Ep 12: The simple structure behind every great story - and how you can use it

00:54 You're listening to The Business of Stories with Susan Payton, showing you how to share stories that do the selling in your business so you don't have too. In 2007 two roommates at Rhode School of Design Brian Chesky and Joe Jebbia were facing a challenge that felt impossible their rent had gone up their bank accounts were empty And they had no idea how they were going to afford to stay in their cosy loft apartment in California. They needed to make extra cash so they could pay their rent and keep chasing their dream of building a business without having to give up and move back home But, they were broke! Completely broke...and every idea they'd tried so far had failed

01:48 Then, one evening they found out that a big design conference was coming to town and that hotels were sold out everywhere. They hit on an idea! What if they turned their apartment into a temporary bed-and breakfast? They decided to act on their idea. They bought three air mattresses created a simple website and called it Air Bed & Breakfast They charged $80 a night and their first three guests were a man from Utah, another from India and a woman from Boston. They made them breakfast they took photos and they told the story of two designers opening their home to complete strangers it was a crazy idea! It was scrappy

02:41 But it worked, and they invited a former roommate to come and help them create a fully-fledged business. A few guests turned into dozens, dozens turned into thousands... And before long that tiny idea born out of desperation and creativity became Airbnb! A billion dollar company built on the simple belief that strangers could trust each other enough to share their homes. Of course, that journey was not an easy one – they were rejected by investors many times all of whom I would imagine are still kicking themselves for not seeing the vision! But the founders never gave up and what started with two friends who just wanted to pay their rent

03:31 This episode is going to be really practical. In fact, I try to make everything I create really practical and simple. Storytelling in business doesn't need to be hard or complicated – it really doesn't! Most of us do enough overthinking as it is without creating content and sharing stories sending us into a tailspin of overwhelm and procrastination. So my mission on this podcast, in my book, inside the programme and everything I do is to make it simple for you – and doable so that you can create the connections you want to create attract clients you love working with build the business you want to build

04:31 without getting stuck on what stories to share or how to share them, or how to make sure the right people engage with them. So what I'm going to share with you in this episode will help you do that and avoid a common mistake that i see a lot of business owners make when it comes to crafting their stories. I know it's something lots of people struggle with and want help with because of how many clients I've worked with who have the same challenge So I'm going to answer a question so many of you have and give you a beautifully simple solution. Here's how Raluca asked the question... Hi Susan, i am Raluca Irimescu from The Story Point and my question for you is what your best way of keeping an origin or brand story compact?

05:25 There is a danger of trying to pack too many scenes in the story. And how do you compress it into a crisp and vivid story version which keeps the listener engaged without losing emotional valuable moments? Thanks! Keeping your stories concise and compact, without losing the emotion or the elements of your story that your audience will engage with... Anyone else struggle with that?! I know lots do because it's probably the most common bit of feedback i give inside Storytelling Mastery, my group program. Like that's great but there's a lot in there and that's not one story... That's five stories! Let's tell them one at a time

06:13 So thank you, Valuka for that question. It's a great question and so so important! There is no quicker way to lose your audience than to pack too much into your story You'll just overwhelm people and confuse them And as soon as people have to start working really hard To follow the story you're sharing To keep up with where you're going with it Because you've packed in so much They will switch off Probably forever They're unlikely to engage with any more of your stories if they've quickly disengaged from the first one they read or heard. So really, really important to keep your stories easy-to-follow but still emotionally rich! We don't want to lose the stuff that people connect with I love how Raluca referred to the emotional valuable moments we want to keep those but we also want to keep the story simple

07:13 And to do that, the first thing you need is a simple storyline. All great stories are very simple at their core – you want any story you share to have a nice clear storyline running through it so that it flows and makes sense and your audience can easily engage with it and be moved by it and remember it…and never feel confused or overwhelmed! So, I'm going to share one of the simplest and most powerful storytelling structures there is. A structure that takes your story from a bunch of things that happened... ...to something that flows and has emotion and impact! And it's a structure you're actually already familiar with even if you don't realise it because it's the structure of almost every film book and story that you love

08:14 And I'm going to show you exactly how to use it in your stories so they connect emotionally and take people on a very simple but compelling journey. Speaking of journeys, the structure i'm going to share with you is a very simplified version of something called The Hero's Journey You may have heard of Joseph Campbell's famous storytelling model that shows up in everything from Star Wars and Finding Nemo to The Lion King and The Wizard of Oz. And it is based on the idea that every story follows the same pattern, which is... The hero of the story hears the call to adventure They set off on their quest They face some challenges along the way

