Not Too Shinny, Not Too Whinny: 3 Easy Steps to A Perfect Story for Holiday Parties.
- Nov 11, 2014
- 3 min read
On October 22 2014, a greeter standing by the front entrance of the University Club of Chicago thought he might be out of his mind. Halloween was still a week away but he was hearing live holiday jingles and cheering crowds from a room above him.
He was not crazy.
The Merry Janes, an a cappella group, was entertaining a room full of people. And yes, the holiday madness was still about two months away. What the greeter didn’t realize was that a simulation workshop was taking place in the room above him. Guests, friends and colleagues gathered on October 22 in hopes to learn more about a topic many have a love/hate relationship with: Holiday Parties.
Of all the likes and dislikes people have about holiday parties, listening to others brag is one of the most unwelcome. Yet, many holiday parties are often work related and we bare obligations to attend. Besides, if good things happen to others (especially you), why shouldn’t everyone know about it? Ranked second on the most unwelcome list are whiners, people whose misfortunte seem to have a tight grip on them and never let go. It’s a drag to listen to brags. And. It takes a lot of wine to hang out with whiners too.
So, what to do? How do you stay authentic and informative at these inevitable work-social events? Follow these three easy steps!
1. Tell’m everything; tell’m nothing. Instead of dumping a laundry list of every seemingly big thing that happened to you in the past year, pick one significant event that carries special meaning to you. Data without a connecting theme is easily forgotten. Our brains, however, are wired for narratives. Stories are like candies to our brains. We cant help but listen and engage. But how do you go about starting a story? Here is a typical beginning of a story. “One day, something happened to someone. At first, she was confused and lost. But then she decided to…”
2. Three minutes, no more! When you say less, you are telling more. No matter how tempting and how time-deserving you think your story is, say no more than 3 minutes about it. At a holiday party, distractions are everywhere. Food, alcohol, music, and people streaming in and out of the party room are constantly taking your listener’s attention away. With the 3-minute limit, you will have a much more enjoyable time sharing bite-size stories, and engaging more attention than telling novel-size tales. Best yet, when you craft a short but engaging story, chances are your listeners will thirst for more. Then, you know you have their full attention!
3. Collect stories. To become a great storyteller, one must first become a great story collector. Think of a few good questions to get others to tell their stories. Here are a few examples:
What do you look most forward to this holiday season? Why?
What holiday traditions does your family have? … Tell me more.
If you could spend New Year’s Eve doing anything you wanted to do, how would you spend it?
Most people, including myself, spend all their time on logistics of holiday parties: where it is, how to get there, and what to wear. Once they get there however they are completely reactive to what they will say. Take charge this year by spending a few minutes on these 3 easy steps. And you will enjoy your time and get much more out of the next wave of holiday parties.
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