10 October 2008
Communicators become storytellers for the day
Skills course aims to build confidence in a non-traditional engagement tool.
Once upon a time in a place called Broadway House, 10 communicators got together to learn more about storytelling. But as session leader and principal of consultancy Narrate, Tony Quinlan (pictured below) said, "If you think you’re going to have a cosy day making up fairy stories, think again."
Held last week, the storytelling workshop, one of several skills courses that Melcrum offers, provides delegates with a better understanding of how the storytelling technique can improve employee engagement.
Quinlan's aim was to offer a framework and instructions on how to implement this tool quickly and confidently, especially during a change program or troubled periods.
Why storytelling?
Although it's becoming more popular in corporate circles, there’s still an element of confusion as to how storytelling can benefit employees.
"We're built on an oral history, where stories were spoken long before they were written down and in this respect, we're just going back to our roots," said Quinlan. "People are natural storytellers – it's one of the things that makes us human".
People are natural storytellers – it's one of the things that makes us human.
One of the group exercises during the course clearly demonstrated this. Asked to work in pairs, each person had to talk to the other for 2 minutes about the shoes they were wearing.
"This wasn't just a straightforward physical description of the shoes," said Quinlan, "I heard stories going far beyond that."
Putting theory into practice
As well as offering an insight into the theory behind the technique, Quinlan gave the group 2 main techniques to implement:
- Creating narratives.
- Anecdotal circles.
Creating a narrative can be a useful way of identifying a problem by depersonalizing it. For example, if an organization is about to start a big change initiative, employee concerns can be brought to light by creating a narrative. Employees can be encouraged to let metaphors represent the situation and their colleagues.
Through the narrative of the story they can discuss what outcomes they'd like to see and what obstacles they can anticipate getting in the way of success. The results can be illuminating. "Because it's a metaphor, people don't take it directly," says Quinlan. "Rather than talking about a situation with logic and data, we can use narrative."
Because it's a metaphor, people don't take it directly.
Film sessions for knowledge sharing
Anecdotal circles are another useful technique for team building and to increase engagement levels. Working in small, facilitated groups, members were asked questions about their communication experiences.
For example, when did you last see a message getting through? When was the last time you saw a great piece of communication? Give me an example of fantastic leadership.
At the end of this 45-minute session, lots of different stories had been collected. "If you film a session like this," said Quinlan, "it can be a really useful induction tool for new senior recruits. It's a great way of getting people talking and connecting."
Have your say
Have you used storytelling successfully in your organization? What were the challenges and highlights? What advice would you give to other communicators who may be considering using this technique for the first time?
Recommended resources:
Melcrum skills training: Calendar of events
How to get the most out of storytelling
PODCAST: Understanding storytelling in a business communication context
Storytelling and engagement key themes of Sydney event
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