From Aesop’s fables to Jesus’ parables, we’ve heard these types of stories our whole life. The fable is both powerful and easy to implement. Here’s why you should consider using them the next time you want to focus on a truth and reinforce the core values of your corporate culture. Fables and parables are fictional […]
Whether you’re Jewish, Christian or neither, you’ve probably heard the Biblical story of the shepherd boy destined to become a king. David was the shepherd boy who courageously accepted the fight-to-the-death challenge from the Philistine warrior Goliath, a man twice his size. It’s a classic tale of the underdog facing the champion. If you’ve heard […]
This comment seems to come up every time we discuss storytelling, “But I don’t have any stories!” I have but one response when I hear that comment (with both a smile and a wink.) “You’re wrong.” I’m usually not one to tell my students they’re flat out wrong, but this is one of those exceptions. If you think you […]
How to teach a lesson by offering two alternatives The new hire stood to be better heard, “If you were to give us any advice on how to be successful in our new sales role, what would you tell us?” The young woman had raised her hand on the first day of the sales new-hire […]
It was the start of the day and I had just asked my Storytelling class what they wanted to learn today. The Sr. Manager spoke up, “I want to learn how to get people to do something.” As a coach myself, I couldn’t help but respond with… “Can you tell me what you mean by […]
And When to use it… You’ve finally got the promotion you’ve been looking for at work. In this new position you will be leading a team of 12 people who have never met you before. Your manager suggests calling a team meeting where she will introduce you to your new team. “Then you can take […]
The audience was loud and boisterous as they funneled out of the convention center. Their final speaker for the day left them all inspired and chattering about possibilities. “We could start by talking to our customers and ask them!” Then someone else responded, “I think we should figure out how we could scale this beyond North […]
What is the most exciting part of any story? What’s the one thing that creates movement in a story? How do Hollywood directors like Spielberg and Howard make it impossible to look away? They do it by creating a sense of flow in the storyline. This sense of flow can be created with many techniques, […]
“Do you recommend starting with a statement or a story?” We had just introduced 4 different ways to grab your audience’s attention and one of my students wanted to know how best to select the right one for your audience. “How do I know which one will be best for my audience?” He was on the […]
Have you ever thought about leaving your current job? Have you ever switched jobs just to find out you’re back in the same situation again? There is always an inherent risk in making a job change. Will you be better off? Or, should you just stay where you are for now? Is there any way […]
