Hitting the Business Bullseye!

The Archer's Arrowadapted by Karen Chace  © 2010

Long, long ago, in a certain realm, in a certain land there lived a king who spent many seasons practicing the skill of archery.  But no matter how many hours or days he practiced he always fell short of the mark; he was unable to hit the bull's-eye on the target.

One brisk autumn day he gathered his retinue, mounted his favorite steed, and set out on a hunt. After many hours riding through the colorful countryside they found a clearing and stopped to rest. The king dismounted and the servants began to lay the afternoon meal out on a  woven cloth of white.

While the king waited for the food to be arranged he walked through the meadow and noticed a weathered gray farmhouse and barn standing in the distance. As the king moved closer he saw that the entire side of the barn was covered from the roof to the ground with red and white circles. In the middle of each circle an arrow was firmly lodged in the center. He was astonished by the sight that lay before him for he knew the skill required to accomplish such a task. Turning to his servant he commanded, "Find the marksman responsible and bring him to me!"

The servant didn’t have to travel far for the marksman was none other than Diana, the young daughter of the farmer on whose land they stood. She was brought to the king, and curtsying low she softly asked, “Sire, how may I serve you?”

For a moment the king was startled and surprised! A young woman, how could this be? The king asked, “Tell me your secret. How has one so gentle become so skilled in the art of archery? Each one of your targets boasts a bull's-eye, no small feat for my greatest archer and surely not for one so young and fair!”Diana smiled and answered, "Sire, truly it takes no skill at all. I simply shoot the arrow and then I draw the bull's-eye around it!”

Wouldn't it be grand if we could hit a bull's-eye every time in business with very little effort? Storytellers sometimes shy away from the marketing aspects of our work because in this era of burgeoning social media it can seem overwhelming. But if we are to move our ancient art into the modern age we must learn to embrace the diverse tools we have at our disposal.

Yesterday I posted the final Catch the Storybug newsletter for 2010. To make it easier for you to access all of the business articles highlighted during the year I have assembled them below. Each one offers bits of wisdom to help you hit your target royally each and every time!

5 Free Tools That Make You Look More Professional by Brad Egeland - “…Limited budget, smaller customer base, an operating budget that gets tugged in 100 different directions. Anything that you can do for free… and not affect your bottom line is a good thing.” http://tinyurl.com/yaspdtr

5 Top Tips for Using Social Media to Help Launch Your New Business by Rick Mathieson  “Social media can be one of your best tools for building a new business - if you use it correctly.” http://tinyurl.com/33696ul  

5 Ways to Work Smarter and Be More Productive by Stacy Karacostas -“…it’s not how hard they work. It’s how smart they work.”  http://tinyurl.com/2u6ej6o  

7 Tips for Money-Making Postcards by Ivan Levison - “There are times when it makes sense to spend a lot of money on a direct mail package….However, there are times when going with a humble postcard makes a lot of sense.” http://tinyurl.com/yhoxq9w

10 Dead or Dying PR Tactics by Steve Mullen - http://tinyurl.com/cg23j6    

10 Newborn PR Tactics by Steve Mullen-  http://tinyurl.com/cjsbsk  

Blogging, Tweeting and Fan Pages Oh My! Does Social Media Really Benefit SMBs? by Shannon Suetos “…"The hype right now exceeds the reality." But recent statistics are showing despite the hype, business owners are in fact implementing some sort of social media efforts.” http://tinyurl.com/375ssux  

Building Lessons Learned in 2009: What Highly-Successful Small Business Owners Are Doing that You Can Do Too by Stacy Karacostas “…what are successful entrepreneurs doing differently?” http://tinyurl.com/yjj4obv

Calm Customers in Six Quick Steps – “You’ll work nine times harder attracting new business than you will retaining your current client list. That means you can’t afford to anger even one customer.” http://tinyurl.com/36txmy8

Color Yourself Successful by Ken Peters – “Color communicates. When language fails color can offer valuable associations with people, places and things…Because color's impact is so profound, its role in branding your business is critical. When applied effectively, color can achieve extraordinary results”. http://tinyurl.com/252m8px

