CBS' 60 Minutes is one of my favorite television shows. It has been a Sunday night fixture in my life for 30+ years. Only football and golf preempt its viewing. Although I think the show's reports -- and its reporters -- have lost an edge from the old days, I still think 60 Minutes' brand of journalism demonstrates depth and fairness that exceeds most so-called "news magazine'' shows on ABC, NBC and Fox networks.
One reason that 60 Minutes has endured is because of the leadership Don Hewitt, who founded the show in 1968 and produced it for 36 years. By all accounts, Hewitt, who passed away last year at age 86, was a newsman's newsman. He was persistent, demanding and willing to chase complicated stories that not only exposed wrongdoing, but explained to viewers how it affected their lives. He also had a keen sense of judgment when it came to profiling newsmakers, and making their stories relevant to 60 Minutes' viewers.
But Hewitt's secret to success was not his ability to gather or report the news; it was his understanding of how to present it.
"The formula is simple," Hewitt wrote in a memoir in 2001, "and it's reduced to four words every kid in the world knows: 'Tell me a story.'' It's that easy,'' Hewitt said.
I recently shared Hewitt's philosophy with those who attended a workshop I led at the Greater Hernando County Chamber of Commerce. Most participants were owners of small businesses or representatives of non-profit organizations who were looking for advice about how to circulate their story. We explored a number of marketing options, most of them related to the Internet and how to establish credibility with the media, outshine their competitors, etc.
But Hewitt's premise was at the core of the presentation. Tell a good story. Tell it to anyone who will listen, and learn to tell it different ways, i.e, verbally, in writing and visually. Tell it humorously, or seriously. Have a short version and a long version, and practice telling it all the time. And if you aren't sure how to tell it, find someone who can help you.
As Hewitt said, if you tell a good story, you will always have an audience. And if you are a small business owner who still needs to be convinced of this simple, inexpensive approach to marketing, I suggest you do this: Substitute the word “audience'' with ''customers.'' That should make your motivation crystal clear.
Posted by Jeff Webb on April 12, 2010. © Jeff Webb Communications 2010. All rights reserved.
