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Tell to Win: Connect, Persuade, and Triumph with the Hidden Power of Story
Today everyone--whether they know it or not--is in the emotional transportation business. More and more, success is won by creating compelling stories that have the power to move partners, shareholders, customers, and employees to action. Simply put, if you can’t tell it, you can’t sell it. And this book tells you how to do both.
Historically, stories have always been igniters of action, moving people to do things. But only recently has it become clear that purposeful stories--those created with a specific mission in mind--are absolutely essential in persuading others to support a vision, dream or cause.
Peter Guber, whose executive and entrepreneurial accomplishments have made him a success in multiple industries, has long relied on purposeful story telling to motivate, win over, shape, engage and sell. Indeed, what began as knack for telling stories as an entertainment industry executive has, through years of perspiration and inspiration, evolved into a set of principles that anyone can use to achieve their goals.
In Tell to Win, Guber shows how to move beyond soulless Power Point slides, facts, and figures to create purposeful stories that can serve as powerful calls to action. Among his
*Capture your audience’s attention first, fast and foremost
*Motivate your listeners by demonstrating authenticity
*Build your tell around “what’s in it for them”
*Change passive listeners into active participants
*Use “state-of-the-heart” technology online and offline to make sure audience commitment remains strong
To validate the power of telling purposeful stories, Guber includes in this book a remarkably diverse number of “voices”--master tellers with whom he’s shared experiences. They include YouTube founder Chad Hurley, NBA champion Pat Riley, clothing designer Normal Kamali, “Mission to Mars” scientist Gentry Lee, Under Armour CEO Kevin Plank, former South African president Nelson Mandela, magician David Copperfield, film director Steven Spielberg, novelist Nora Roberts, rock legend Gene Simmons, and physician and author Deepak Chopra.
After listening to this extraordinary mix of voices, you’ll know how to craft, deliver--and own--a story that is truly compelling, one capable of turning others into viral advocates for your goal.
Historically, stories have always been igniters of action, moving people to do things. But only recently has it become clear that purposeful stories--those created with a specific mission in mind--are absolutely essential in persuading others to support a vision, dream or cause.
Peter Guber, whose executive and entrepreneurial accomplishments have made him a success in multiple industries, has long relied on purposeful story telling to motivate, win over, shape, engage and sell. Indeed, what began as knack for telling stories as an entertainment industry executive has, through years of perspiration and inspiration, evolved into a set of principles that anyone can use to achieve their goals.
In Tell to Win, Guber shows how to move beyond soulless Power Point slides, facts, and figures to create purposeful stories that can serve as powerful calls to action. Among his
*Capture your audience’s attention first, fast and foremost
*Motivate your listeners by demonstrating authenticity
*Build your tell around “what’s in it for them”
*Change passive listeners into active participants
*Use “state-of-the-heart” technology online and offline to make sure audience commitment remains strong
To validate the power of telling purposeful stories, Guber includes in this book a remarkably diverse number of “voices”--master tellers with whom he’s shared experiences. They include YouTube founder Chad Hurley, NBA champion Pat Riley, clothing designer Normal Kamali, “Mission to Mars” scientist Gentry Lee, Under Armour CEO Kevin Plank, former South African president Nelson Mandela, magician David Copperfield, film director Steven Spielberg, novelist Nora Roberts, rock legend Gene Simmons, and physician and author Deepak Chopra.
After listening to this extraordinary mix of voices, you’ll know how to craft, deliver--and own--a story that is truly compelling, one capable of turning others into viral advocates for your goal.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2011
305 people are currently reading
2317 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 145 reviews
August 6, 2012
As a reader, there is work to do. There are a number of distractions to work through: the author's penchant for name-dropping; stories to support the author's points that are so long that you forget the original point he was trying to make; many outrageous opportunities for the author to insist that a company's wild success or magnificent turn-around hinged on That. One. Story.
The author predictably (and sometimes confusingly) tells stories to illustrate his theories about the power of story in business. Except those stories sometimes involve people telling other stories. It's so meta. It's like that movie Inception, only this book is about stories instead of dreams, and you're robbed of Chris Nolan's talent and Joseph Gordon Leavitt's cutie-pie-ness.
It's enough to make a reader cry out, "O Editor, for the love of reading, where art thou?"
