A story provides context; it transports the listener to a different place. Instead of discussing the facts about a topic, a story can transport a learner into an environment where those facts are actually being applied. Stories give meaning and context to what otherwise might just be information.
Whether you are an entreprenuer, business owner, or senior executive, you are constantly educating your clients/customers and staff.
Almost every single business I work with we end up working on using stories to educate staff about best practices and change, and/or using stories to educate consumers/clients on how to best use their products or services. This is always the crux of the matter -- the whole reason for our working together.
CEO should stand for 'Chief Educating Officer.'
If we use the lense of 'education' and 'learning' to view our business activities, the case for storytelling becomes obvious -- because using stories to transfer knowledge and wisdom is the best tool avaible.
I like this article because it helps connect the dots between learning and storytelling in ways that allow us to take business stories out of the training room. Especially when the author makes the point that "There are lots of ways to incorporate storytelling into learning, and it’s not always ‘telling a story’. Many times, the stories we need for those activities are available from the learners [customers, clients, staff] themselves."
When we shift our thinking about our businss function being one of education and learning, you open up a world of possibilities for biz storytelling.
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