Storytelling isn't just for old folks and kids. It can help you move forward in your career - both by showing what you've accomplished and by persuading employees to trust you.

讲故事可不是老人和小孩的专利，它可以在事业上助你一臂之力——你可以借此向大家展示你取得的成绩，还能用这种方法获得员工的信任。

Marriott International's Ed Fuller loves to tell stories. One of his favorites is set at the Boston Marriott Copley Place in 1985, where he was general manager. Just a month after it opened, catering sales were $300,000 below budget. "My career is lost," Fuller recalls thinking after a senior executive called and said, "I can't believe it. Bill Marriott is beside himself." The executive said he was flying to Boston and asked Fuller to dinner after "we deal with the problem."

万豪国际（Marriott International）的富毅荣（Ed Fuller）热衷于讲故事。他最津津乐道的故事之一，发生在1985年的波士顿万豪考泼利广场酒店（Marriott Copley Place），那时他在酒店任总经理。就在酒店开业一个月后，餐饮销售额比预算低了30万美元。当时，一位高级主管给他打电话说：“太难以置信了，比尔•马里奥特（万豪董事长兼首席执行官——译注）正大发雷霆。”那位高管还说他正在飞往波士顿的途中，希望在“我们处理完问题”之后与富毅荣共进晚餐。富毅荣回忆道，当时他想：“我的职业生涯完蛋了。”

The "issue," it turned out, was not what Fuller had feared. A Marriott family member had ordered clam chowder; it arrived cold, and the manager hadn't handled it well. That -- not the stumbles of a new boss -- was what Marriott (MAR) cared about. "If [the family] is treated badly, we assume the customer is treated worse," said Fuller, now head of international lodging for Marriott International and author of a book of workplace stories, You Can't Lead With Your Feet on Your Desk, due out next year.

后来富毅荣发现，自己过虑了，那位高管所说的“问题”是，马里奥特家族的一位成员点了碗蛤蜊浓汤，端上来的时候汤已经凉了，而经理没有很好地处理这个问题。也就是说，万豪集团在意的是上面这种问题，而不是新上任的管理者出点什么小错。富毅荣说：“我们可以推想，如果连马里奥特家族的人都招待不好，对其他客人的招待只会更差。” 富毅荣现任万豪集团旗下国际酒店负责人，著有一本关于职场的书，名为《不脚踏实地就无法领先》（You Can't Lead With Your Feet on Your Desk），这本书将于明年出版发行。

Fuller uses that story -- and others -- to teach new managers about Marriott's priorities: serving the customer well, and serving its chowder hot. He also uses storytelling to teach about career advancement, such as the tale of how he and another senior exec started as a security guard and waiter. "They want to see actual examples," Fuller says, noting that 60% of Marriott's hotel managers started as hourly workers. "Storytelling has made me more effective in doing my job."

富毅荣用一系列的故事，向新的管理人员介绍万豪集团看重的事情：为客户提供出色的服务，确保端上来的蛤蜊浓汤是热腾腾的。他也通过讲故事来传授职场升迁的心得，比如他和另一位高管是如何从保安和服务生做起的。富毅荣说：“人们喜欢听到现实生活中的例子。”他注意到，60%的万豪酒店经理是从按小时计费的低级岗位做起的。他还表示：“通过讲故事，我的工作效率更高了。

That sentiment is shared by executives at companies such as Microsoft (MSFT) and Pepsi (PEP), who use storytelling "to create a metaphor or an emotional boost," said Annette Simmons, a corporate storytelling trainer and an author of two books on the topic. Irada Sadykhova, Microsoft's director of learning strategies, uses stories to open a meeting, to press for a new strategy, or to motivate a team. "It's about imparting some sort of a truth," says Sadykhova, who grew up on fables in Russia. And famous movie exec Peter Guber, who has written a book called Tell to Win, due in March, says stories are the best way to achieve your goals. "They're not monologues," he says. "You've gotta touch people."