I am happy to report that somewhere around page 200, things got much better, very quickly. Specific applications -- where to look for stories, the value of authenticity and connection, the power of crafting and reengineering one's own story -- it's there. At the end.
Would I recommend you skip right to the end? No, because you might ruin that "violation of the expected" that the author stresses in the first half of the book. See? I really did read the whole thing.
The author predictably (and sometimes confusingly) tells stories to illustrate his theories about the power of story in business. Except those stories sometimes involve people telling other stories. It's so meta. It's like that movie Inception, only this book is about stories instead of dreams, and you're robbed of Chris Nolan's talent and Joseph Gordon Leavitt's cutie-pie-ness.
It's enough to make a reader cry out, "O Editor, for the love of reading, where art thou?"
I am happy to report that somewhere around page 200, things got much better, very quickly. Specific applications -- where to look for stories, the value of authenticity and connection, the power of crafting and reengineering one's own story -- it's there. At the end.
Would I recommend you skip right to the end? No, because you might ruin that "violation of the expected" that the author stresses in the first half of the book. See? I really did read the whole thing.
January 3, 2020
Me gustó mucho, el autor te explica todo tan "con Manzanitas" qué terminas aprendiendo un montón mientras lees y ni se siente porque la lectura es muy fluida.
May 1, 2013
A book on storytelling, but its greatest failure is the storytelling itself. The author emphasizes that good story should have compelling beginning, but the opening chapter of the book is extremely boring (was that Mandalay? Major league? Minor league? Whatever!), and the following chapters also made me fall asleep (at least 4 times in 2 hours!). Every point has very long anecdotes which came from the author’s own experience, but the anecdotes are too wordy (very distracting) and too much of name-droppings(is that storytelling?). While this supposed to be a how-to and a motivational book, the most part of it is the author’s own personal experiences which don't make much sense to me as reader (do I really care whom the author had hangout with?). Didn’t he say that storytelling should be a dialogue involving the audience instead of the teller’s monologue? This book turned out to be a very boring rambling monologue. Some points are valid and interesting, but the book should be condensed to merely a couple of pages.
October 5, 2012
Loved this book. It has transformed the way I think about presentations and pitches , or stories as I now think of them. I started using Peters ideas to good effect before I'd finished his book.
Key takeaways:
- a good story has crisis/challenge, struggle and resolution, and a hero
- create surprise by building expectation and then violating it
- look for a shared problem with your audience
- concentrate on the emotions you want your audience to feel to get their support, don't sell on dry facts, figures and logic - be authentic and lead from the heart
- get the essence right, not the detail. Empty spaces and ambiguity can be your friend.
- don't forget the call to action, make it part of the resolution
- the more your audience participates in your story by talking, the better
- bring high energy
Key takeaways:
- a good story has crisis/challenge, struggle and resolution, and a hero
- create surprise by building expectation and then violating it
- look for a shared problem with your audience
- concentrate on the emotions you want your audience to feel to get their support, don't sell on dry facts, figures and logic - be authentic and lead from the heart
- get the essence right, not the detail. Empty spaces and ambiguity can be your friend.
- don't forget the call to action, make it part of the resolution
- the more your audience participates in your story by talking, the better
- bring high energy
November 2, 2012
This may be called "Tell to Win", but the weakest part of it is the story telling. There are some good ideas in here, and the thesis of the thing is good, but the pattern of explanation gets really monotonous.
Gruber's pattern is basically
* Here's my point (good)
* Here is some obvious name dropping (whatever)
* Here are some anecdotes which make my point (gets boring)
To save you the trouble of reading the book, the main idea is that human beings are hard-wired to learn, and be persuaded by, the oral narrative. Realizing this in your day to day affairs can make you a much more effective communicator. It's a compelling idea, and after reading it I'm pretty convinced it's true.
If you can just read the first half, that's probably good enough. You'll probably give it a 4/5.
Gruber's pattern is basically
* Here's my point (good)
* Here is some obvious name dropping (whatever)
* Here are some anecdotes which make my point (gets boring)
To save you the trouble of reading the book, the main idea is that human beings are hard-wired to learn, and be persuaded by, the oral narrative. Realizing this in your day to day affairs can make you a much more effective communicator. It's a compelling idea, and after reading it I'm pretty convinced it's true.
If you can just read the first half, that's probably good enough. You'll probably give it a 4/5.
