As leadership becomes more a matter of persuading than directing, leaders are turning to storytelling. Personal stories, success stories, cautionary tales—properly told, they all pack the emotional punch you need to get others to pay attention and buy into your idea.

One type of story that deserves more space in a leader’s toolbox is the what-if story. Also known as a day-in-the-life story, it describes how much better life would be for your listeners if your solution or idea were in place.

Unlike other types of stories, a what-if story hasn’t happened yet. Its power derives from how accurately you are able to describe your listeners’ current problems—and a future state where those problems are overcome. Listeners should come away thinking, “This person really gets me and my problems. I can see this solution working.”

How to build a what-if story

The key to a successful what-if story is the ability to take a high-level strategic recommendation, like improving customer satisfaction ratings, and ground it in a series of compelling human activities that add up to a story your listeners can relate to and get excited about.

In fact, putting your idea or recommendation in a what-if format is the true test of how tangible and attractive your recommendation will be to your listeners. If you can’t create a relevant and compelling what-if story, you should rethink or refine it before you launch it.

1. Start by creating a hero your audience can relate to

Every story needs a hero or heroine—a real person whose dilemma your listeners can identify with emotionally and want to see resolved. Arguably, this is the most important part of your story. If your listeners can’t emotionally invest in your hero’s quest, then your idea or recommendation is not relevant.

You must help listeners feel the hero’s dilemma and embrace it as their own.  This identification is what gives the story its emotional component, and makes it more memorable than bullet points on a slide.

Describe the hero enough so your listeners can form a picture of him or her: job title, length of time on the job and, most importantly, his or her needs and goals.

The hero can be a real person—disguised, if necessary—or a composite of several people. For a composite hero, you could use what you understand about your targeted group of customers or employees: who they are, what they want, and what their issues are.

2. Put the hero in the thick of things

Once you have created a hero, place that hero in the middle of the same problems and conflicts your listeners are facing.

Make sure you know what the real problems are.

For example, a manager hears that there is unrest amongst his staff and that they want a more flexible work environment to achieve a better work-life balance.   Determined to fix the problem, he decides to provide the employees more opportunity to work at home, up to three days a week. He shares his work-life balance plans in a what-if story with his team – passionately painting the struggle of commuting every day and the challenges of balancing the pressures of his professional and personal life.

He was stunned when none of the staff jumped at the opportunity.  They actually disagreed as they felt it was critical to their team to come in to the office and work together. After further discussion, he realized his team just wanted to be trusted with the flexibility to work from home when needed (i.e., to care for a sick child).

Know the problem.

3. Give your hero a brighter future

This part of the story has to be realistic and concrete. In this future, the hero is reaping the benefits of your proposed solution. Remember to focus on what is most important to your listeners. Otherwise, like the manager in the work-from-home example, you’ll be building the wrong brighter future.

A well told story can open your audience’s minds to thinking in new ways, and to connecting with your solution on an emotional level. Best of all, when listeners hear a good what-if story, they will make it their own, as people do, and share it with others. Your recommendation will soon begin to sell itself.