Legend has it that when the great warrior Shaka Zulu was building his kingdom, late at night his soldiers would surround the tribe he wanted to acquire. At dawn, they attacked. The first person they killed wasn’t the Chief. It wasn’t the Medicine Man. It was the storyteller. Because Shaka Zulu knew that the Storyteller was the heart and soul of the tribe. By killing him, the tribe would much more easily be assimilated into his kingdom.

Our performances are simply stories…they are not improv, comedy routines, speeches, rants, or oral essays.There are stakeholders, actions, conflict, and lessons learned.

STORIES AS PERSUASION

Stories share our successes, failures, adventures, lessons, morals, and the values we hold dear. Let’s you have a go with ones fortune book of ra fixed 2020. You can discover more information about sizzling hot deluxe online free games. Stories have a unique way of stimulating in the listener the desire to think as well as to feel something about what you are saying and can create connection, build trust, while containing more than one lesson. Consider these four recommendations:

  • Stories convey lessons and provide examples that are easily understood and relatable.
  • Stories are easier to recall in tense moments than theories or concepts.
  • Stories are very useful as a tactic to disarm the other negotiator.
  • Use stories to shift the conversation to a more productive realm.

Sunday Minute Summary: Whether it is making a point in negotiation, helping you manage a difficult interaction, disarming your counterpart, or getting the other negotiator to shift from competition to cooperation, think about how to use stories at different junctures in the negotiation process and you will be amazed at how effective this tool can be.

Dr. Joshua N. Weiss is the co-founder of the Global Negotiation Initiative and a Senior Fellow at the Harvard Negotiation Project. Published as email Sunday Minute Tip from Harvard Negotiation Project, 10.24.2021.