July 12, 2012
Peter Guber spoke at a conference I was at and then gave us all one of these books. I read it on the plane ride home and it's pretty interesting. Mostly stories about Peter's life and how they can be related to sales and / or life in general.
You don't have to read this book because I can tell you what's it about in a few sentences. A rock is just a rock until you call it a "pet rock". Then it has a story. You just bought the story, not the rock.
You don't have to read this book because I can tell you what's it about in a few sentences. A rock is just a rock until you call it a "pet rock". Then it has a story. You just bought the story, not the rock.
August 21, 2013
Fifty pages into Peter Guber’s acclaimed book Tell to Win, I was getting more and more upset. Where were the women?
Not in the blurbs on the back cover: from Roger Ailes to Mohammed Yunus, all men. Not in the many stories that Guber told to “connect, persuade and triumph with the hidden power of story” (the subtitle of his book).
All of the stories he included were told by and about men. The exception that proved the rule was Susan Feniger, co-owner of the Border Grill chain…and her story was told by a waiter in one of her restaurants.
I’m a man, so why did I care about the missing women? I’ve worked all my life with nonprofit organizations, where women are the majority (and increasingly, the leaders). By leaving women out, Guber was sending a signal that this book might not be for me or the organizations I care about.
Add to that the idea that success always involves “winning” and making a sale–as opposed to building community, nurturing relationships, or exerting power for social good–and Guber was talking right past me. I was about ready to put the book aside.
And that would have been too bad, because Tell To Win offers a lot of sound advice for anyone trying to lead through persuasion. For instance:
People WANT to hear stories. Who would go to the movies to see a PowerPoint presentation?
“Move your listeners’ hearts, and their feet and wallets will follow.”
“Get your audience to step into your hero’s shoes.”
Begin with a problem, build tension with your hero’s struggle, and end with a solution that inspires the listener to act.
Know your listener well enough you can predict how they will react. Prepare, prepare, prepare.
It’s more important to be interested (in your audience) than to be “interesting.” Make the story about them, and about what you share.
Meet the listener where they are. Find the context where they will be most receptive to the story you are going to tell.
You’ll know you’ve really succeeded when your listener starts telling your story to others.
Everything here is relevant to nonprofit work, and if Peter Guber were talking to me face to face, he probably would have told his stories differently, to bring me in. As it was, he really didn’t reach me…until I read about Norma Kamali.
Norma Kamali was a high-fashion designer with a “naturally quirky style.” Walmart approached her about designing a line of clothing for lower-income women. She was excited but afraid. Walmart’s suppliers were used to producing clothing as quickly and cheaply as possible. What could she say that would make the people who actually cut and sewed garments for Walmart give low-cost clothes their utmost care and attention? She knew that’s what it would take to make her new customers proud to wear her designs.
What she remembered was the stories she had been told by low-income mothers at a public high school in Manhattan….These mothers were so ashamed of their clothes that they never came in for school conferences or even met their kids’ teachers.
“Norma told the story of those mothers to the vendors, sales force, and media, and everyone who supported this new brand felt like a hero,” Guber wrote.
Aha! There are the women–and there is the hook for nonprofit organizations. Let’s tell stories that make people who work for good feel like a team of heroes. We may be playing in a different league than Guber and his Hollywood buddies–a league of our own--but we can win, together. Read this book if you want to make the team strong.
Not in the blurbs on the back cover: from Roger Ailes to Mohammed Yunus, all men. Not in the many stories that Guber told to “connect, persuade and triumph with the hidden power of story” (the subtitle of his book).
All of the stories he included were told by and about men. The exception that proved the rule was Susan Feniger, co-owner of the Border Grill chain…and her story was told by a waiter in one of her restaurants.
I’m a man, so why did I care about the missing women? I’ve worked all my life with nonprofit organizations, where women are the majority (and increasingly, the leaders). By leaving women out, Guber was sending a signal that this book might not be for me or the organizations I care about.
Add to that the idea that success always involves “winning” and making a sale–as opposed to building community, nurturing relationships, or exerting power for social good–and Guber was talking right past me. I was about ready to put the book aside.
And that would have been too bad, because Tell To Win offers a lot of sound advice for anyone trying to lead through persuasion. For instance:
People WANT to hear stories. Who would go to the movies to see a PowerPoint presentation?
“Move your listeners’ hearts, and their feet and wallets will follow.”
“Get your audience to step into your hero’s shoes.”
