Everyone has a story to tell. Some people are better than others at telling the story. But anyone can inspire, motivate, and persuade if they learn three simple techniques. I learned these techniques as a financial journalist for CNN. Each day I interviewed CEOs, leaders and money experts. Most were dull, boring and convoluted. But some were so captivating our producers would invite them back time and time again.

When I left television journalism to start my own business, The Gallo Communications Group, I applied journalistic principles to corporate storytelling. I discovered that the techniques were equally effective in preparing spokespeople for media interviews (media-training), creating messages, or crafting and delivering PowerPoint presentations.

Step One: Find Your Passion. Passion is everything. You cannot inspire anyone unless you’re inspired yourself. It’s important to discover your passion and to share that passion in all of your professional communications. Most spokespeople neglect this crucial step but it makes all the difference. For example, when I interviewed Starbucks founder Howard Schultz he used the word ‘passion’ in nearly every sentence. But I soon discovered that he wasn’t passionate about coffee, the product he sells. He was passionate about treating employees with dignity and respect. Happy employees would deliver better customer service and better customer service would attract customers. Schultz described it this way—coffee is what we sell as a product but it’s not what Starbucks stands for.

One way to discover your passion is to ask yourself, “What does my company [brand, product, service] stand for? Remember, it might not be the obvious. Dig deep to identify what you are truly passionate about and once you do, share that message with your employees and your stakeholders.

Step Two: Create a Twitter-Friendly Headline. Check out the articles on The Huffington Post or USA Today. Popular blogs and newspapers write catchy headlines that grab your attention. More interestingly, the catchiest headlines can fit easily within a Twitter post of 140 characters. Now apply the same philosophy to your product or service. Why not create a headline to describe it? You should because the human brain craves meaning before details.

John Medina is a research scientist at the University of Washington. He wrote a wonderful book called Brain Rules. He once told me that the human brain needs to see the big picture before details. “When primitive man ran into a saber-toothed tiger, he did not ask ‘how many teeth does the tiger have? Instead he asked, ‘will it eat me?’” Big picture before details.

Now think about Steve Jobs introduced the first MacBook Air in 2008. “In a sentence, it’s the world’s thinnest notebook.” The world’s thinnest notebook. If that’s all you know about the computer, it tells you a lot. It’s also just 31 characters. The four-word description of the MacBook Air was consistently communicated by Steve Jobs in his presentation, in the press release, on the Apple Web site, and in all in-store marketing material. If you can’t describe your product or service in 140 characters or less, go back to the drawing board.

Step Three: Follow the Rule of Three. The human brain can only consume about three or four chunks of information in short term memory. Since that’s the case why try to cram twenty points in your five-minute interview? It doesn’t make sense. You’re simply overloading your listener. Great writers understand and follow this principle. The Declaration of Independence guarantees us the right to three things—life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Goldilocks only saw three bears, not four. The same approach applies to effective corporate messaging. What’s the iPad 2? It’s three things—“thinner, lighter, and faster” than the original. Stick to the rule of three. It works for great writers. It will work for you.

Do not underestimate the power of story told simply. These three techniques will help you craft and deliver a corporate message that educates, informs, and inspires your audience.

By Carmine Gallo, President, Gallo Communications Group

Carmine Gallo will be speaking at the Churchill Club’s ‘Say Something That Matters’ program on January 18, 2012. Gallo is the communications coach for the world’s most admired brands. He is a keynote speaker, bestselling author, and columnist. His company, Gallo Communications Group, is based in Pleasanton, California. He can be reached at www.carminegallo.com