Download Free Pictures.com - Looking to spice up your storytelling, classroom or library information? Little Red Riding Hood, our old friend Jack, and other famous fairytale folks can be found here ready to play! To the right you will also find links to other free clip art photos in a number of categories, including holiday, animal and nature photos. http://tinyurl.com/35o8qj

Eight Steps to Attracting Clients by Bernadette Doyle – “There’s a logical sequence to building a business, whether it’s online or offline. There are certain things that must be done in order to see your business grow. By committing to follow these eight steps, you can attract more clients and have the kind of income you want.”  http://tinyurl.com/2bn2ha4

Email Newsletter Design Guide by Hostway – This article will walk you through the process of designing your own newsletter. http://tinyurl.com/ygv7589  

More Ways to Monetize Your Web Site by Hostway – “Once you have a solid ecommerce process like Paypal or a shopping cart, there are some other ways to make your Web site work for you and start making some money.”  http://tinyurl.com/34wn6s5

Pack the 3R’s While on Holiday Travel - Although the busy holiday season has passed, these tips will serve us well throughout 2009. From the U.S. Environmental Agency, information on ways to reduce, reuse and recycle when you are away from home. http://tinyurl.com/75a2ox

Rid Yourself of These 10 Damaging Word-Habits by Stephanie Bickel – “Here are some quick-tips that will elevate your elocution immensely. http://tinyurl.com/yzu6oux

Seven Tax Tips for Businesses and the Self Employed – “Here are Seven Tax Tips that can possibly save you a lot of money on your 2008 taxes.”  *While this article is from 2008 the tips are still valid for small business owners. http://tinyurl.com/b8pvd4

Six Advantages to Virtual Trade Shows by Susan A. Friedmann, CSP – ‘… industry experts expect that by 2015, more than 25% of trade shows will be conducted in virtual environments. That's a market you can't afford to ignore." http://tinyurl.com/c9m2mb

Ten Tips to Ignore When Starting a Business by Cathy Goodwin – “Everyone has advice for you when you're starting a business, but it's not all good advice! Here are ten tips you'd be better off ignoring.”  http://tinyurl.com/3xx2mqp

Three Ways to Take Control and Grow Your Small Business in Any Economy by Stacy Karacostas “Has your business slowed because of the economy? If so, you’ve got two options. Keep doing what you’ve always done and hope it turns around on its own…Or, do something different. “ http://tinyurl.com/32ou24d

Top 7 Common Mistakes Made by Small Business Owners – “Though it is easy to start your own business, it takes a lot more to succeed in business. There are seven common mistakes made by small business owners.” http://tinyurl.com/l4ggh2

Weaving Storytelling and Business with an Authentic Voice - I recently put together a handout for a college class on storytelling and business. I have placed it on my blog for your use. http://tinyurl.com/yhnnpaa

WhoFish.org -  Do you have an event to market? Then this site is just what you are looking for. Publish your events for free and let the cyber world know how to find you! http://www.whofish.org/

Why Do People Write This Way? (And How You Can Avoid Doing the Same) by Ernest Nicastro – “Leverages a proprietary coaching framework...purposeful investments in human capital...aligning people and systems in pursuit of”...why do people write this way? http://tinyurl.com/28z4xgg  

Words. Words. Words. by Nan S. Russell  - “Words create impressions, images and expectations. They build psychological connections. They influence how we think. Since thoughts determine actions, there's a powerful connection between the words we use and the results we get.” www.careerknowhow.com/improvement/words.htm   

Virtual Press Release Faux Pas by Janet Attard – “Using email to send press releases to editors can save you considerable time and money. One click and your release can be on its way to dozens of editor but one click of the mouse is all it takes for each editor or writer on your mailing list to delete the release, often without opening your email at all.” http://tinyurl.com/2etev8u

Storybug.net – You will find more business resources on my two previous blogs posts:
Grow Your Business in 2010 at http://tinyurl.com/2ep3j42
The Business of Storytelling at http://tinyurl.com/37bvamh     

