We’ve all been there. You’ve got a high-stakes presentation or conversation, and the people in front of you are nodding politely, but all the while, the little voice in the back of their minds is telling them all the reasons why they just. won't. agree.

Congratulations, you've experienced ‘Crossed-Arm Syndrome’!

Your listeners have a brick wall of belief about something — and that belief is the biggest driver for their decisions and behavior. It could be based on actual fact, or fiction, a hunch, a fear, a stereotype, or a skepticism, but whatever it is, no amount of data is going to convince them otherwise.

Neuroscience to the rescue.

You see, neuroscience teaches us that we build up beliefs and views of the world through a process called Bayesian learning. The end result is like a brick wall of strongly held beliefs. There's no use fighting it, but neuroscience also teaches us that our brains are wired to place greater emphasis on emotion... and there's no better way to combine facts and emotion than in a story.

If you're in sales trying to convince a prospect that your product or service is superior... Or.. if you're a start-up trying to persuade investors to invest in your next great idea... Or.. if you're a business leader espousing the company values to your team... telling a brief but strategically crafted story to overcome Crossed-Arm Syndrome may be the most valuable new skill you can get this year.

You'll learn:

The physiological and psychological effects of storytelling

The 5 neural hooks that help your listeners identify themselves in the story.

Why traditional case studies don't cut it anymore

How to tap into the listener's own subconscious desire

How to use this powerful technique ethically, and protect yourself in situations when someone is trying to use it on you!

How leaders lead, coaches coach, salespeople sell, teachers teach and influencers influence.

It is well-established that stories are more memorable and powerful than facts and statistics. Stories are the basis of leadership, coaching, influence, teaching, sales and team culture. From the beginning of time, stories are how we have passed on our values, made sense of the world and effected change. Today, it's how we build our businesses and strengthen our communities.

But you don’t have to be a storytelling ‘expert’ to tell powerful stories… because we are already born storytellers. In this keynote, Michel Neray shows you how to use your natural storytelling ability to lead better and motivate others. What’s more, you might just leave inspired by the value of your own story and how it contributes to your unique strengths and success.

This is a fun and engaging presentation that will open your eyes to new ways to tell and perform stories to sell more, lead more powerfully and, yes, change the world.

This session is part of an ongoing programme that combines exercises in NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming), classic storytelling, stand-up comedy, improv, acting and professional speaking. It helps participants strategically develop signature and turning-point stories to motivate/inspire/influence team members, customers and audiences in the most engaging and powerful way.

Highlights:

The neuroscience behind storytelling, and building rapport, good feelings, and trust

How to use storytelling to increase the engagement of case studies and testimonials

How storytelling builds business and influences all your stakeholder groups including customers, employees, strategic partners, investors, and regulators!

How your own story is the driver of your personal purpose and leadership.

Key Take-Aways and Tools:

Identification of impactful and differentiating messaging.

Communications with more powerful calls-to-action.

Stronger rapport with colleagues, team members, customers and audiences.

Public speaking, presentation and leadership skills.

For companies and individuals who want to showcase their unique approach, techniques and thought-leadership.

Most companies know the value of case studies and testimonials, but they tend to be boring, obviously self-serving, and often barely credible.
As a result, they are missing the real potential of case studies and testimonials. In this workshop, participants learn how to adapt the principles of storytelling to create case stories that are not only more engaging and credible, they also position the company better, help improve customer loyalty, and increase confidence in the team. This is an excellent workshop for salespeople, team leaders, front-line staff and the marketing team… to do together!

This approach can be applied to any example that illustrates a core competency, benefit, or recommended solution. And, it can be used as a written example, an element of a presentation, or simply dropped into a casual conversation.

Key Take-Aways and Tools:

What makes a good case story or testimonial... and what makes a great one (hint, it’s not always the ‘positive’ outcome!)

How to infuse a case story or testimonial with emotion and drama that increase engagement and add credibility

How to develop a library of stories and testimonials to highlight your differentiation and appeal to multiple, different customers groups.

3 ways to solicit stories s and testimonials.

5 copywriting techniques that serve as Believability Enhancers.

How to use this approach to answer the question, ‘What do you do/why should we buy from your company?'

Get into the head and heart of your clients without going out of your mind!

All of us sell, regardless of the role we have in an organization. Executives, managers and directors sell ideas, recommendations and strategies. Entrepreneurs sell businesses and business concepts. Salespeople and service providers sell specific products and services.

This keynote or workshop brings together the key elements of change management, neuro-linguistic programming, core challenge analysis and tried-and-true direct response copywriting. Participants learn to elicit the needs of the prospect or recipient of the proposal/recommendation, how to clearly identify the rationale for the recommendation and how to communicate it in the clearest, most compelling way.

This not only empowers managers and directors to link their recommendations to ROI and key corporate strategies, it also makes it easier for other decision-makers to evaluate the proposal for a quicker decision.

Delivered in a fun, interactive style, audiences and groups learn how to get into the head and hearts of their clients ‐ without going out of their minds!

Key Take-Aways and Tools:

How to start a conversation to improve your chances of finishing with a nod of agreement.

How to elicit the needs and wants of the customer or people you are speaking to so they 'sell' themselves!

How to create a 'burning platform' to motivate your listener to take action now.

How to create a powerful introduction letter or email in less than three minutes! (Template provided)

If you want to sell without 'selling', attract customers who want what you have to offer... differentiate your product or service from ALL the competition... gain the kind of confidence that only comes from knowing the true value of what you offer... you need stories.

Specifically, you need THESE stories...

Your 
case stories
 tell your audience that the results are real.

Your 
'human' stories
 shows you’re relatable, and what it's like to work with you.

Your 
'origin' story
 defines the problem you solve and positions you as the natural solution; it's the backstory that explains 'why we do how we do what we do'.

Your 
'secret sauce' story
 is strongly linked to the origin story. This is the most strongly differentiating of all the stories.

You should be able to tell these stories clearly and confidently... and so naturally that they don’t even feel like 'stories'. You share them in conversation, on stage, or on your website – anywhere you meet potential customers – to help them get to know, like, and trust you.

Key Take-Aways and Tools:

How stories build trust with potential customers.

How to start building a library of the 4 essential business stories.

How to tell a story without sounding like you are 'telling' a story.

How to write for the ears instead of the eyes.

How to leverage stereotype perceptions to discover your unique strengths, establish greater trust and earn credibility.

Let's face it. There are a lot of people who have negative perceptions about you, your industry and the title that's written on your business card -- even before they get to know you. And when those people happen to be your customers and other groups you work with, that's a challenge. It doesn't just get in the way of your relationships with your customers, employer and the people who report to you, it also saps your personal confidence and undermines the positive perceptions we want to have of ourselves.

Instead of trying to ignore it or pretend it doesn't exist, this session will show you how to make friends with those negative perceptions. Better still, you'll learn how to leverage those negative perceptions to positively differentiate yourself, your company and the products you represent in the market. This is a highly interactive and fun session that will boost your confidence as much as it boosts your results. Get ready to laugh your way to a whole new perspective of what you do and why you're needed now more than ever!

By the end of this session, you will:

Gain confidence by identifying your personal differentiation and unique value

Instantly build trust by establishing rapport with customers

Increase credibility and demonstrate profound understanding of the market