Begin with a problem, build tension with your hero’s struggle, and end with a solution that inspires the listener to act.
Know your listener well enough you can predict how they will react. Prepare, prepare, prepare.
It’s more important to be interested (in your audience) than to be “interesting.” Make the story about them, and about what you share.
Meet the listener where they are. Find the context where they will be most receptive to the story you are going to tell.
You’ll know you’ve really succeeded when your listener starts telling your story to others.
Everything here is relevant to nonprofit work, and if Peter Guber were talking to me face to face, he probably would have told his stories differently, to bring me in. As it was, he really didn’t reach me…until I read about Norma Kamali.
Norma Kamali was a high-fashion designer with a “naturally quirky style.” Walmart approached her about designing a line of clothing for lower-income women. She was excited but afraid. Walmart’s suppliers were used to producing clothing as quickly and cheaply as possible. What could she say that would make the people who actually cut and sewed garments for Walmart give low-cost clothes their utmost care and attention? She knew that’s what it would take to make her new customers proud to wear her designs.
What she remembered was the stories she had been told by low-income mothers at a public high school in Manhattan….These mothers were so ashamed of their clothes that they never came in for school conferences or even met their kids’ teachers.
“Norma told the story of those mothers to the vendors, sales force, and media, and everyone who supported this new brand felt like a hero,” Guber wrote.
Aha! There are the women–and there is the hook for nonprofit organizations. Let’s tell stories that make people who work for good feel like a team of heroes. We may be playing in a different league than Guber and his Hollywood buddies–a league of our own--but we can win, together. Read this book if you want to make the team strong.
April 14, 2011
Less instructional than I expected, which I got over quickly.
Really a recap of all the stories the author used to achieve success in his life, with some cursory learning points thrown in at the end of the chapters.
The content is good, but, although the author is quite good at at least sounding humble, it reads like a "i'm successful and here are the highlights why" than a "how to tell good stories" book.
Don't take my three star rating as negative, as I did enjoy the read, but was more entertained than inspired.
Really a recap of all the stories the author used to achieve success in his life, with some cursory learning points thrown in at the end of the chapters.
The content is good, but, although the author is quite good at at least sounding humble, it reads like a "i'm successful and here are the highlights why" than a "how to tell good stories" book.
Don't take my three star rating as negative, as I did enjoy the read, but was more entertained than inspired.
May 12, 2011
I was looking for a book like this, so I'm glad someone wrote about the importance of business storytelling. Maybe I'm just sensitive to name-dropping, and I'm sure Mr. Guber just hangs out with the kind of people that are household names - but oh man cut us a break. It was more distracting than anything else when he told stories about famous people, and I think it actually undermined the message bit, making it seem less academic. Also, a bit trite. But still worth a quick read.
March 27, 2019
Hollywood mogul Peter Guber has penned an uplifting and very practical book. This is not really a self-help book.It’s more about self-discovery.
It’s like staring into a mirror and asking yourself “so what’s your story?”
Guber shares his own stories with consummate skill. His failures are hilarious. Have you ever heard a mogul admit his picture was so bad that people tried to walk out of it when it was screening on airplane flights?
He’s led a fantasy life and mingled with stars and icons. At points you feel like a bystander behind the rope at a red carpet premiere, but then Guber pulls you back in.
He consistently promotes sharing, listening and engaging. He believes all of us have worthy stories that can enrich lives. But our stories are dialogues, not monologues.
Ironically, my first encounter with Peter Guber took place years ago when he was completely trashed in a book HIT AND RUN: How Jon Peters and Peter Guber Took Sony for a Ride in Hollywood, By Nancy Griffin and Kim Masters That book’s title could have applied to its treatment of Guber. As Hollywood exposes go it’s up there with Julia Philip’s You’ll Never Eat Lunch In This Town Again or Easy Riders, Raging Bulls: How the Sex-Drugs-and-Rock 'N Roll Generation Saved Hollywood by Peter Biskind or anything by Carrie Fisher but sans the substance abuse. That genre tends to be very salacious and readable (I gave it a 4 star review). Guber addresses this book and his tenure with Sony in Tell to Win. To his credit, he offers up a convincing explanation and does not counterattack. In fact, in keeping with the spirit of this excellent book, he blames himself for not engaging with the authors and sharing his story. A most worthy read and the 5 star review signals this book has more credibility than the Hit and Run hit piece.
