great strategy to just showcase how the villain is winning, leave it up to interpretation of the reader to want to feel moved to step in and provide the resources necessary to stop the villain. This is certainly time to talk about the victory.
Parting Thoughts:
Remember, You won’t capture the attention of everyone. Success happens when opportunity and preparedness meet. The seven SW’s: Some Will, Some Won’t, So What, SomeWhere, Several Will, Stop Whining, and Start Working. Be willing to look for the nutrients in the soil. Embrace the gifts and resources offered by those around you. Honor and acknowledge your donors for their contributions and continue to make them feel appreciated and important.
Beyond the Yellow Brick Road.
Once you know your story, find others who can tell it better than you. There are three ways to get others to talk about your organization without you having to ask them to do so.
- Deliver an amazing experience, so powerful, they can’t help but have to talk about it.
- Educate others, and teach them how to talk about your organization.
- My favorite, Talk about them first. If you want a community partner, take the initiative to interview them, talk about their organization. Highlight the good things they are doing in the community, and in most cases, they will return the favor and talk about your organization.
These people are called brand evangelists. Embrace them, explosive growth is born out of the stories told by others.
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