09:06 They meet their guide or guides. We talked about this in the last episode, they slay some dragons, they learn the lessons they need to learn and return from their adventure transformed! It's a brilliant storytelling model but Joseph Campbell's version is very detailed and nuanced but luckily for us there is a very simple version that makes it easy for business owners to use In fact, it reduces it to just five words and they are Somebody Wanted So Then Those five words are going to make crafting stories that you can use in your content and marketing and talks and conversations so much easier.

10:01 And stories that follow this structure are way more likely to connect with your audience and make them feel more connected to you. Because your idle clients, although they probably aren't aware of it, are already trained and programmed to engage with and respond to stories that follow this pattern. And once I talk you through it, you'll realise why! Using this structure will help you keep your stories concise, compact and compelling. And help you to stop packing too much in! So I'm going to walk you through it now step by step with some examples so that you can see it in action. Every story starts with somebody – the main character who the story is about In The Wizard of Oz its about Dorothy

11:00 In Bridget Jones Diary, it's about Bridget. In the story I told you about Airbnb, it's about the founders Brian and Joe If I'm sharing a story about me, It's me! if you're telling a story about YOU You are the main character. If you're telling a story about one of your clients And this structure works brilliantly for customer stories case studies client wins anything then your client is the somebody right? And you need to introduce the main character pretty quickly into your story so that your audience knows who it's about, who they're following. It gives them someone to root for! So that was step one somebody... Somebody wanted. Now we know who the story is about, we need to know what they want. Every great story starts with the hero wanting something. Dorothy wanted to get back to Kansas right? Back to her family

12:05 Bridget wanted to find true love. Brian and Jo wanted to find a way to stay in their apartment and pay the rent, AND keep pursuing their dream of building a business In my story that I shared with you back in episode 1, I wanted to make my business work! I wanted to have clients...I wanted to help people And I wanted to have a business not just a free group A real profitable business So what about you in the story you're sharing? What did you want or if your story is about a client, what did they want. They came to work with you because they wanted something that they needed your help to get so what do they want You need to make the wants clear because once the audience knows what you want, they'll know what's at stake and they'll lean in now they are invested Next comes the but

13:07 Somebody wanted butt. In every story, there's always some conflict – there is a problem! There is a butt… because if there is no butt, then there isn't really a story If the hero could just go and get what they want it wouldn't be a very compelling story But our hero doesn't know how to get what he wants Something is stopping them from having it And this where the emotion lives in your story This is where we go from hearing a story to feeling it So storytellers know the importance of introducing the but, the obstacle, the problem, the challenge. The conflict – the thing that's in the way and stopping our hero from having what they want. Dorothy wanted to get home! She couldn't her house had been destroyed and she found herself trapped in a strange magical land called Oz. She was completely lost and had no idea how to get back...and she was scared

14:13 Bridget wanted to find true love, but she kept falling for the wrong men. She was sabotaging herself and her relationships with self-doubt and an inner critic that kept telling her she was failing at everything. Brian and Jo wanted to stay in their apartment and build a business but they had no money and every idea they'd tried so far had failed. They were feeling frustrated Desperate and anxious. They'd moved to San Francisco chasing a dream, but now they were living with the fear that maybe it was over! They probably felt pressure to prove themselves – to make it work… To not have to move back home and admit defeat And thats whats at the heart of their story...and what people relate too Those What if this doesn't work moments

15:09 I wanted to build a successful business, but didn't really know who my idol client was. And I was struggling to communicate the value of working with me because if I'm honest – I didn't really know it myself! I'd tried all the marketing things everyone was telling me to do… But I didn't have the key foundational pieces in place that I now teach and so nothing I was doing was working and I didn't know why? I was frustrated, doubting myself wondering if i was cut out for business at all and having to have honest conversations about whether I could make it work. So what about you? What was stopping you from having what you wanted? What was the challenge you were facing and how did you feel anxious lost out of your depth scared of failing or being judged exhausted overwhelmed