It’s like staring into a mirror and asking yourself “so what’s your story?”
Guber shares his own stories with consummate skill. His failures are hilarious. Have you ever heard a mogul admit his picture was so bad that people tried to walk out of it when it was screening on airplane flights?
He’s led a fantasy life and mingled with stars and icons. At points you feel like a bystander behind the rope at a red carpet premiere, but then Guber pulls you back in.
He consistently promotes sharing, listening and engaging. He believes all of us have worthy stories that can enrich lives. But our stories are dialogues, not monologues.
Ironically, my first encounter with Peter Guber took place years ago when he was completely trashed in a book HIT AND RUN: How Jon Peters and Peter Guber Took Sony for a Ride in Hollywood, By Nancy Griffin and Kim Masters That book’s title could have applied to its treatment of Guber. As Hollywood exposes go it’s up there with Julia Philip’s You’ll Never Eat Lunch In This Town Again or Easy Riders, Raging Bulls: How the Sex-Drugs-and-Rock 'N Roll Generation Saved Hollywood by Peter Biskind or anything by Carrie Fisher but sans the substance abuse. That genre tends to be very salacious and readable (I gave it a 4 star review). Guber addresses this book and his tenure with Sony in Tell to Win. To his credit, he offers up a convincing explanation and does not counterattack. In fact, in keeping with the spirit of this excellent book, he blames himself for not engaging with the authors and sharing his story. A most worthy read and the 5 star review signals this book has more credibility than the Hit and Run hit piece.
October 14, 2021
Decent start but then just name dropping and (celebrity / movie) success stories until the end. On hindsight I would definitely not have bought this book.
July 27, 2018
The first time I read this book I didn't like it that much. It seemed a bit dry and not so memorable. After finishing it I didn't even remember anything about it except the main premise: Telling stories can help you be successful. I would have given it 2 or 3 stars.
But the second time I read it, I ended up liking it A LOT. I found it very insightful not just on the basic idea that storytelling is important, but also on HOW to tell a story in different situations, pitfalls to look out for and specific ways you can look to exploit the power of story telling in your personal and professional life. I ended up giving it 4 stars.
I think the difference is the mindset. The second time around I was already very aware that dry, logical, analytical, just the facts, left-brain communication is not the best way to influence people and so I was looking for specific tips and intuitions to improve how I communicate and because of that I absorbed the techniques presented more readily.
So I was a bit surprised when I came here and saw a lot of 2 and 3 star reviews. But then I remembered I would have written the same things the first time I read it.
If you're reading this book purely as entertainment or just for general inspiration you probably won't enjoy it that much. It might seem a bit dry and not very insightful. But if you're reading it in a very purposeful way to try to get practical tips you can apply to similar situations (especially in business), I think you'll enjoy it more.
But the second time I read it, I ended up liking it A LOT. I found it very insightful not just on the basic idea that storytelling is important, but also on HOW to tell a story in different situations, pitfalls to look out for and specific ways you can look to exploit the power of story telling in your personal and professional life. I ended up giving it 4 stars.
I think the difference is the mindset. The second time around I was already very aware that dry, logical, analytical, just the facts, left-brain communication is not the best way to influence people and so I was looking for specific tips and intuitions to improve how I communicate and because of that I absorbed the techniques presented more readily.
So I was a bit surprised when I came here and saw a lot of 2 and 3 star reviews. But then I remembered I would have written the same things the first time I read it.
If you're reading this book purely as entertainment or just for general inspiration you probably won't enjoy it that much. It might seem a bit dry and not very insightful. But if you're reading it in a very purposeful way to try to get practical tips you can apply to similar situations (especially in business), I think you'll enjoy it more.
April 9, 2011
Peter Guber tells you everything except how to construct a story in this insightful, chatty, and ultimately fascinating work. Well, he says stories start with a complication, then raise the tension, then resolve it -- a beginning, middle, and end. But almost every other book on storytelling says the same thing, so that's hardly groundbreaking. What Guber is good on is setting up the atmospherics to tell a persuasive story. So, for example, he tells one on himself. When he went to lure Larry King from CNN to his network, his persuasive efforts failed because Ted Turner knew exactly what to say to Larry: "just tell me good bye, Larry." Larry has issues, apparently, with loyalty, because he felt abandoned by his father. So Turner played that card -- and kept Larry at CNN. That's what Guber is good at -- doing his homework, setting up the atmospherics, being persuasive because you craft the right pitch to the right person at the right time. The book is packed with stories of how this all works in Hollywood, where Guber has spent much of his professional life. Good fun.