微软（Microsoft）和百事（Pepsi）等公司的管理人员对富毅荣的这些见解表示认同。安妮特•西蒙斯是一位“企业讲故事培训师”（corporate storytelling trainer），她介绍道，上述公司的高管通过讲故事来“打比方或励志”。西蒙斯著有两本以讲故事为主题的书籍。微软公司学习策略主管依拉达•撒迪科霍娃以故事来作为会议的开场白，或者用来推进新策略的实施或激励团队。从小听着俄罗斯寓言长大的撒迪科霍娃说：“这相当于在传授某种真理。”著名的影视管理人彼得•古柏则表示，故事是实现目标的最佳手段，“讲故事不同于自言自语，你必须打动听众。”彼得撰写的《讲述铸就成功》（Tell to Win）一书将于明年3月出版。”

Storytelling lessons from company front lines
来自企业第一线的讲故事心得

Stories can also aid hiring, says John Berisford, head of human resources at Pepsi Beverages. "I often ask one question, whether I'm interviewing a senior-level executive or a campus person: Tell me your story," said Berisford, who learned storytelling from his grandmother in West Virginia. "It's the best way to get to know the entire human being."

百事饮料公司（Pepsi Beverages）人力资源主管约翰•贝里斯福德表示，讲故事同样有助于招聘员工。他说：“无论是在面试高级管理人员或是毕业生时，我都经常提这样一个问题：讲讲你的故事。这是全面了解一个人的最佳方法。”贝里斯福德从居住在美国西弗吉尼亚的祖母那儿学会了如何讲故事。

To instantly grasp the impact of a good yarn, think of bestselling books such as Fish! and Who Moved My Cheese? The ones that work are instantly memorable and forge emotional connections, says Katharine Hansen, Ph.D., co-owner of the Quintessential Careers website. But that doesn't mean storytelling is right for every situation. It can backfire if the teller is trying to build enthusiasm yet doesn't feel it, says Simmons. Choosing the right story for your audience is crucial, as is editing it to be clear and concise. It also helps to be accurate; at a time when authenticity is scarce, no one wants to hear a tall tale.

凯瑟琳•汉森博士是求职网站Quintessential Careers的联合拥有人，她表示，一个好故事的影响究竟有多大，想想《鱼》（Fish!）和《谁动了我的奶酪？》（Who Moved My Cheese?）这些畅销书就知道了。那些行之有效的故事往往让人瞬间难忘，构建起情感纽带。然而，这并不意味着讲故事适用于任何情况。西蒙斯说，如果讲述者自己没有感受到激情，却要试图创造激情，可能会适得其反。你不但要让故事清晰简短，还要为特定的观众群选择恰当的故事。准确表述同样也很重要，在这个呼唤真实的年代，没人喜欢听虚构的故事。

Selling your story...

Katharine Hansen, author of Tell Me About Yourself, on "career-propelling stories."

• Start with "just one story" that reveals your essence.

• Show how you used your talents when tested.

• Tell of a turning point in your career and what you learned.

• Select stories that reinforce your personal brand and show your passion and personality.

• Tell how you developed or sharpened a key characteristic -- and the results achieved.

• Show how you handle major change and lead others through it.

• Find hero stories where you saved the day.

推销你的故事

凯瑟琳•汉森，著有《讲述你自己的故事》（Tell Me About Yourself）一书。关于“推动职业发展的故事”，她是这么说的：

• 用“我讲一个小故事”开头，揭示你要表达的主旨。

• 讲述你在关键时刻是如何发挥自己才能的。

• 讲述你职业生涯一个转折点，以及你学到了什么。

• 选择能彰显你个人品牌的故事，并且表现出你的激情和个性。

• 讲讲你是如何培养并提高自己某一重要特点的，以及由此取得的成绩。

• 讲述你是如何应对重大变化，并带领他人适应这一变化的。

• 讲述你力挽狂澜的“英雄事迹”

...and what to avoid

• Don't talk for too long or ramble. Two minutes is the absolute max.

• Don't tell stories that aren't relevant to a targeted job.

• Don't lie or exaggerate.

• Don't omit sensory details and a bit of color.

• Don't forget to wrap up the story with a one sentence moral, key message, or lesson learned.

应当避免的事项

• 不要讲太长时间或信口漫谈，时长最多不超过2分钟。

• 不要讲一些与目标职位无关的故事。

• 不要说谎或夸大其词。

• 不要忽略感官细节，注意生动性。

• 不要忘了在故事结尾用一句话来总结故事，这句话可以是箴言、关键信息或学到的教训。