TURNING A FOE INTO A FRIEND: OVERCOMING YOUR FEAR OF PUBLIC SPEAKING

There are three things to aim at in public speaking: first, to get into your subject, then to get your subject into yourself, and lastly, to get your subject into the heart of your audience”. -Alexander Gregg


Some studies have shown that fear of public speaking ranks up there with the fear of death. The more I read about the subject the more convinced I am that the art of Oral Tradition should have it's rightful place in school curriculum. I have personally witnessed the shyest students blossom as they take the stage armed with the tools they learned from participating in my storytelling troupe.

Recently, I came upon an article written by my friend Bill Lampton, leader in the field of corporate communication. It is amazing how many of his points apply to the storytelling as well.

First, here are some of the storytelling tips I share with my student tellers.

TIPS TO SPARK YOUR STORYTELLING!

1. Visualize– Let the story live in your mind’s eye. See the details, hear the characters.

2. Create an Image -What do the characters and places look like, smell like, and sound like?

3. Voice- Use your voice to define characters and establish mood and attitude.

4. Add Energy to Your Story - Gestures and body language will help identify characters and bring it to life.

5. Make It Your Own - Let the story live, bring your own images and emotions to it. If you make a personal connection with the story the audience will connect as well.

6. Pay Attention to the Audience - Scan the faces in the audience. Find those who are right in the story with you. Notice their facial expressions and body language. They are giving their energy back to you! Use it and relax into the story.

7. Imagine Success - Hear the audience applause. Relax, breathe. This is about connection, not perfection!

Now, juxtapose the above with the tips Bill shares below.

7 WAYS TO BECOME A GRADE-A SPEAKER
By Bill Lampton, Ph.D.

When I provide individual speech coaching, and when I direct presentation skills seminars, I emphasize these 7 necessary steps for speaking with poise, power, and persuasion.

1. Adopt an upbeat ATTITUDE
Form a mental picture of success. Anticipate your audience's unbroken attention, laughter, and applause. Assume you have something worth saying, and that you will say it well.

2.Focus on the AUDIENCE
This way, you won't become excessively concerned about yourself. Remember, audiences want you to succeed. They aren't critics, they are your cheerleaders. Embrace them--then they'll embrace you.

3. Be ANIMATED
Listeners don't want to wonder if you have a pulse. So don't read or recite your message. . . tell it as energetically as you would describe a fun weekend. Move away from the podium, gesture freely, vary your voice, just as you do in casual chit chat. Createwhat actors call "The Illusion of the First Time."

4. Be ATTENTIVE
Remain on the lookout for audience feedback. When you detect confusion, restate your point. When you see listeners nod in agreement, let their support energize you.

5. Use ANECDOTES
Even adults love "once upon a time." People remember and learn from your stories, not statistics. Paint word pictures, giving a "you are there" feeling. Use suspense with the skill of a novelist. Paul Harvey carved a grand speaking career as a master story teller.

6. Sharpen your APPEARANCE
Although casual and sometimes sloppy dress have gained some acceptance, your audience wants you to dress a notch or two above their norm. Tasteful, professional clothing reflects that you respect them and the occasion. Not surprisingly, you will gain confidence and energy as well.

7. Be ATYPICAL
Do something different from other speakers. Examples: unusual props, impersonations, games, regular audience interaction, or magic if that's your talent. Note: Every season, new TV shows succeed because they become distinctive.

Next time you speak, try these "7 A's." They work. Your audience will give you an "A" grade for sure.


Whether it be in schools or the corporate arena, communication skills are necessary for personal and public success. For more on the value of bringing storytelling into our schools go to Storytelling In Schools, an amazing, downloadable booklet and brochure. It is filled with quantitative studies, innovative projects books, journals, articles and web sites are all at your fingertips.

For additional research on how our brains are hardwired for story, visit the Teacher's Page on my website at http://www.storybug.net/teachers.html.

Picture courtesy of http://www.panicfreepublicspeaking.com.au