February 1, 2016
Not very impressed with the overall content of the book. I found it very disconnected and lacking an overall theme. To sum it up - though this book is about telling story, it does not present itself as a story. I found this book going in all kinds of directions and not following a consistent theme. Though Peter has shared numerous stories in the book to reinforce the fact that "telling stories" can be of a great value whether in business, school or personal life but there are no take aways for a reader to leverage these stories. I felt like reading a novel in which I was reading about various mini stories majority of which had absolutely no relevance for me.
If someone is willing to read something about "story telling" - there are numerous other books. I will not recommend this book unless you want to just pass time reading about irrelevant stories.
If someone is willing to read something about "story telling" - there are numerous other books. I will not recommend this book unless you want to just pass time reading about irrelevant stories.
June 28, 2014
Wow! I tried to avoid the reviews because the book was highly recommended by someone I respect. It turns out the reviews were right. The author name drops so much that I got really bored listening to it. Some of the stories are good but they are long and they don't really reinforce the points he is trying to make. Long book that focuses mainly on reinforcing the coolness factor of Peter Guber. Yeah, yeah yeah you are cool and you met a lot of people and some of those stories are cool. But, that doesn't help me much. One example, the A-ha from the last chapter - Technology is great but instead of State of the Art make sure to use State of the Heart. "Stick a dull pencil in my eye".
February 4, 2015
Let's summarize this book in one sentence: if you want to get people to do something, tell a powerful story that touches their hearts. Okay, done. That's really the core of this book and everything else is a lot of fluff, stories, and above all name dropping. It seems the author knows everyone and their brother and it gets really tiresome really fast. He has good stories obviously, but the point of each story gets kinda fuzzy after a while. Nevertheless, it's a quick read and it reinforces the importance of stories.
December 9, 2018
There's good info in this book about storytelling, how to do it, and to be effective at it. If you can get past the arrogance of the author you might be able to grasp the nuts and bolts of his message. Some of his examples were good, however, using people that are ex-cons and adulterers doesn't work for me.
Obviously the author is an aristocrat and a 1%er and it's hard to relate to all the rich and powerful people he uses as examples in his book. Humility would be nice, but you don't see it much here.
Despite all the above, here's the takeaway. Use stories that get to the heart and move emotions. This is effective of course. Do your homework. Be authentic. Basic rules of the road for being successful.
Obviously the author is an aristocrat and a 1%er and it's hard to relate to all the rich and powerful people he uses as examples in his book. Humility would be nice, but you don't see it much here.
Despite all the above, here's the takeaway. Use stories that get to the heart and move emotions. This is effective of course. Do your homework. Be authentic. Basic rules of the road for being successful.
December 19, 2020
A fascinating book I started reading during the coronavirus ‘lockdown 2’ in England. A book which teaches you about the fundamentals of ‘telling to win’ which is prevalent in the current climate with Zoom/MS Team video-calls. The book focuses on face to face story telling and gives multiple anecdotes from businessmen, politicians and athletes. One anecdote which resonated with me was about ‘Lawrence of Arabia’; the strategy deployed by a British colonist general, who was considered to be an outsider, managed to unite proud tribal men in Saudi Arabia to fight against the powerful Ottoman Empire. It was unthinkable - but it was achieved by telling a compelling story.
✍🏽Usman Anwar from 📍Manchester, England.
✍🏽Usman Anwar from 📍Manchester, England.
September 3, 2017
I really enjoyed this book. There were some interesting stories, apropos given the topic, and some very helpful tips for those trying to make an impact in the business world. I think this would be a valuable read for most people in a professional context no matter your level because at some point or another everyone needs to "sell" something, an idea, themselves, their team, their budget, etc. and the tools and techniques in this book will help target the audience to the seller's benefit. The examples were engaging without being vacuous stories and the follow-up was functional and educational without being dry.
May 2, 2018
A good read on the subject of story- a 10,000 year trait built into DNA and practiced for over 2000 years by man. Oral tradition of passing down history is well-known. This text is all about the Art of the Tell Guber who has risen and fallen many times use many examples of famous friends to illustrate the power of story to move people. The author feels all big sales should occur face to face. Non-verbal cues are the most important. I think this book should be required reading for students of social media and marketing to under stand how the skills (social media and direct sell) work together.
