Stories help us do many things — bring an unseen future to life, communicate shared values, and even sell new products and services. To illustrate the latter, I’m going to share a story I first heard in my earliest days as a consultant.

A massive ship sits in the harbor. Its engines are quiet. Its crew sits — waiting. That’s because there’s a problem with the ship’s engine. The shipmaster calls repairperson after repairperson and no one can get the great ship going again. Finally, the shipmaster calls a little old man, who’d lived his whole life in the harbor-town. His father serviced ships and taught his son to do the same. Maybe he can help.

The little old repairman works his way up the plank of the great ship carrying his shabby box of tools. He’s shown to the engine room. After a cursory walk around, the old man wipes his brow, opens his shabby box, and rifles through his equally shabby tools. He produces a little hammer and gives the engine a slight tap in a specific spot. The engine groans, gurgles, and eventually rumbles back to life. The little old man is patted on the back and sent on his way.

A week later the little old man sent his not-so-little invoice. His fee? $10,000. The shipmaster is glad his ship is running again but a little surprised by the size of the invoice. He was hardly here? All he did was tap it with a hammer?!? He asks the little old man to send him an itemized invoice. The repairman sends back the following:

• Tools and labor: $10
• Knowing where to hit the engine: $9,990

I first heard a version of this story when I was starting my consulting career. A would-be client balked at the price of one of our services. I took a deep breath and … tucked my tail between my legs and surrendered. In reporting my bravery to a mentor, they smiled and shared the story of the great ship and the little old man.

The moral of the story: be confident in your expertise. You know how to fix the engine. They don’t.

Story Strategies at Work

[Strategies from this story that you can you apply in your work]

• The moral of the story is _____________. Teaching stories and stories that drive action often have a moral of the story or a lesson that you’re teaching. As a storyteller, start with this end in mind. While it might seem obvious to you, don’t forget to clearly state the moral of your story.
• Narrative transportation. Confession: I’m not a ship repairman. Alas, I made up most of this story. And making up stories doesn’t make you a liar. It means you understand the power of indirect narrative. Direct narratives are stories that come from our lived experiences. Indirect narratives are fictitious stories. While the origins of these two types of stories differ, the result is the same — narrative transportation. When we hear stories — true or made-up — we put ourselves into that story and feel the experience in a very real way. And when we feel, we act.
• Details make the difference. What makes a story compelling? Details. The story of the great ship and the little old man is one that’s been told and retold many times over. This telling is my own as are the details I added along the way such as repeating that the repairman was little and old. He didn’t just have a toolbox. He had a ___________ toolbox. I bet you filled in that blank with “shabby.” That’s because we remember details. The more details you add, the more your audience will remember your story.

Do you have a lesson to teach? A skill you want to see executed a certain way? Or maybe a product or service you want to sell? Wrap it in story and your ideas will be unforgettable.

 A version of this first appeared in Story Strategies—my monthly email newsletter designed to help you connect with your audience through the power of story. Get the next issue delivered to your inbox.