emotionally on some level. They have to want to be part of the res-olution
to the problem – that’s why storytelling is so powerful.”
At Corus, the company uses stories in other ways, too, to help
reinforce the actions they’d like to see more of. “We use storytell-ing
as a layer on some of our more traditional programs,” said
Fullerton. “We have an awards program and in many ways it looks
traditional, but what we’re really doing is using it as an opportu-nity
to tell stories and share profiles of past winners.” She said, “So
we’re sharing photos of staff members and detailing some of the
great things they’ve done to reinforce the values we’re try to cele-brate,
as well as telling a story of what good looks like.”
BACK TO BASICS AND A SHIFT TO THE
SOFTER SIDE
Even if someone is on board with the idea of storytelling, it doesn’t
mean they’ll be a natural. It’s just not in everyone’s DNA. This is
where HR can step in – with in-house coaching or hiring external
expertise for group or one-on-one sessions.
“I think we do need to help people with this idea,” said
Fullerton. “Somewhere along the way, people started to think of
business communication as something different; we tend to com-municate
so formally, so text driven, so impersonally.” She said, “At
some point we decided that was good and it isn’t. We have to teach
people how to tell stories simply, how to communicate more gen-uinely.”
She adds that connecting with people is the whole point.
“It’s not about how much information you can give someone, it’s
cover feature
what did you make them feel, how did it land, what’s the impact
and what’s the outcome?”
Nossel adds people often feel pressured to find efficiencies and
take shortcuts in their communication. “But the truth is, if you
take a short cut or you speak in too much jargon, nobody is listen-ing
anyway.” He said, “It’s better to take the time to really prepare a
story that you’re going to tell well.”
If it seems like everyone in the business world is talking about
storytelling these days, it might be an indicator of a broader trend.
“Typically, emotion has been taboo in the workplace,” said Nossel.
“This comes from an antiquated idea of work based on the con-veyor
belt mentality where you can’t have people ‘breaking down.’ ”
He said, “But now that we live in an information age where so
much innovation and creativity is involved, that emotional aspect
has become part and parcel of our intelligence; hence the recogni-tion
of emotional intelligence.”
LISTENING: THE OTHER SIDE OF THE
STORYTELLING COIN
Most of us have experienced or witnessed an email or even a
verbal exchange where two parties are at odds with each other,
neither taking time to listen or understand the other’s point of
view. Nossel’s company, Narativ, trains clients not only on how to
deliver great stories, but also how to actively listen. “Storytelling
doesn’t exist in a vacuum; it exists in relationship to listening,” said
Nossel. “Listening is like a bowl that holds and shapes the story. If
Active listening is the second half of the storytelling equation
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