June 23, 2018
Semi-autobiographical book by Peter Guber, with an underlying through-line of making persuasive pitches and arguments, using stories, to successfully get across to people.
Lots of enjoyable personal anecdotal stories. Peter has lived an interesting life, and this book is his way of trying to figure out what he did right, consistently through his life. I think the book has depth, that might not be apparent from the title of the book.
It's a good analysis of how to build narratives that connect with all kinds of people, whether you are conveying technical information, or making an emotional plea.
Breezy read, would recommend.
Lots of enjoyable personal anecdotal stories. Peter has lived an interesting life, and this book is his way of trying to figure out what he did right, consistently through his life. I think the book has depth, that might not be apparent from the title of the book.
It's a good analysis of how to build narratives that connect with all kinds of people, whether you are conveying technical information, or making an emotional plea.
Breezy read, would recommend.
August 6, 2020
It's hard to keep your interest during the first half of the book, but the content gets richer around midway. The takeaway is important, so it's beneficial to remain engaged.
Reason is that it's challenging for the reader to reset their mind for every story being told in the book, but it's critical, as the author is using that story to deliver home a point in his argument.
Great lessons with rich examples to illustrate how important it is to master the art of story telling in every profession.
Reason is that it's challenging for the reader to reset their mind for every story being told in the book, but it's critical, as the author is using that story to deliver home a point in his argument.
Great lessons with rich examples to illustrate how important it is to master the art of story telling in every profession.
October 12, 2018
Although the book is filled with a lot of stories from Hollywood and celebrities regarding this topic and how they have used the power of storytelling to create positive change and persuade people, however, the book still fails to be considered a great book on the subject.
It is unable to keep the reader engaged as it is supposed to.
Maybe it is just me, but I think there might be better books on the market on the subject than this one.
It is unable to keep the reader engaged as it is supposed to.
Maybe it is just me, but I think there might be better books on the market on the subject than this one.
August 21, 2020
While the concept overall is great and the individual stories support it well I almost think, ironically, it could be told better. I got the overall impression I was being told the same thing over and over again in just slightly different ways. I don’t want to be too harsh though the concept of the importance of story and telling it in an engaging way is compelling and there were several strong takeaways for me.
April 18, 2019
Informative and inspiring
I loved the many ways in which the author teaches the reader how to tell stories through recalling his experiences in Hollywood and around the world.
This definitely one for those who want to tell a more compelling story both in business and in other aspects of life.
A very enjoyable read
I loved the many ways in which the author teaches the reader how to tell stories through recalling his experiences in Hollywood and around the world.
This definitely one for those who want to tell a more compelling story both in business and in other aspects of life.
A very enjoyable read
January 21, 2020
Everything is storytelling, and not only does the author tell a good story, but he provides the advice and life lessons to back it up. I learned a lot from this read and want to read it again soon so I can continue to internalize the nuances of storytelling, in hopes of it improving my career and my personal life.
November 10, 2020
Story telling is something we humans have been indulging in since the time we developed languages. However, in the modern world a lot of us don't recognize it's importance and the role it can play in almost every sphere of our lives. This book with it's well-suited anecdotes made for a good read with emphasis on why use story telling as well as how to do it better.
September 26, 2017
Clear. Rich. Engaging. Entertaining.
Masterfully using the art and science of storytelling, and openly sharing his learnings and experiences, Guber gives us a whole and powerful set of tools for using storytelling to win in business and in life. Great book!
Masterfully using the art and science of storytelling, and openly sharing his learnings and experiences, Guber gives us a whole and powerful set of tools for using storytelling to win in business and in life. Great book!
May 23, 2020
Buen libro, interesante y motivante.
Aunque al inicio no me enganchó lo fue haciendo en la medida que lo leía. Me gustaron los ejemplos, los encontré muy útiles. Me convenció y tomé varias ideas para realización inmediata.
Aunque al inicio no me enganchó lo fue haciendo en la medida que lo leía. Me gustaron los ejemplos, los encontré muy útiles. Me convenció y tomé varias ideas para realización inmediata.
May 18, 2017
"Why does story telling is important?" The book answers this question comprehensively.
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