Just Story It

This post is a related topic to storytelling -- it's an article that helps inform us about the need for storytelling and when working with stories needs to start in our careers.

The author, Henry Doss, makes the point that reflection is an essential leadership skill. Reflection is also an essential ability for crafting and telling compelling stories. Reflection allows the multiple meanings of the story to emerge. Reflection allows the key message to be known. Reflection allows the story to shift and change over time.Doss says that the ability to reflect can start early on -- in freshmen writing classes.

That's why he says Innovation Leadership starts with words, because for students this is "their first exposure to personal growth that is essential to leadership." Storytelling and writing skills are more than just language skills. They are a place of inquiry, as Doss says.

There are other points Doss makes in this article and it is worth the read -- especially for anyone in leadership or anyone in education.

This review was written by Karen Dietz for her curated content on business storytelling at www.scoop.it/t/just-story-it

Storytelling colleague Limor Shiponi from Isreal has done it again -- shared a slice of real life experience working with stories within a company.

This is a short story with lots to think about -- namely how working with stories in organizations opens up meaningful conversations. And usually what is shared would have remained hidden or unsaid.

And the other piece to think about in this story is how leadership can change and grow just by opening the door to storytelling. In this case, working on a company blog.

And then the last place to reflect on with this article is the role of the story practitioner. As you read Limor's story, what qualities and skills were present that created a positive outcome? 

And then of course, the story itself proves how such a short piece can pack such a rich punch.

If anyone is interested in digging into narrative practice, experiencing how complexity can be unwound with short but rich stories, and how all of this impacts both business and leadership, then click through the link at the end of the article to the Storyevolution conference coming up in May in Washington DC. Limor will be facilitating.

This review was written by Karen Dietz for her curated content on business storytelilng at www.scoop.it/t/just-story-it 

I've started watching this 1:38:55 hour video by JD Schramm at Stanford University's business school on concise storytelling and I already know I'm going to love it.

Schramm does a marvelous job teaching storytelling and you can find his first video "How To Tell Your Story For Impact" (it is just as long but excellent) in this curation. Here's the link: http://www.gsb.stanford.edu/news/headlines/schramm_impact_2011.html 

Now he is tackling how to make business storytelling short, sweet, and to the point. It's geared towards leaders but anyone will benefit from watching this. Apply these lessons to marketing, branding, content creation, and sales, too.

So sit back and enjoy. I know it is going to be well worth it. If I find it isn't, I'll come back and rewrite this review!

This review was written by Karen Dietz for her curated content on business storytelling atwww.scoop.it/t/just-story-it

Bill Harley is one of my storytelling heros. A professional storyteller, Bill is extremely eloquent and inspiring as he talks about the power of  telling a story live, in person.

Even my software engineering husband Tim stopped his work to listen to Bill's video as I was reviewing it.

So what has this got to do with business? It's simple:

1. Everytime Bill says "teacher" substitute "leader."
2. Everytime Bill talks about telling stories to audiences of students, think about your last presentation and the folks who remained silent and looking like they could care less.
3. Everytime Bill talks about in-person storytelling think about what you are doing technology wise with your biz stories.

Bill explains to us what is really going on.

I can't tell you how many times when I work with leaders, they just want to get a story down so they can video tape it.  Wrong move!!! And again, Bill tells us why. Technology has a place, and Bill helps us keep it all in perspective.

Thank you Bill for this terrific 13 minutes! I'm going to use this in my MBA classes and my work with leaders. Woo hoo!

This review was written by Karen Dietz for her curated content on business storytelling at www.scoop.it/t/just-story-it

I am seeing more and more articles on why paying attention to human emotions in business is becoming more and more critical.

And of course, for biz stories to work, emotions must be conveyed in order to connect emotionally to your listeners.

In this article, Ed Boyle from Gallup shares why classical economic theory does not work well today, and why pay attention to human emotions does. As he says, "O'Boyle: As technology and other avenues for connecting with customers continue to evolve, we believe that a person serving another person is still the biggest area of untapped potential for all companies. It's a concept we call HumanSigma, which emphasizes the importance of the employee-customer encounter."

Ah ha! This just goes to prove my point that the highest leverage point in biz storytelling is face-to-face interactions where stories are shared orally -- and coming from a place of service. But of course, it goes way beyond the employee-customer encounter. It is also part of leadership and marketing.

And it is also not just about broadcasting a message -- it's about reciprical storytelling.

Enjoy this unique perspective on emotions and business economics. 

This review was written by Karen Dietz for her curated content on business storytelling at www.scoop.it/t/just-story-it 

There's a flip side to business storytelling for those who want to go there: every time you tell a story, you get to find out a little more about yourself.

