Maxwell Plank, after winning the Nobel Prize in 1919, traveled around England giving the same standard lecture on his discoveries in quantum physics. Over time his chauffer memorized his speech and as they drove towards London asked, “Would you mind Professor, because this routine has gotten so boring, if I give the lecture in London and you just sat in the front row wearing my chauffer’s hat?” Planck, tired from the grueling pace of his travels said, “Why not?” That afternoon the chauffer got on stage and gave a flawless rendition of Planck’s lecture. After he was done, a scientist in the audience stood up and ask a difficult question. The chauffer, ready for such a question, replied “I’m surprised that in such an advance city like London I get such an elementary question. So, I’m going to let me chauffer answer it.”
Stories, like the one I just shared, are powerful. They make for great entertainment and attention-grabbing speech intros. The less obvious utility of a story is its ability to teach the listener a lesson they will never forget. We don’t remember all the stories we have ever heard or the lessons they taught us. However, all the stories we do remember share a few characteristics which form the acronym SUCCES.
SUCCES is not an acronym I can take credit for creating. As part of my job, I was tasked with creating a learning program focused on helping people understand complex technologies. I began this project by searching for the best way to convey an idea and came across a book called “Made to Stick” by Chip and Dan Heath. Chip and Dan are brothers, who both work as professors at respected universities. They realized that story telling was the best way to teach their curriculum but did not understand why some stories flopped and others stuck with students for years. They conducted some research, studying timeless stories throughout history and realized that the best stories are Simple, Unexpected, Concrete, Credible, Emotional, and told as Stories. They took these characteristics and created SUCCES. So lets break it down and look at each letter.
“S” - Simple. Complex stories with many characters and lots of dragons make for great HBO series but are horrible for teaching someone a lesson. Listening to a long detailed story can feel like work to the audience. The story I just told you was simple. It was about a scientist allowing his chauffeur to give a speech.
“U” - unexpected. I saw Taken 2 the other night, and it was the most predictable movie I had ever seen. Sequels are almost always worse than the original because they aren’t unexpected. Part of storytelling is leading the listener to a place they never expected to go. I doubt most people expected my story to end the way it did. I know the first time I heard it I didn’t.
The first “C” - “Concrete.” For a story to be concrete it must be about something the listener can visualize. Stories should encourage visualization by using relatable details. Most of you have seen a picture of London and listened to a professor give a lecture.
The second “C” - credible. A stories credibility comes from the person telling the story. A storyteller can establish credibility by having expertise on the topic they are talking about. My credibility comes from the extensive research I have done on history, learning, and storytelling.
“E” - emotional. Over time, all the experiences and ideas you have turn into memories. When you think back to your favorite trip or great idea you’ve had, the first thing that happens is you experience the emotion you felt at the time of that event. When something isn’t emotional you tend to not remember it. My story was humorous. When you think back on it you should experience the chuckle you got at the end.
Finally, "S” - story. A great story must be a story. Too much entertainment and a story becomes standup comedy, while too little entertainment makes it a lecture. When you’re telling a story, hit that sweet spot right in the middle and don’t forget to add your own flare.
Teaching someone any idea can be hard. Using stories will improve the likelihood that your audience will stay engaged and remember the idea’s you’re trying to convey to them. Remember, for a story to be SUCCES-ful at teaching an idea, it must be simple, unexpected, concrete, credible, emotional, and told as a story. My story about Maxwell Plank had all those characteristics and I hope that it taught you to always question a speaker, even when it seems like they are an expert. “After all, they might just be the chauffer.”