Why leaders should use real-life experiences not fables
When we started Anecdote back in 2004 we mainly did culture change projects where we collected stories in an organisation then took people from the company through a facilitated process to help them see the patterns embedded in the anecdotes. Our work was based on the idea that an organisation’s culture is reflected in the […]
Read MoreAn indicator of group fear in organisations
Over the years I’ve shown a clever little animation in our workshops to illustrate our propensity to tell ourselves stories when things are ambiguous and unclear. It’s how we make sense of the world. But in running this video, perhaps hundreds of times, I think I’ve discovered another interesting use for it. It seems to give […]
Read MoreWhy effective leaders are good storytellers
When I run our storytelling for leaders program I like to point out that effective leaders are good storytellers. I say “good” because a leader merely has to share a story or two to set them apart from the rest because most leaders communicate entirely with opinion and lofty abstractions–yawn. A leaders’ message really sticks […]
Read MoreHow to spot a story – a simple story framework: Infographic
With so much talk about business storytelling you’d think business people were telling more stories. Sadly we see lots of people talking about stories but very few telling them. And quite frankly, you just don’t get the benefits of storytelling unless you are telling a story. Part of the problem is that business people lack […]
Read MoreSpanish Storytelling for Leaders
Early this year we appointed two business partners in Mexico, one in Mexico City (Jesus Trejo) and the other in Monterrey (Astrolab). Of course this meant translating our Storytelling for Leaders materials into Spanish. We engaged a professional translator in Mexico City who did a wonderful job understanding the nuances of our work and making the […]
Read MoreExpanding our Storytelling for Leaders partner network
Last weekend I was in Copenhagen as part of the Persona Global annual conference. Much of the weekend was spent certifying six new Partners to deliver our Storytelling for Leaders™ program. We managed to work our way through a packed schedule and had a great time doing so. The expanding Storytelling for Leaders partner network […]
Read MoreBusiness storytelling is not about heroes
Luke Skywalker tills land at a farm on Tattoine but dreams of joining the Imperial Academy as a pilot. Then he meets his future mentor Obi-Wan Kenobi, his aunt and uncle are killed by stormtroopers, and he finds himself on a journey to become a Jedi knight and foil the Empire’s new superweapon … The […]
Read MoreAn amazing experience and why customer service is really everybody’s job
My wife, Kate, and I decided to take a long weekend this recent US Labor Day holiday and explore New England a bit. The Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art in Hartford, CT has been on our “must-see” list for a while, so that was our first stop. It’s the oldest art museum in the USA […]
Read More4 business women show their business storytelling skills
Last year I wrote a post called 9 Video Clips of Business Leaders Sharing Business Stories and it was brought to my attention that 8 of the 9 examples were men. Can we have more examples of business women showing their business storytelling skills? So we hit Youtube and have these examples for you. Please let us know […]
Read MoreThe best way to improve your storytelling is with feedback
Last week we had a fun online event with our business partners. Using Soundcloud a bunch of us recorded a story or two and shared it with the group. Then we gave each other feedback on our stories. We used the hashtag #storytelling4leaders in case you’re interested in listening to some of the tales. Here’s one […]
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