16:09 Or determined. Determined to make it work, refusing to quit, committed to writing a new chapter? If your story is about a client what was in the way for them? What was holding them back? What was stopping them from having what they wanted and how was being stuck making them feel so that's the third step of your storyline The But And it is where the struggle happens, but it's also where the shift begins. It's where you decide you're done with the old story! It's the spark that leads to the sow – the moment you take action and that mix of fear and determination doubt and drive is what makes your stories real and relatable. It's where connection happens and people think oh I know that feeling

17:06 It's what will keep them hooked and they'll want to know what happened next. So, let's tell them what happened next! Somebody wanted butt so... So what did our hero do to move past this challenge? What action did they take? What steps did they follow? Dorothy did what the good witch told her to do and followed the yellow brick road Facing witches, monkeys all sorts of fears and challenges along the way. As well as meeting new friends Bridget decided to take control and started keeping a brutally honest diary facing her insecurities head-on and slowly learning to accept herself even when life was messy and far from perfect

17:59 What did Brian and Jo do? They decided to rent out three air mattresses in their living room and create a simple website called Air Bed & Breakfast. What did I do? I finally accepted that what i was doing wasn't working, and decided to go into my group and share my story I got real and honest and shared it all, the bumps and bruises. And although I felt very vulnerable at the time it's one of the most powerful things I've ever done! So what about you? What did you do? What steps did you take? How did you get past that thing that was holding you back? And what fears did you have to face to get there?

18:46 And what about your client? What did they do? Presumably, they worked with you. Went through your process. Got the clarity or focus or strategy or traction that they needed to overcome their challenge, slay their dragons and move in a direction they wanted to go So that's the so part of your story. The what happened next? And it requires courage! It's about taking the next step even when you're scared or unsure how it is going to go and then, finally we get to then Then what happened? What changed? What was the transformation? Where did the story go? How did you grow? What did you learn? Who did you become?

19:38 Dorothy discovered that she had everything she needed to get back home inside her all along and she returned to Kansas knowing that what she'd been searching for was never really out there but inside her. Bridget discovered that love and happiness were never about becoming someone different, but about loving herself first and feeling worthy of love just as she was Brian and Jo's scrappy idea grew into Airbnb, a global company that transformed how people travel connect and earn a living. My then was that I discovered that i didn't need to do all the marketing things that other people were telling me I needed to do and instead found the missing piece got the key foundational pieces in place realized how powerful storytelling is

20:34 And built a business I love, one story at a time. So what about you? What were you able to do because of the action you took? What changed? How did you rewrite your story? What did you have? What could you do? Who did you become and your client? What did they have on the other side of working with you? What was different? What were they empowered to do? Who did they become What was their happy ever after story? The Then is where your audience sees why the journey was so important. What it meant, what it allowed you or your client to do and also what's possible for them! They're not looking for a perfect ending they're looking to move forwards get past the thing keeping them stuck get the thing they want and become the person they need to be to have it...so

21:39 That is the structure. It's the story of a hero facing a challenge and coming out changed. It's beautifully simple, and now that you know it, you can see it play out again and again! You'll see in the films you watch or books you read And when you use it, it will allow to share a simple story that will connect with people If you can remember those five words, somebody wanted but so then. You can tell any story whether you've got 30 seconds to tell it or 30 minutes and it will flow and be easy to follow

22:18 If you think about The Wizard of Oz, right? Lots of things happen and characters are introduced. Some good some wicked but we never get confused about what the story is really about We never forget that Dorothy just wants to get back home Using the structure I've shared with you today will mean that your audience will never get confused About this simple storyline That sits at the heart of the story you're sharing So, as always before I go let me give you a quick action step that you can go away and do. Here's your action step for today! Simply share a story using the somebody wanted but so then structure and you can use this structure whether it's a post, an email or talk it works wherever you're sharing your story

23:17 And the easiest way to get started using that structure is to write the five words down on the left-hand side of a piece of paper. Somebody wanted but so then... and then start by writing one short sentence for each, Then you can expand from there! But stay within the structure as you share the story you want to share with emotion and meaning So that's your action step for today Share a story using the Somebody Wanted But So Then structure. And I'll see you next time for more stories that do the selling for you, so you don't have to!

23:59 Thank you so much for being here. I love that we get to do this together! Would you do me a huge favour and please rate, review and follow this podcast in Apple Spotify or wherever you listen to your podcasts? And i'll see you next time for more honest conversations meaningful connections and of course stories