Storytelling As a Leadership Tool

by Cindy Ventrice

As a speaker and trainer, no one has ever come up to me and said that they remember me telling them about the ABC's of Avoiding Burnout, or The Ten Steps to Effective Project Management, but many people have remembered both my story of The Two Shoes, and the point I was trying to make with the story.

It's not that the "The ABC's" and "Ten Steps" aren't instructive and helpful; they are. But stories are memorable. Speakers quickly learn the strength of the story, because a story can powerfully illustrate a point, and both the story and the point will be remembered for a long time.

When you were a kid, did your parents read you the spec sheet on Goldilocks and the Three Bears? Did they prepare a graph?

Of course not! They told you a story filled with action, suspense, descriptions and dialog. You could almost see yourself rocking in Mama Bear's chair. And, most likely, you still remember the story.

Leaders can use stories to make goals and values more memorable. They can use stories gleaned from their personal lives and the lives of the people they lead, to embody the spirit of their vision. Anita Ward, VP of Cambridge Technology Partners, uses these stories to help facilitate change within an organization. She gathers "Campfire Stories" from throughout an organization and then retells the stories through meetings, company newsletters, their Intranet, and even email.

Storytelling taps into us at an emotional level. We believe what we hear in the form of a story.  A University of California, Berkeley study asked MBA candidates to judge whether or not a company truly has a practice and policy of avoiding layoffs. Group one was told a story about how the company had responded during the last recession. Group two was given statistical data showing that the company had significantly less involuntary turnover than their competitors. Group three was read a policy statement by the top executive.

The study found that the MBA candidates, people who were being trained to trust numbers and solid data, believed the story over the statistics or policy statement. Data is important, as a decision-making tool, but when it is time to convince people to follow... use stories.

© Copyright Cindy Ventrice, 1999

Cindy Ventrice of Potential Unlimited Seminars has been a consultant/trainer since 1984. Cindy helps companies who want to build business relationships by improving communications.

She can be reached at 831-476-4224, or
email: CVentrice@potential-unltd.com

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