Persuasive Storytelling for Hypnotists, Hypnotherapists, Therapists and Communicators

Being able to create a bespoke story, which influences and persuades your client is a skill, that you can learn. This blog will explore the applications and benefits the arise from persuasive storytelling, together with exploring a range of story formats, with illustrative examples. We also give you a clear 5-step persuasive story model that can be employed to create any therapeutic story.

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Storytelling

Story-telling to convey a message has been around for as long as we have been able to communicate. Every culture has a history of using metaphors. Yet as children or adults we tend to relax when we listen to a story. After all, it is just a story.

Around the world, people use stories for many means of communication and as a way of conveying facts, as well as emotions and feelings. The listener will draw on their own resources to make meaning and by doing so, will connect to the story more. People will remember the drama and content of the story, whilst absorbing the meaning (or, the ‘moral of the tale’).

You can listen for their clients’ use of metaphors and use them with the client. For example, if a client says they are, “Boiling mad”, ask what would cool them off. Or if they say a friend is being, “Icy cold”, you could ask what would warm them up.

Persuasive Storytelling

Persuasive stories tend to offer one or more solutions or alternative perspectives for a situation. Clients can connect to different aspects of the story, to take what is most appropriate for them.

You can use persuasive stories to help clients understand concepts, challenge or establish a belief, offer alternative behavioural responses, and, more indirectly, give a symbolic interpretation for the client to connect to.

A well-told story can shift brain functioning from beta (conscious processing) to alpha (day dreaming), build rapport and boost oxytocin (thus increasing suggestibility) and can be used to:

• Motivate action or change
• Offer potential future outcomes
• Lead, direct, persuade and influence thoughts and perceptions
• Generate new thoughts, feelings and behaviours
• Lead through an experience to access resources to support transformation, healing or growth

The 5-step Persuasive Storytelling Model

The 5-step model for persuasive stories can be applies to any type of story creation.

Step 1: Context – Set the scene, introduce the context and lead character.

Step 2: The issue – Explore the problem or issue.

Step 3: Past efforts – Consider past unsuccessful attempts to resolve the issue.

Step 4: The solution – What is to be done.

Step 5: Outcome – The positive benefits, rewards or advantages of adopting the solution.

Example

Step 1: Context
Michael lives in a small village, home-schooled, loves making music.

Step 2: The issue
Wants to be a musician, but is shy.

Step 3: Past efforts
Asked friends/ family for help – their ways didn’t work (e.g. suck it up).

Step 4: The solution
Wear a disguise, adopt a different ‘persona’, and busk in a nearby town.

Step 5: Outcome
Gained confidence, passed interview at music college (and made a lot of money busking).

Persuasive Story Creation

The 5-step persuasive story model gives you a process that you can follow to create your story. However, there are some additional considerations you may also wish to make.

Decide on your intended purpose

Now is the time to consider which outcome do you want to achieve from a client listening to your story? For example,

• To gain understanding of a concept
• To challenge a belief
• To illustrate what is possible
• To take the client on a journey
• To highlight how others overcome adversity

Choose your format

Consider what will be the best way to convey your story. For example,

Direct influence – A case study

You can tell a story about a past client (suitably anonymised) and how they gained benefit from a certain action or response.

Example: The unplanned haircut
For several years, a lady with long hair (below waist) resisted having her hair cut, despite suggestions from her hair stylist. She was convinced that she would look ugly with shorter hair. One day, she had an accident resulting in a tin of glass paint coating the ends of her hair. She went to the hair stylist hoping they could fix her hair but it was beyond help. So, the hair stylist trimmed 6 inches (to just above her waist). When the client looked, she realised that she looked amazing with it at that length and wished she changed sooner.

Direct influence – My friend John

You can talk to a client about a friend of yours (make up a story) and how they benefited from a particular solution.

Example: John and the jar
Where a client is stressed and would benefit from prioritisation skills, you could talk about your friend John who was creating an art feature for his home. He gathered together his ‘ingredients’ and then just put them in the jar in any order, so pebbles, some stones, water, sand, gravel and rocks. He didn’t fit everything in. So he started again. This time he filled the big jar with rocks, pebbles, gravel, sand and water. He realised that if he put the small bits in first (‘easy stuff’) then there won’t be room for the big stuff. If he starts with the big stuff, the rest fits in around it.

Direct influence – Paths of life and death

You can use the ‘my friend John’ approach with two protagonists. One taking a path that had a positive outcome. The other, taking a path that led to a less desirable outcome.

Example: The bus stop
You could talk about a lady sitting at a bus stop. She wants to get on a bus, so jumps on the first that pulls up to the stop. Only to find she isn’t keen on where the bus is headed. So, she heads back to the busy stop and waits for a bus that goes where she wants to be. Just because the bus stops there, it doesn’t mean she has to get on (she has choices).

Indirect influence – A true story

This can be totally unrelated to the client’s problem, but the solution, and/or outcome can be helpful for the client. For example, you might be working with someone who wants to lose weight and are held back by limiting beliefs. You could talk about Roger Bannister and how, up to that point, people didn’t believe the 4-minute mile was possible. Yet once he ran in just under the 4 minutes, others knew what was achievable so they too ran faster.

Indirect influence – A fictional story

You could either create a totally fictitious story, or talk about reading of this story in a paper or book.

Example: The stuck door
In a wonderful building, an important door would not open. 100 people tried. They pushed, shoved, even used a battering ram. Then, one wise person can along, thought about the situation, looked at the door, and then pulled the door open (solution = look at situations and consider them first).

Persuasive Storytelling – Key Points

Relatable to the client

Have an awareness of the interests and personality of the client. If they are into sport, then perhaps create something active. If they are more of a sofa and tv person, then something relaxing. If they seem extravert, you can be more dramatic with your solution or outcome than if they are introvert.

Credible

Your story has to have a component of truth or be possible. The internal logic of the story must work (make sense).

Forward-facing, positive, formative

Generally, focus on considering action rather than in-action (do something, rather than avoid doing something), and encouraging new responses, rather than prohibiting old responses.

Delivering a good story

When delivering your story, be engaged with the story and deliver it with confidence, using a story-telling using, with relevant use of drama and suspense. Include aspects of description for each of the senses (see, hear, feel, smell, taste).

Conclusion

Being able to create bespoke persuasive stories for your clients, whether during the intake, in conversation, during hypnosis or even within hypnosis resources, such as blogs and MP3s, gives your business an added dimension. A final tip is that whenever you create an awesome story, make a note of it, so that you build a repository of fantastic stories.

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If you would like to help others make positive enhancements to their lives and become a professional hypnotherapist,  we recommend you check our awesome Professional Hypnotherapy Diploma course.

Finally, if you would like to find out more about the awesome Professional Hypnotherapy Diploma that HypnoTC , do please visit our Diploma page and have a browse through the information about our world-class, award-winning training.

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– written by Dr Kate Beaven-Marks
(HypnoTC Director)