“Your life choices aren’t just about what you want to do; they’re about who you want to be.”
Stories are Informative
After graduate school, I spent nearly two decades in brand management listening to consumer stories about bad breath, home aquariums, hairy legs, acid reflux, candy, & lab testing. Oh— did I mention pole dancing?
Retail customers alerted me to the importance of shelf space, packaging materials, pricing & merchandising. The insights from their stories and examples informed business decisions.
Stories are Accessible
The power of story was once again evident after learning that a start-up client did not have a record of the founders’ stories. I drew upon best practices from oral historians in order to properly capture the narratives of their first 10 employees. The content was used to connect the brand to employees, clients and investors in a more meaningful way.
Stories are Moving
I’ve long been a fan of The Moth open mic storytelling competitions as well as StoryCorp conversations that are recorded and archived at the Library of Congress. Personal stories always make me think, feel or act differently.
Stories are Emotive
The greatest business leaders I’ve worked with do not hesitate to reveal a little bit of themselves when communicating with colleagues, customers, or investors. And yet, so many executives remain close to the vest, attached at the hip to their PowerPoint slides, fond of repeating lines from their last speech. They are missing the opportunity to make a human connection and tap into emotion.
Stories are Transforming
A colleague who knew of my interest in all things “story” introduced me to Melbourne-based Gabrielle Dolan, a thought leader on business storytelling and authentic leadership. Gabrielle has published 7 books and we’ve now trained thousands at organizations from VISA, EY, Glaxo, Wall Street Journal, Amazon, lululemon, NASA and the Obama Foundation.
After witnessing this superpower, known as GENIUS Business Storytelling, transform business communicators from Reporters to Influencers, I decided to expand my efforts in this direction. I am one of two global partners trained in Gabrielle’s methodology. We’re on a mission to create more engaging and influential leaders. That includes reducing the use of jargon and acronyms. Join us.
