Each week, we share a practical technique to become a more effective storyteller and analyze a video that demonstrates its use in the real-world.
Quote of the week
"Questions are invitations to tell a better story.” Anon
Image generated using Sora
When Questions are More Than Objections
We've all had to get in front of an audience—whether at work, or a homeowner association or at the PTA to convince them of a course of action. If you are like my friend John, you came well prepared and crushed the presentation. Yet John lost the room during the Q&A.
The audience was engaged and had many questions—or objections as John termed them. But experience tells us that these weren't objections, but mini-stories the audience tells themselves. The only way to get past it, is to meet them with a better story, fast!
ACE (Acknowledge → Case → Evidence)
Here's a simple framework to answer confidently without going defensive.
Acknowledge (the concern in their words). Show you heard them. Name the worry neutrally. Keep it short; no justifications yet.
“Great question. You’re asking if the timeline risks quality. Totally fair.”
Case (a 20-second micro-story). Pick a specific example that maps to their concern. State it as Situation → Choice → Result.
“Last quarter, Acme had the same worry. We split the rollout into two sprints so quality gates stayed intact, and…”
Evidence (one proof point) Pick one: a metric, or customer example or expert quote.
“…defect rates dropped 28%, and we hit the date.”
End with the action you recommend. "We’ll mirror that approach here.”
▶️ Click here for a 1-page ACE Cheat sheet 🔖
Why it works
Q&A spikes emotion and shortens attention.
Acknowledge lowers the temperature (you’re listening—see Storyteller #6).
Pro tip from Storyteller #2: Pause & breathe after acknowledge. A two-beat pause buys control and shows confidence.A Case makes your answer tangible (not theory).
Evidence satisfies logic (Storyteller #21) and signals you are accountable. The shape is tight enough to use under pressure and flexible enough to reuse across objections.
Want to Sharpen Your Storytelling Skills?
The next cohort of Success Through Persuasive Storytelling (rating 4.8/5) with Sri Srikrishna and Bikash Chowdhury starts on Sep 10, 2025. Registrations open.
Video
In the 2024 Berkshire Hathaway Annual Shareholder’s Meeting, Warren Buffet’s response to a shareholder question about artificial intelligence (AI) is a master class in acknowledging a concern, giving a short case, a concrete proof point and a clear implication.
In the video Warren effortlessly employs the ACE framework.
Acknowledge “I don’t know anything about AI…” [51:50],
Case the risk with a nuclear analogy [52:09],
Evidence via the example of a deepfake of himself [53:57]
Implication/Ask vigilance/regulatory caution
Try this week
List 3 objections you get (price, timeline, security). Write one line to Acknowledge each—use their words.
For each, write a 20-second Case (Situation → Choice → Result). Trim to ~50 words.
Add one Evidence line (metric/customer/expert). Rehearse all three out loud; keep each answer ≤60 seconds.