What??!! you say. Yep -- sharing your stories (at the entprise or entrepreneural level) not only has an impact on your audiences, it can also impact you if you let it. 

Each time we tell a story, we share it in a slightly different way, depending on the context and our audience. If we are open and paying attention, little shifts in meaning can occur.

Maybe you've been telling a particular story for awhile and you tell it a bit differently one time. Maybe a new piece of information came through, or a new memory, or a new message. You might have walked away from that experience saying, "Oh, now I know more about what that story is really all about!"

This article, written by Kare Anderson for Forbes focuses on just this topic. But from a completely different angle! She shares an amazing story about story and personal change and new meanings. It is worth reading. And it is inspirational too!

She provides 3 steps also to get us started. Enjoy thinking about your stories in this way -- not only about the lesson to share, but maybe there are hidden meanings for you waiting to be discovered!

This review was written by Karen Dietz for her curated content on business storytelling atwww.scoop.it/t/just-story-it

While this article focuses on reading, think of all the biz stories you tell in your content creation across platforms -- blogs, websites, emails, articles, presentations, videos, digital stories, and the like. 

The results will be the same. And the research holds true for sharing stories in person, too.

It is fascinating that the more a listener is engage in a story, the more empathy grows over time. People become more empathetic through storytelling.

What's the take-away here for businesses? If you want emotional engagement and people feeling empathy towards you and your company, share stories.

But not any old story. Share stories with characters they can relate to. If they can't relate, no engagement, no empathy. And it must be told in a way that people can connect to. In other words, deliver a story badly and you won't get the engagement, empathy, or result you are seeking.

Leaders need to know this when sharing stories about values, vision, change efforts, etc. Marketers need to know this for brand loyalty. Small businesses and entrepreneurs need to know this for relationship sales.

This is a very short article with powerful points. Even better, there's a link to the original research so you can really get all the insights.

This review was written by Karen Dietz for her curated content on business storytelling at www.scoop.it/t/just-story-it

Storytelling is never mentioned in this article, but it is all about storytelling in business.

I so appreciate the author's point that being perfect -- giving that perfect presentation; telling that story absolutely perfectly -- has changed. Being a recovering perfectionist, I say "Thank heavens!"

For years as I've worked with leaders I have practically abandoned the perfect polished story, realizing that authenticity and realism will go much farther.

So you flub up a bit in telling a story. Your audience will appreciate your humanism.

As the author Rohit Bhargava says, just be yourself. You will have more fun and make a bigger impact.

There are lots of good insights and take-aways from this article so go take the time to read it. It's short and a nice emotional boost. Enjoy!

This review was written by Karen Dietz for her curated content on business storytelling atwww.scoop.it/t/just-story-it

What a great article about influencing, moving people to action, and sales.

Biz storytelling is all about that. Yet there's ambivalence around it too. Who wants to be a snarky salesman?!

Enter Dan Pink, one of my favorite authors, and his new book To Sell is Human. The author of this article, Heidi Grant Holvorson, reviews Pink's book and makes fabulous points on her own.

As Halvorson points out, Pink says that moving people (selling, persuading, influencing) is an essential component of nearly everyone's job in the modern workplace.

Doing so well and effectively without being a slime ball means making sure the ideas and products with genuine merit do the moving.

This helps avoid the traps of manipulation and intimidation. 

I really like Halvorson's insights, her willingness to tackle the stereotypes of sales, and bring us Pink's latest work.

I've commented before on transactional storytelling (using stories for sales) -- not because I think it is bad, but because I don't want us to lose sight that there is much more to business storytelling than at the level of mere transaction.

Pink, I think, helps us frame influence and moving people to action as we tell our stories in sales/influence/persuasion functions (these are not synonymous terms, BTW) -- in a way that really works. Now I certainly want to get his book to add to the others of his in my library.

Anyway, thought you should see this article. Lots of good material here (and it is not long). I hope you gain more comfort with sales and storytelling, and be able to conduct your influence/sales work in your business or organization with more confidence.

This review was written by Karen Dietz for her curated content on business storytelling atwww.scoop.it/t/just-story-it

Now here is a thought-provoking piece on how the language we use to describe our story activities can either constrain us or set us free.

I swear there are days when I experience being in a story war just like Jonah Sachs (Winning the Story Wars) says -- particularly when it comes to politics.

But that metaphor need not apply all the time and this article by Douglas Van Praet is a good counterbalance.

For Van Praet, using the language of war closes down our creativity. Makes sense. In response he has developed a 7-step process on how to inspire change that directly relates to organizational story work. And marketing. And branding. And leadership.

So go read the article and let your creativity flourish!

This review was written by Karen Dietz for her curated content on business storytelling at www.scoop.it/t/just-story-it