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“FOR HUMANS, STORYTELLING IS THE MOST
POWERFUL WAY OF COMMUNICATING. WE HAVE
NO BETTER WAY OF SHARING A MESSAGE.”
– MURRAY NOSSEL
that bowl is contaminated with judgments, criticisms and assump-tions,
that’s the shape the story will take. So, we help people learn
to suspend judgment, assumption and criticism when listening to
a story.”
Within a work context, Nossel says what’s undervalued is not
just the use of stories, but also dedicated time for the sharing and
telling and listening. This can take the form of a real give and take,
not solely the experience of a speaker at a podium. “Imagine that
we’re all sitting in a meeting in the workplace and I say, ‘I want to
share a story that just happened with one of my clients that’s very
distressing,’” said Nossel. “So, I tell the story, I’m a little vulnerable
and I’m revealing something about myself. It’s a great way of dis-seminating
information because we all want to know what to do
when we encounter difficult clients.” It gives everyone an opportu-nity
to pitch in and give their reflection. “Everyone in the meeting
is more engaged right from the beginning because of the way the
problem was shared,” said Nossel.
DIGITAL DILEMMA?
In a digital age, it’s important to expand your definition of sto-rytelling
beyond the room full of people and face-to-face
communication. “These days, more people are working remotely or
working from a distance,” said Todd. “How do you engage people
when you’re not in the room with them?” Sending emails doesn’t
have the same impact.
“So, you have to think about how to do that virtually,” said Todd.
“Luckily, conferencing tools are becoming more sophisticated and
affordable. Things you wouldn’t have dreamed about doing 10
years ago are possible now.”
Often, says Todd, people resist sharing stories through technol-ogy
at first, because they’re not comfortable talking to a screen. “It
is a different set of skills to use storytelling that way,” said Todd,
“but it can be done. It just takes training and practice.”
Whether storytelling takes place through technology or in
person, it has the potential to be a transformative communica-tion
tool. “Ultimately, the stories people pass down through an
organization create its character and values and culture,” said
Fullerton. She said, “If there are negative narratives out there, they
can just as easily become the character of a place. But when lead-ers
take control and tell strategic stories that are well thought out
and well delivered, they can motivate, steer change and shape an
entire company.” n
nexusplexus / 123RF
22 ❚ NOVEMBER 2018 ❚ HR PROFESSIONAL
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