In Every Crisis, Hides an Opportunity: A Perspective Shift Story

Here’s one of my favorite stories. I often use it in programs on dealing with stress, managing change, and building resilience. I’m sharing it with you both because of the content and also as an example of using a story to make your point hit home at a deeper level and live on in the listener’s memory…i.e. using a story to make your point “stickier.”

After watching the video, notice how I could just have just said “Learn to tune your brain to notice the hidden opportunities that exist in crises” or I could have just told the audience  “the Chinese character for Crisis is actually a combination of the character for Danger and the character for Opportunity”.

While that little factoid definitely makes the point stickier, it is also possible that a lot of people involved in personal development have already heard that. So…by using a story to make this point, I offer them a fresh perspective on the concept. Also, because the point is framed in a story, chances are they will remember it better than if I just used the other two methods.

For people interested in being more attuned to finding stories to use in the presentations, this Perspective Shift Story is a great example of how you can find stories in simple, everyday experiences.