Kindra Hall - Stories That Stick: How Storytelling Can Captivate Customers, Influence Audiences, and Transform Your Business

Praise for Stories That Stick

Whatever you do, wherever you are in your career, this is the book to read right now. Practical, funny and true, Kindras new book is a keeper.

SETH GODIN, NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THIS IS MARKETING

Storytelling is an essential business skill. It makes data more compelling and communication more effective. In her book, Kindra Hall makes storytelling accessible to anyone. You dont have to be a great writer to tell great storiesyou just need to know how to tell Stories That Stick.

CHARLES DUHIGG, BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE POWER OF HABIT AND SMARTER FASTER BETTER

Heres the story: your business is in its current state, you buy this book, read it in one sitting like I did, have your mind blown, your business greatly improves. End scene. Lots of people tell stories, a few are great at it and one can show you how to do it. Thats the story of Kindra and this book.

SCOTT STRATTEN, BESTSELLING, AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR AND HALL OF FAME SPEAKER/STORYTELLER

Im picky about what I read. Doubly so with business books. But Kindra hooked me on page one and wouldnt let go. Such is the power of superb storytelling. If you want to inspire your customers and your team, craft a vision that resonates, and do better marketing, Stories That Stick is essential reading.

RAND FISHKIN, FOUNDER OF SPARKTORO

Storytelling is an art form often lost today among snippets, sound bites, and buzzword copy. Which is unfortunate, because story is how weve connected with each other since language began. In Stories That Stick, Kindra Hall beautifully weaves the argument for story with the best way to craft one. Advice every business owner and influencer needs to understand.

MEL ROBBINS, AUTHOR OF THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER THE 5 SECOND RULE

Timely, personal, poignant, and powerful, Stories That Stick is required reading to grow your business with the power of stories. Highly recommended!

JAY BAER, FOUNDER OF CONVINCE & CONVERT, COAUTHOR OF TALK TRIGGERS

In my business, telling a personal story is the essence to authenticity, and proof that what I do and who I help really achieves results. Stories share a journey that me and my team can identify with and provide a way to personally connect with our clients.

AUTUMN CALABRESE, ENTREPRENEUR, FITNESS AND NUTRITION EXPERT

2019 Telzall, LLC

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Published by HarperCollins Leadership, an imprint of HarperCollins Focus LLC.

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ISBN 978-1-4002-1194-4 (eBook)

ISBN 978-1-4002-1193-7 (HC)

Epub Edition August 2019 9781400211944

Library of Congress Control Number: 2018967126

Printed in the United States of America

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Please note that the endnotes in this ebook may contain hyperlinks to external websites as part of bibliographic citations. These hyperlinks have not been activated by the publisher, who cannot verify the accuracy of these links beyond the date of publication.

To the one who wonders if you have a story to tell,

if you can tell it, or if you should tell it, this book is

for you. And the answer is yes, three times.

I t was Thanksgiving weekend. Six thousand miles away, people were eating turkey and mashed potatoes, sharing what they were grateful for, and passing out on couches with the dull roar of football playing in the background.

I was doing none of those things... because I was in Slovenia.

Ill be honest. Im in Slovenia is not something I ever imagined I would sayexcept for that one time I met a Slovenian soccer player while on vacation in Mexico and was convinced for a day that I would marry him. And yet there I was. There we were. My husband, Michael (who does not play soccer), and I were wandering around the quaint, slightly damp cobblestone streets of Ljubljana, Slovenias capital. And though we missed Thanksgiving, I felt distinctly grateful. Not only for the fairy tale city we had just stepped into...

But because Id just heard one of the best sales stories of my life.

Before I go any further, I should tell you something. Stories are my life. They are my work, my currency, the way I see the world. I told my first story when I was eleven years old. And ever since that day, stories have followed me, sought me, and now I spend my days speaking about using stories strategically and teaching others to tell theirs.

In fact, stories are the reason I was in Slovenia. I was invited from the United States specifically to speak to nearly one thousand marketing and brand managers, media execs, and advertising creatives from across Eastern Europe on the power of storytelling in business.

So you can imagine the irony, or at the very least the intrigue, when Ithe story expertwitnessed the greatest story coup of all time.

It happened in the evening hours of that late November weekend. Though Slovenians dont celebrate Thanksgiving, the city was festive and alive as they celebrated the beginning of the holiday season with an annual tree-lighting ceremony. Michael and I walked among thousands of Slovenians enjoying local wine, chestnuts roasting on the open fires of street vendors, and more wine. The night sky was dark, the air was wet and chilled, and the streets glowed with soft, warm light from the Christmas dcor suspended between every building. The faint sound of carols echoed from the city center, and the shop windows lining the streets sparkled, calling to us, inviting us to come in and explore.

Well, thats not entirely true. The shop windows were calling to me, not us. Shop windows do not call to Michael, because Michael does not shop. He doesnt window-shop, online-shop, bargain-shop, or anything-shop. He purchases almost no things. The elastic waistband of his underwear disintegrates before Michael buys another pair. He, in fact, may not even have a wallet.

As our European trip progressed, this fundamental difference in our shopping preferences developed into a rather repetitive conversation:

Me: Oh! A local designers boutique. Lets check it out!

Michael: [Acts as if he didnt hear me. Keeps walking.]

Me: Oh! A local rug makers shop. Lets check it out!

Michael: [Doesnt hear me. Keeps walking.]

Me: Oh! Everything in that shop is made of cork. Lets check it out!

Michael: [Pulls out his cell phone, though it doesnt work. Keeps walking.]

Me: Oh! Fresh bread!

Michael: [Takes a deep breath of baked-bread air. Keeps walking.]