Alison Esse, Director and Co-founder. Our Story...

Alison Esse, Director and Co-founder

Our Story...

The Emotional Connection

The Emotional Connection

Why Storytelling?

“Scratch the surface in a boardroom and we’re all just cavemen with briefcases

hungry for a wise person to tell us stories.”

Alan Kay

5-10%Sole use of statistics in a presentation

25-30%Combine with some storytelling

65-70%Storytelling as stand-alone method

Stories ‘stick’

The London Business School

How do you kick-starta storytelling culture?

Two types of story:– Corporate / organisational– Illustrative• Personal• Pride• Re-framing• Connection• Metaphor• Envisioned

Top Tips:Setting The Scene• Create informal physical space for storytelling• Make time: New and existing meetings• Be a good story listener• Ask for stories of hope and frustration• Mix hierarchies and people to break patterns• Ask more, do less telling (collaboration)• Share in groups and then select best stories• Choose informal forums

Top Tips:What Makes a Good Story?• Keep it simple• Identify theme / priority to create relevance• ‘Think of a time when...’• Identify need to restore balance (desire/situation at hand)• Identify the protagonist• Identify the antagonist – what is stopping the protagonist?• Action taken to achieve this desire• Outcome and learnings

(N.B. Be authentic and flexible!)

Where it’s worked

“While the mind looks for proof, the heart looks for engagement.

While the mind looks for information, the heart looks for passion.

While the mind looks for answers, the heart looks for experience.

The mind makes a decision, but it is the heart that makes

a commitment.”

Terry Pearce

www.the-storytellers.com