The Story Factor

Inspiration, Influence, and Persuasion Through the Art of Storytelling

De: Annette Simmons

Narrado por: Annette Simmons

Fully revised, updated, and expanded, this modern classic will teach you to use the art of storytelling to persuade, motivate, and inspire in life and business.

Anyone seeking to influence others must first know their own story and how to tell it properly. Whether you're proposing a risky new venture, trying to close a deal, or leading a charge against injustice, you have a story to tell. Tell it well, and you will create a shared experience with your listeners that can have profound results.

In this modern classic, Annette Simmons reminds us that the oldest tool of influence is also the most powerful. Fully revised and updated to account for new technology and social media, along with two new chapters on the role of stories in the development of civilization and how to adjust your story to your specific goal, Simmons showcases over 100 examples of effective storytelling drawn from the front lines of business and government, as well as myths, fables, and parables from around the world. Whether writing a screenplay, or announcing a corporate reorganization, Simmons illustrates how story can be used in ways that cold facts, bullet points, and directives can't. These stories, combined with practical storytelling techniques, show anyone how to become a more effective communicator and achieve their goals.

©2019 Annette Simmons (P)2020 Basic Books

Story Matters

Annette delivers actionable wisdom for aspiring and advancing storytellers. Choose your story, choose your future.

A great book worth listening again

After finishing the audio book, I still remember a few stories the author told vividly. Yes, stories telling is indeed an effective way to influence people.

Good content. Dull narration

The content is very good, although I think there were many parts that could’ve been briefer.

The narration wasn’t pleasant in my opinion. I listened to it at 1.6x speed.

Good material; painful narration

As is so often the case with authors who read their work, this author is unable to make the hard choices that a professional narrator would. Consequently, the reading, ironically by a storytelling expert, has no flow. It feels like the harmonic modulation of an unloaded truck at highway speeds. Every action word and prepositional phrase is not worthy of a comma, but that’s what I’m hearing.
I’ve slogged through about a third of the work and it is sad because the material is worthy.

Unlocking Influence: Rediscover the Magic with 'The Story Factor'.

In an age inundated with data, numbers, and fleeting digital interactions, "The Story Factor" emerges as a timeless beacon, guiding readers back to the art of authentic connection through storytelling. Annette Simmons masterfully uncovers the nuances of crafting compelling narratives, showcasing how they can transcend mere information to evoke emotion, thought, and action.

What sets this book apart is its holistic approach. It's not just about storytelling techniques, but about understanding the profound psychology behind why stories work. Simmons dives deep into the human psyche, revealing the universal archetypes and patterns that resonate with us all. She teaches not just the 'how,' but the 'why,' ensuring that readers can apply these insights across varied contexts and audiences.

Each chapter is rich with examples, making the content both tangible and relatable. From leadership scenarios to personal anecdotes, Simmons draws a clear line between theory and application. As a result, readers walk away not just entertained, but equipped and inspired to weave their own narratives.

For anyone seeking to communicate more effectively, persuade with authenticity, or simply understand the power of story in shaping our world, "The Story Factor" is not just a book; it's a revelation. In a world desperate for genuine human connection, this tome is more relevant now than ever.

Great advice for the storyteller

Annette Simmons’ book is a timeless textbook for anyone who wants to understand how story works, as well as the ancient truths that can only be captured and shared with stories. She creates clear blueprints for understanding what story is, why it is important, how it works, and how you can bring others to understand and share your goals and values. Her deep understanding of group dynamics, facilitation, and psychology inform the entire book. Importantly, she directly addresses current abuses of storytelling and delivers clear guidance on how to make sure you are using storytelling for good. She understands trust, and shows us how to write trustworthy stories. I read the book first, then later listened to her read the book on the audible version. I learned different things from both versions. 

Listen at faster speed

Authors really should understand if they have the chops to narrate their own books. Annette Simmons does not - which is a shame, since this is one the best books on storytelling I have come across. Since we are stuck with Annette’s narration, my recommendation is to up the playback speed - I listened at 1.7 and it definitely smoothed out her stilted reading and made it much easier to engage with the material. If you are interested in storytelling theory and practice, this book is essential, just don’t be shy about increasing the playback speed:

Worthy!

Read it, then listened to it. Wonderful! I highly recommend Annette Simmons The Story Factor.

DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME.

I gave it a fair shot a few times. Rambled on and on. You should try Storyworthy by Matthew DIcks instead.

Bloated, Self Indulgent Landfill of Common Sense

If you’ve ever fantasized about being held hostage in an endless corporate seminar where the speaker painfully drones on about the “power of storytelling” in a monotone so soul-draining that you contemplate gouging both eyes out with two ballpoint pens and a paperclip, then The Story Factor is just the book for you. Annette Simmons has miraculously managed to stretch a single, insultingly obvious idea—“stories matter”—into an excruciating 300-page endurance test, padded with tedious anecdotes and the kind of empty motivational fluff that would make a used-car salesman beg for mercy.

Simmons writes as if she has just discovered that humans communicate using words and expects us to be awestruck by this revelation. She serves up a lukewarm, watery stew of bargain-bin pop psychology, corporate jargon, and vague inspirational platitudes, marinated in an overbearing, nauseating air of self-importance. Each chapter rehashes the same tired messages and lifeless clichés in slightly different words, like a desperate student the night before a paper is due trying to hit a word count on an essay about absolutely nothing.

The book is littered with insufferable little parables and business-world fables that feel like they were ripped straight from an HR training video. You know the type—the kind where some smug manager tells a “powerful” story, and everyone in the room nods solemnly as if they’ve just witnessed a religious epiphany. Simmons seems convinced that if you simply learn to tell a decent story, you’ll be able to manipulate people into doing anything, as if human beings are nothing more than easily hypnotized lemmings.

Perhaps the worst sin of The Story Factor is that it is criminally boring. If storytelling is so powerful, why does Simmons make it feel like a root canal without anesthesia, wielding it with all the finesse of a lobotomized motivational speaker? Reading this book feels like being stuck in a never-ending TED Talk delivered by someone who thinks they’re changing the world but is actually just making you hate the sheer invention of the English language as you waste away looking around for something lethal to swallow.

Persuasion isn’t some one-trick pony—it’s a battlefield of logic, emotion, credibility, timing, framing, and dozens of other rhetorical tools that have been honed for centuries. But instead of exploring even a fraction of them, this book latches onto a single, bloated concept and beats it to death. Rather than talking about any of the other tools is the vast arsenal of rhetoric, we’re force-fed the notion that crafting a cute little anecdote is the ultimate key to bending the world to our will.

Do yourself a favor—if someone recommends this book to you, run. Run as fast as you can in the opposite direction. Read literally anything else. Stare at a blank wall. Listen to white noise. Watch paint dry, then write a detailed review of its performance. Whisper your darkest secrets to a brick wall and wait for it to respond. Translate the entire dictionary into interpretive dance. Alphabetize your thoughts and then immediately scramble them for sport. Chug a gallon of expired milk and place bets on your survival. Reenact the fall of Rome using nothing but stale bread and a can of sardines. Replace your daily meals with crayons and see if your IQ increases. Carve your personal manifesto into a block of cheese and mail it to the UN. Anything, and I mean anything, would be more enlightening and engaging than suffering through this flaming dumpster fire of a book for even 5 minutes.