What’s Your Story?

Defining and Communicatingyour unique tale

for greater influence and reach

Suzanne E. Henry May 2011

Once Upon A Time

Have you ever grown tired of hearing, Let me tell you a story?

A Long History

Modern storytellers are the descendants

of an immense and ancient community of

holy people, troubadours, bards, griots, cantadoras, cantors, traveling poets,

bums, hags and crazy people. ~ Clarissa Pinkola Estes

Why Use Storytelling?

Narratives:

• Get Attention• Are Remembered• Shape Beliefs• Change Minds

EFFECTIVE

Information when delivered in the form of a story

transfers itfrom short term memory

to long term memory

Especially when it evokes the most powerful emotions (love/affinity, fear, sadness, happiness)

Common Worries

• If I talk about myself, I’ll be labeled a narcissist or worse, a marketer

• I will sound too emotional or unprofessional• I can’t get my story into 5 sentences!• My story’s not that great• My story won’t sell

He/She who tells the best story wins

What is Organizational Storytelling?

• Not messaging• Not discourse• Not debate• Not exposition

Narrative that evokes emotion, connection, understanding and action

The Best Organizational Narratives

Take You on a Journey of Change

• Origin• Contain players:

hero, victim, villain• Contain a turning

point and resolution

• Make a human connection

• Uncommon self-expression

• Authenticity• Express a universal

truth• Give context to

complexities• Show a possibility

What is Your Story?

Two Stages

Define/discover

Deliver

Define/Discover

• Who are you?• What is it you are trying to accomplish?• What prayer do you answer?• What happened that launched you?• What dragons or villains have you slain?• What have you learned?• How was (or is) your issue being resolved?

Know Your Audience

What makes your audience act?

• Information: They are moved by data? Do they just not know?

• Insight: Are they just looking for what to do?

• Imagination: Are they seeking to make something new happen?

• Illumination: Are they seeking to be changed at a deep level?

From Transformational Speaking by Gail Larsen

The 5 Stages of a Hero’s Journey(Joseph Campbell)

• The “call”• Venturing into the unknown• The challenge• “Slaying the Dragon”• Homecoming/sharing the discovery & lessons

Delivering

• Identify your voice• Choose your language• Identify anecdotes and illustrations• Format • Choose channels

Your Voice

• What is the tone or voice of your organization?

• Who should give voice to your narrative?• Who else can tell your story in your voice?

Your Language

• Power words• Words to avoid• Positive vs. negative• Humor vs. straight

Anecdotes/Illustrations

• What has happened? (resolutions/events)• What could have happened? (narrow miss)• What will happen? (Armageddon)• What did you make happen? (hero)

Format

Engage their senses! Engage their emotions!

• Video• Audio• Illustrations/pictures• Narrative

Choose Channels

• Media• Blogging/social media• Advertising • Events • Web site • Speaking• Direct mail

From Story to Storyteller

Story library• Origin story – Why are you here, what happened?• Signature story – What is one anecdote that illustrates your

mission?• The participant story (i.e. donor) – What is the future we

can co-create? What is/was the call to action?

Signature statement

Exercise

• How did you start (origin)?• What was a signature moment?• Who has worked with you?

What is your key point from the above?

Why was Solomon recognized as the wisest man in the world? Because he knew more stories (proverbs) than anyone else.

Scratch the surface in a typical boardroom and we're all just cavemen with briefcases, hungry for a wise person to tell us stories.

~Alan Kay, Vice President Walt Disney

Additional Resources• Books:

– Story by Robert McKee– Transformational Speaking by Gail Larsen– The Leader’s Guide to Storytelling by Stephen Denning

• Blogs– http://tinyurl.com/FourLeafBlog– http://www.ishmaelscorner.com/

• LinkedIn Groups;– Organizational Storytelling - http://tinyurl.com/craftingyourstory– Storytelling for Business - http://tinyurl.com/storytellingforbusiness

Tell Me a Story!

Suzanne E. HenryFour Leaf Public Relations LLC+1 434-972-7278 - officewww.FourLeafPR.com

Twitter: @SuzanneHenryFacebook: www.Facebook.com/FourLeafPRLinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/suzannehenryBusiness Storytelling Blog: http://tinyurl.com/FourLeafBlog