The 28 bags of sprouts that changed my life
Imagine walking into a job interview, nervous but prepared, knowing you need to make an impression. You expect the usual questions about experience, skills, and qualifications. But what if the thing that made you stand out wasn’t your CV, but a story, and one about selling 28 bags of sprouts on Christmas Eve? That’s exactly what happened to me, and it taught me something extremely powerful... storytelling has an unprecedented impact on people.
The Story
It was Christmas Eve 1998, and I was working in a local greengrocer. I remember that day was crazy busy. Baskets were being filled with many things, but for whatever reason, one vegetable seemed to be top of everyone’s shopping list… Brussels sprouts. They kept selling all day and for the most part, I was simply refilling the stock. As the day ended and shop closed, I decided to pull out of the rather large bin in the yard, all the sprout bags to tally up how many we had gone through. The total was 28. Working the numbers back, that was 280kg and given that there are around 35 sprouts per kg, that is just under 10,000 sprouts.
I couldn’t believe it, and neither could my boss at the time. Whilst there was no documented record book at our local greengrocers on the number of sprout bags sold on Christmas Eve, he was quite sure that this was, indeed, a record.
Fast forward 2 years, and I was sitting in a meeting room at Toshiba. It was the third year of my university degree, and I was being interviewed by the recruiting managers for a one-year work placement job. Towards the end of the interview, I was asked the question, “what are you most proud of?”
My answer to their question was the story about 28 bags of sprouts. That story, that I told with pride and passion, was the reason I was offered the role. That story impacted the interviewers in such a way that allowed me to stand out from a crowd, to connect and influence them to choose me. If I hadn’t told that story, I wouldn’t have secured the role and I wouldn’t have been set on a path that has led me to this moment.
The decision to tell that story, about 28 bags of sprouts, changed my life forever.
Life changing Brussels sprouts
Story takeaways
The story of 28 bags of sprouts had created the breakthrough, and within this scenario, it was the moment where I had differentiated myself from the rest of the competition. But how?
Structure: By sharing a “story”, I had naturally shifted into a rhythm of presenting my message. They had a start, middle and end, which made it easier for me to tell and for the interviewers to understand. This made it different to the ad hoc answers I was sharing earlier in the interview.
Relatability: By default, stories incorporate experiences, moments, scenarios which people relate to, because they themselves will have experienced in their lives something similar. This in turn creates connection and understanding - helping your to land the points better.
Emotion: When in a storytelling flow you will naturally relax, become more comfortable, open up, and emotions will start to come through, as well as your authentic self. Interviews are high pressure and at times awkward situations - emotions help to create valuable connections, especially when it comes to decision making.
Perspective: Sometimes it’s hard to get certain points across, express your views and insights, even share your true self. My story about Brussels sprouts used a unique perspective to demonstrate more about me and my value, than I could have done in answering twenty direct questions.
This however isn’t about just telling stories (albeit this is very important). It is more about the use of a storytelling structure in how you communicate. Having a clear start, middle and end, using emotion, perspective, being authentically you, and connecting emotionally, are just some of the important elements you can bring to your everyday communications.
Conclusion
The communication between people is a commodity, we do it countless times every single day, and it is easy for these moments to become transactional and hygiene in their nature. However, we should treat all of them as opportunities to make lasting impact. Whether it be a brief chat, conversation with a loved one, a pitch, presentation, project update, job interview, sharing for support, even a tinder date… the use of storytelling will improve the impact of your communication, make it lasting, and result in an outcome that may well change you life.
Reflection Question: How can storytelling make a difference in your life?
Read more here…
Check out my bestselling book, 28 Bags of Sprouts - Storytelling with Impact, to learn more about this story and how you can incorporate storytelling into you everyday life to make a positive impact and help you GROW.
28 Bags of Sprouts - Storytelling with Impact
Helping you GROW through storytelling
Whether it be for yourself or for your business, let’s work together to improve impact, create meaningful connections, drive positive change, and GROW…
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email: jamie@jamie-mackenzie.com
