Last week, I spent two days in Orlando teaching business executives how to incorporate stories into their business presentations. On the flight back to New York, I watched Lincoln, one of my favorite movies. Obviously, the movie itself is a well-told story. But it was the stories President Lincoln told during the movie that stood out for me. They weren’t random. They were strategic. Each carried a poignant message. Some captured the spirit of the moment; some highlighted the mood; and some changed the tenor of the conversation and scene. Each provides an example for anyone trying to leverage the power of stories in their day-to-day work lives. Here are some examples of the stories the filmmaker incorporated into the movie, how they impacted the narrative, and the concepts we as business professionals can incorporate into our own storytelling.
The Client Who Killed Her Husband
One of the early stories in the movie recounts how Lincoln’s client, an elderly woman on trial for killing her abusive husband, escaped from the courthouse and fled the state. Lincoln hadn’t dissuaded her and no local authority pursued her. The key message was how sometimes ignoring rather than following the law led to a higher justice. The story, while seemingly just a benign, humorous anecdote, set up the conversation Lincoln would have with his cabinet in the next scene regarding why he needed to end slavery before the war ended. He knew he had twisted the law to achieve a greater good, and that his work would be undone if the 13th Amendment wasn’t passed. He was focusing on the spirit of equality and justice over attention to the letter of the law.
Our business decisions don’t carry the weight of ending a historical and massive social injustice. But very often they impact the lives of our co-workers or clients dramatically. When you are sharing a complex initiative with your team or broader audience, consider if there is a simple analogy you can draw, a brief anecdote you can share, that emphasizes the main point you need to make. Keep it simple. It doesn’t have to capture the entirety of the issue. It just needs to set the stage for the more complicated ideas you are about to share.
Ethan Allen and the Picture of George Washington in the Bathroom
In a particularly tense part of the movie, Lincoln and his military commanders are waiting to hear about the attack on Wilmington Port, a decisive moment in the war. Lincoln tells a brief, humorous story about a portrait of Washington that a British lord had hung in his “water closet.” The point of the story was to emphasize the fear factor implicit during war time and the power of scare tactics. Telling the story at that moment, broke the tension in the room, reminded everyone of America’s strength, and brought a moment of glory into a setting of potential despair.
When you and your team are facing a difficult situation, consider what stories you might have that would remind your audience of the bigger picture. By and large, hope is generated by looking up from the exigencies of the moment into the arc of history. When we’re staring at challenges in the short term, think about your success in playing the long game.
These Truths are Self Evident – Euclid’s First Common Notion
Sometimes, when Lincoln shared stories, he was more thinking aloud than really talking to his audience. At a pivotal point in the movie, Lincoln considered bringing the delegation of Confederate negotiators north to the Capitol, which would have helped end the war but undermined his goal of ending slavery. In a quiet, almost private scene, he pauses before sending a telegram, and engages two young officers in a conversation not about the war, but about the nature of humanity. When one soldier mentions he was trained as an engineer, it reminds Lincoln of Euclid’s axiom that, “things that are equal to the same thing are equal to each other.” He shares that Euclid’s 2000-year-old book indicates that the rule is “self-evident,” which reminds Lincoln of the second paragraph of the Declaration of Independence, tying together “self-evident” with the truth that “all men are created equal.”
Reflecting on this memory helps ground the President in the gravity of the moment, enabling him to change course and alter the telegram to preserve time to solve the problem before him.
Stories sometimes come to us in the moment. Comments or insights from others prompt memories or analogies we would not have thought of on our own. Engaging those around us in conversation, talking to our colleagues and clients, learning about their experiences and ideas, help us generate different perspectives. Lincoln had a genuine interest in those around him. He listened to their ideas and opinions and factored them into his collective wisdom. We would do well to follow that example.
Congressman George Yeaman
As he tries to cement the final votes he needs to pass the amendment, Lincoln meets with a Kentucky congressman, George Yeaman, who is struggling with his own morale dilemma regarding slavery. Lincoln shares a story about his differences with his own father regarding the plight of slaves. His story conveys that he understands the lawmaker’s struggle and how he came to his own views. He doesn’t berate him. He empathizes and makes it safe for the congressman to ultimately vote in favor of the amendment.
When we are trying to convince others, sometimes the appeal to empathy has more impact than the directive to act a certain way. Think of stories you can share with your team that simply reflect your own struggle and therefore relate to them and help them reflect.