With billions of federal dollars on the line with President Trump's proposed budget cuts, federal, state and local leaders are struggling with how to present their best case to save their programs.
There's a good way and a bad way.
As an expert on storytelling, I'll quickly show you both.
Here's how not to do it. Don't get tied up in bureaucrat jargon.
In a story from ArkansasBusiness.com, Delta Regional Authority Federal Co-Chairman Chris Masingill tries to keep his authority from total elimination. How does he do it? With a quote: “You cannot advocate for infrastructure development and economic security in rural America without also supporting the mechanisms, such as DRA, that make those projects a reality.”
What does that mean exactly? Mr. Masingill goes on to explain further, but is anyone going to stick around?
How do these words grab you emotionally? Advocate. Infrastructure. Development. Economic. Mechanisms. Projects. Reality.
Here's how you do it: You use people (Read my previous post “Three most important words in business storytelling training”) to tell the stories of what bureaucracies do. You hide those bad words within the beauty of a personal story of someone who is affected. Just a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down.
The way to beat budget cuts
A great example of someone showing what the president's budget cuts would do cones in an NBC Nightly News story shown on March 18, 2017. The network tells the story of a 19-year-0ld woman who recovered from a life-threatening illness because of specific treatments that saved her life. Those treatments were the result of the National Institutes of Health and its amazing research programs. Budget cuts would take away $6 billion or one-fifth of its annual budget. That's a big hit for medical research funding. But all that is hidden within the story of this young lady. That's what makes it powerful.
Watch for yourself here.
That's how you bring passion and emotion to these budgetary challenges. Budgets aren't about numbers. They're about people.
Hit them in the heart with stories.
If you can't tell a great story about what your government agency does then you probably have no reason to continue on.
Learn more about our business storytelling workshops. Call NOW to book at 1-800-557-8166.
More from Dave Lieber on Business Storytelling Workshops
If you tell stories for a living, here's how to get better
For storytelling in business, here's how to ‘show and not tell'
Why telling your stories in three acts is best for business storytelling
Great talk by storyteller/columnist @DaveLieber tonight at University of Charleston. Touching, funny, humble, human. pic.twitter.com/RThPjrTkB3
— vicburkhammer (@vicburkhammer) March 18, 2015
Remember that you can bring Dave Lieber to your group. He’s an expert on storytelling for business and showing the power of storytelling to increase sales, build support, raise money and attract attention.
He’s a Certified Speaking Professional and a fabulous entertainer offering fun and funny insights to make your life better. He’s The Watchdog columnist at The Dallas Morning News.
Dave Lieber. Authentic. Engaging. Interactive.
WATCH: Dave Lieber’s 2-Minute SIZZLE REEL
WATCH: Dave Lieber TED Talk: THE POWER OF STORYTELLING TO CHANGE THE WORLD
BOOK DAVE NOW. Contact his office here or CALL 1-800-557-8166.
