Organizational Narratives

Thirsty Fish is a company that works with other organizations on helping them find and tell their stories. Recently one of the partners was interviewed and this is part of what he had to say on the use of stories for your business

"Storytelling is an essential tool to activate and accelerate your efforts, whether they are related to fundraising, advocacy, or internal change. In the end, stories will allow you to succeed faster and in a manner that has people invested in a collective future...Storytelling is a leadership philosophy. Look at any organizational challenge through the lens of narrative; I guarantee you will discover new insights and solutions." - Michael Margolis, Thirst Fish.

He is absolutely correct with the power and uses of stories, to read the whole interview with Michael,http://hano-hawaii.org/calendar/2008-hano-conference/michael-margolis-interview/


www.carolmon.com

Sidney Poitier

This past weekend I was killing some time at my sister's and picked up "The Measure of a Man" by Sidney Poitier. In the introduction Mr. Poitier talks about some of the changes he has seen in his life spending about a page on the importance of story, family lore, folk lore. I wish I could give you the exact quotes here but my sister is not finished with her copy and I have not yet gotten a copy. I will eventually read the whole book and give you my impressions on his use of story. I'm looking forward to it since he understands the power and influence stories have on all of us human beings.

If you get a chance and read the book or at least look at his discussion on story be sure to post something here.

What is Story

Today I was reading a copy of "Fast Company". The article was talking about all the videos on the web and what it takes to have a video. According to the article if you have a story you have a video. We all have stories so I guess we all can have videos.

It made me think though what is a story? A broad definition of story would include videos, movies, music, books, poetry etc. Anecdotes, while not always full blown stories, should be included on this list too. It is this type of story that is most often used in business. Learning from someone else's successes or failures, and seeing your own struggles in others is the essence of the power of story.

Not all storytellers will agree with my definition of story but I think they will all agree with the power behind the tales. Stories make our messages memorable no matter what the format so be sure to incorporate story in your communications.

www.carolmon.com

Story at Work Conference Notes

Two weeks ago the Story at Work Conference was held in DC. From the reviews I've received it seems to have been another great success. To help all those who could not attend this year (me included) they have sent a link to some of the sessions that were recorded. Check it out, I plan to listen in.

Here is the link: http://www.storyatwork.com/.

As always you can reach me at
www.carolmon.com

Many Uses for one Story

This week I was working with a client on her story. She ran through the story and it sounded stilted and quite frankly a bit "bookish". At one point I asked her how she knew something was true, did she have research to back up her claim. "No", she said, "I lived it, that really happened to me"! Viola, I realized what the problem was, she was trying to make an emotional appeal to persuade and was not using her own emotions. With a few quick changes I had her tell me HER story soon I was listening to a friend tell me about a problem and how I could help to solve the problem and avoid it in the future. It was no longer a dry sales pitch.

When we finished that story we moved on to her second one. I convinced her instead of trying to create a whole new story she could use the same story and just emphasize different points. For instance the first version was to be used to sell programs to colleges. The second story was to be used to enlist the help of companies. By simply showing the pain (different pains) that was being solved for both by her programs she could practice and polish one story for both presentations.

Think about that next time you need to pitch an idea to different audiences. Use the same story and emphasize different points to solve the pain of your client.

Any questions let me know, www.carolmon.com

Anansi Boys

I've said it before, we all tell stories, but what we need to realize is that not everyone tells them well. There are lots of ways to learn to craft and tell a better story. One such way is by reading fiction.



An interesting, although a bit unrealisitc, is the book "Anansi Boys" by Neil Gaiman. Anansi is a trickster spider from Africa that shows up in many African folk tales. There are many websites that describe who Anansi is; some even have the text of stories for your reading pleasure.



Currently I am listening to the CD of "Anansi Boys" (the actor reading is great), it is fun, light. What is especially intriguing are the references to Anansi and the inclusion of several of the African tales. So far we've met two brothers, one's name is Spider and is summoned by Fat Charlie (the other brother) by simply asking a spider, any spider, to speak with his brother. I can't wait to see/hear what the author does with this slightly magical twist



Listening, reading, telling, all good ways to learn the rhythm and techniques to convey your message wrapped in a story. The great part is you can enjoy the tale and by repetition begin to understand the mechanics of constructing a powerful narrative of your own to make your message memorable.



Corporate Storyteller, Carol Mon

www.carolmon.com

Never Eat Alone

Yesterday I was reading Keith Ferrazzi's book "Never Eat Alone" which is about the importance of networking. There are lots of tips on building a network and using it to help yourself and more importantly help others. Keith is a man who understands the importance of storytelling to communications.

Periodically throughout the book Keith identifies people who are super connectors, they seem to know everyone. On page 220 he adds the Dalai Lama profile into the Connectors' Hall of Fame. A couple quotes that point to the power of story,

"The answer: Powerful content communicated in a compelling story can energize your network to help achieve your mission."
"The Dalai Lama doesn't have a single degree. He does, however, deliver a simple but profound message of world peace and compassion packaged incolorful stories and anecdotes - a message that earned him the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989."
"The most gripping stories are those concerning identity - who we are, where we've come from, and where we are going."

Ferrazzi is not a storyteller per se but he definitely grasps the power of story and uses anecdotes generously throughout the book. Not just a master networker but a master storyteller/communicator too.

If you do any networking to increase business I strongly suggest you read this book.

Golden Fleece Conference

This weekend there is a conference in DC for people who use or want to use more stories in their business communications. The organization sponsoring it is Storyatwork.com. Check out their site and they have a lot of ideas.



We all tell stories every day, learning to tell great stories takes some time. We all can learn, you just have to spend a little time and practice. Constructing stories also is something we do from an early age, learning to construct powerful stories also takes some practice. Learn to harness the power of story and your communication and persuassion abilities will soar.



Attending conferences on story use is one way to learn but practicing on your own or with a coach are also ways to speed the learning process.



Good luck with your tales.

Happy Cinco de Mayo

As I sit here and keep hearing celebrations taking place for Cinco de Mayo it reminds me how holidays can make great story lead ins for ice breaking. Whether you find yourself at a cocktail party, networking event or just needing to make small talk little known holidays can be just the ticket. There are several sites and even books that list days of celebrations and some stories behind them. Think about ways that you can share this information with people you are just meeting or are looking to get to know better. If you have a personal story tied to the day even better. Image the stories Caesar tells (where ever he happens to be) every March 15th!

So, do you celebrate Cinco de Mayo? Are you wondering why we Americans make such a big deal about the Mexican Independence day? There is a story there, find it or create your own version and share it with others.

Adios.

27th Annual Festival Wrap Up

Well, it always takes me awhile to process the whole weekend of stories but I think I have finally done that. Last weekend was the 27th Annual Connecticut Storytelling Festival. It started as just a one day event of stories and has grown to be 3 days and inlcudes workshops as well as stories.

Saturday morning was a wonderful mix of tales and music. I can't say that I enjoyed all the performances but that is the beauty of the event, wait 10 minutes and the teller changes. Margaret Read MacDonald had one of the most popular workshops, teaching beginning storytelling. Another great "workshop" was the performances of Ann Izard award winning books. The room was overflowing and everyone got what they came for.

Saturday night was a relaxing concert with three masterful tellers. Okay, two masterful ones, I was a bit disappointed in the the third but that is bound to happen from time to time, you can't love everyone.

Next year the festival is the last weekend in April. Jay O'Callahan will be the headliner so mark your calendars and if you're in Connecticut plan on stopping by.