What I’ve learned as a startup founder & CEO — lesson one

A couple of months ago I wrote a brief post outlining ten lessons as a founder. The post proved to be quite popular. A few people asked me to expand upon these, providing further context.

The frequency of my writing has become nonexistent. As a result, I want to try and jump start it again by elaborating on each of the lessons.

I hope to post weekly and contribute a few more lessons — I’m always learning!

Lesson one: be a great storyteller

Stories break down preconceived notions.

Stories evoke emotions.

Stories help the brain produce a neurochemical called oxytocin.

Steve Jobs had the power to distort reality and achieve the impossible. He disrupted entire industries. He was able to do so by bringing his audience on a journey. By touching his audiences’ inner consciousness. By making them see what was possible and ask “what if?”.

He didn’t only do this with customers.

Jobs used stories with employees, investors, regulators, musicians.. the list could go on. Each with their own specific narrative arcs. He would know exactly who he was talking too, what their context was and what to say and when. Jobs was tireless in practicing.

As for the science of storytelling, it’s all rather chemical. Oxytocin is a chemical crucial in signalling to the brain that it’s safe to approach others.

Oxytocin is produced when we are trusted or shown a kindness.

It motivates cooperation with others. It does this by enhancing the sense of empathy, our ability to experience others’ emotions.

There have been a bunch of studies into the effects of oxytocin. In one experiment a lab tested if stories recorded on video would be suffice to cause the brain to produce oxytocin. They found that character-driven stories do consistently cause oxytocin synthesis. Furthermore, the amount of oxytocin released predicted how likely people were to help others.

Another study found that to motivate a desire to help others, a story must sustain attention. Attention is achieved by tension. This is why you feel energised after watching James Bond.

So how do you tell a great story?

1. Know your audience, and what you want to share with them.
2. Show your vulnerabilities. Use past struggles, failures and barriers.
3. Make your story about the audience. They are the heroes. One of the main reasons we listen to stories is to create a deeper belief in ourselves
4. Good stories need conflict.
5. Practice, practice, practice.

In the world of startups, stories enable you to craft compelling, human-scale stories. Why should the average person on the street care about your product? How does it change their lives? Character-driven stories with emotional content result in better and deeper connections. Start with a story detailing human struggle with an eventual triumph and you will have captured your audience.