Don Hewitt, the creator of “60 Minutes”, died yesterday. Â Of course, he was a television legend who reinvented the way television news is delivered. But at Speechworks we remember him for a story we like to tell to workshop participants.
Hewitt was once at an event where he was answering questions. Someone asked him what he thought accounted for the success of “60 Minutes.”
Hewitt paused and then said, “Four little words that every child knows, ‘Tell me a story.'”
Hewitt’s point was that on “60 Minutes” the emphasis was always on making sure that there was a simple narrative.
We make the same point with our clients. Â If you want to hold people’s attention, tell them a story.
By the way, Hewitt went on to name his memoir “Tell me a story.”
