Storytelling.A workshop

HR-netwerk 6/6 2014

Anna Smedeby & Yves CaelenEuropean School of Administration

"We are such stuffAs dreams are made on"

The Tempest, Shakespeare

Why stories work: The Heineken Factor

Stories are not intrinsically "good".

Who are you?

• What exactly do you want to convey about yourself?

• Think about a story which illustrates your message: a turning point in your life, a success, a failure…

• Tell your story!– Keep it short (2 min)– Keep it simple– Stick to your theme– Make the message clear AND BELIEVE IN IT

Organisational storytelling

The climate and culture of an organisation is intimately linked to stories.•About the founder(s)…•About what was better before or elsewhere…•What happens when someone breaks the rules? Is the boss a human being? Will the company take care of me later? Will I be fired? Will I be promoted? Will I have space for discovery and innovation?Stories will circulate whether you like it or not.

What stories are told in your organisation?

• Does the climate in your organisation encourage or discourage change? What is your feeling?

• Can you identify the stories told in your organisation which prevent from or encourage change?

Every story has a wolf.

Change is never comfortable.

Sometimes, change is very uncomfortable.

The change

First, identify your wolf.•Why is the change needed?•Why is the change a problem?•For whom is it a problem?•What will happen if I do nothing?•What can I do?

Who is really afraid of the big bad wolf?

The Springboard Story• What is your change idea?• Who is your audience?• What action do you want your audience to take?• Think of an incident where the change idea has been successfully

implemented, at least in part.• In that incident, can you find a single individual who is similar to your

audience and could be the protagonist of your story?• Does the story have an authentically positive ending for the

protagonist?• Will the audience see it as an authentically positive ending for them?• Does the story fully embody the change idea?

From Stephen Denning: The Leader's Guide to Storytelling

Be vulnerable, commit to your story, be passionate!

Loaves and Fishes

This is notthe age of information.

This is notthe age of information.

Forget the news,and the radio,and the blurred screen.

This is the timeof loaves and fishes.

People are hungryand one good word is breadfor a thousand.

-- David Whytefrom The House of Belonging ©1996 Many Rivers Press

Resources• Nancy Duarte: Resonate

http://www.duarte.com/

• Robert McKee: http://hbr.org/web/special-collections/insight/communication/storytelling-that-moves-people

• Stephen Denning: The Leader's Guide to Storytelling http://www.stevedenning.com

• Annette Simmons: The Story Factorhttp://www.annettesimmons.com

• http://themoth.org/