Telling Tales At The Office

Storytelling is a valuable tool
in the business world

By Caren S. Neile, Ph.D., ATMS, CL

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 The sharing of story is
such a potent activity that
it imparts power to the powerless,
and gives voice to the voiceless.

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“I was once hired to write a speech for the host of a reception honoring the nation’s top financial planners. The client explained how he needed “the storytelling touch” to make this particular event come alive. I interviewed the men and women he planned to honor and created stories for him that demonstrated why these people were the best in their field.

While I was not present during the speech, I knew what the outcome would be. As the host relayed each story, audience members were able to visualize the situation he described as if they were present when it occurred. The visualization process allowed listeners to empathize, appreciate and identify with each story, which then left a lasting impression.

It is this effect that is the reason for using storytelling in the workplace. From the pages of the Harvard Business Review to the website of your favorite restaurant,
business professionals celebrate the persuasive
power of a well-told story.

Why Tell Stories in Business?

“Stories are experiences,” wrote Karen Dietz and Lori L. Silverman in Business Storytelling for Dummies. “When you share a story, you relive an experience and invite
others to share in it with you. In this way, you move people from focusing on the tangible and intangible qualities of products and services to memorableness.
And today’s customers want memorable experiences.” They are willing to pay more for them too.

According to Dietz and Silverman, stories are also transformational. When customers are encouraged to make a link between your company’s story and a change for the better in their own lives, they are connected to your company in a more profound way than simply through the purchase they make.

Who Tells Stories in Business?

Carolyn O’Hara, in her post “How to Tell a Great Story” on the Harvard Business Review Blog Network, wrote “We tell stories to our coworkers and peers all the time—to persuade someone to support our project, to explain
-to an employee how he might improve, or to inspire a team that is facing challenges.” The same is true for the CEO of a bank who tells his board of directors how his grandfather founded the company with his own money, or the manager who motivates his team by sharing the story of a satisfied customer, or the injured worker who is asked to begin a safety training session by sharing the tragic tale of how ignorance of the rules caused her accident.

As you can see, unlike many other forms of communication, storytelling is not a top-down process. It is just as useful when peers tell stories to peers, or employees to bosses. That’s because storytelling is the great equalizer. The sharing of story is such a potent activity that it imparts power to the powerless, and gives voice to the voiceless.

What Makes an Effective Story?

The legendary communication scholar Walter Fisher believed that effective stories required…”

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The current issue is available for viewing only by Toastmasters members.If you are a member, CLICK HERE to login. You must enter your user name and password to view this month’s issue. (Your user name is the same as your member number, which is easily found on your Toastmasters magazine label.)

Click on the image below to watch a speech by Andrew Tarvin, an award-winning speaker, best-selling author, and NYC-based comedian, titled, “Humor At Work”:

When Was Your Last Speech?

Moving Up The Toastmasters Ladder

At JIA Toastmasters, the structure of our club makes it possible for Toastmasters to move up the ladder and advance toward their next public speaking and leadership designations more quickly than many other clubs in our District. All you have to do is sign up to speak at our weekly meetings. We can even provide you with mentors to help you achieve your goals.

To complete your next speech, confirm your attendance no later than 2PM on the day of the meeting. When preparing a speech, remember to submit the following with your RSVP and bring it with you to the meeting:

• Title of the Speech (Unique To You)
• Manual Name
• Project Number
• Project Name
• Speech Time Window (Required Or Requested)
• Speech Introduction (If Any)

Don’t forget to always bring your Speech and Leadership manuals with you to every meeting for evaluations so you can get that much closer to the next level in your Toastmasters’ success.

To request a mentor or if you would like to become a mentor, contact our Vice President of Education, Linda Rondeau.

Remember: you must be an active Toastmasters member to present a speech at our meetings.

THE JIA INSPIRATIONAL SPEECH AND TABLE TOPICS
CLUB CONTEST IS SCHEDULED FOR THURSDAY,
FEB. 26, STARTING AT 6:30PM.

Leading With Love

This corporate formula for success
goes beyond the profit margin

By Linda Allen, ACS, CL

“‘Leadership would be easy if it weren’t for people,’ wrote Mac Anderson, founder of Successories and Simple Truths, two businesses that produce inspirational and motivational products and books.

He’s right.

You may think that leadership is about you, your skills and your experience, but leadership is really about others—all the people you deal with in business, in your community and even in your family. Without people, leadership is a one-size-fits-all skill.

“Leading” and “love” are words seldom spoken together in business or leadership discussions. Love has long been a word shunned in the business world because it conveyed emotions that implied weakness. Instead, businesses favored words associated with strength and force to convey power and influence.

But the business climate is changing. Those who incorporate love into their leadership style are attracting attention. These successful business leaders are creating work cultures that value individuals as team members—not as assets or liabilities. Corporations are shifting the focus from profit-driven bottom lines to collaborative environments that support, encourage and empower employees to grow and develop, both personally and professionally. The “love of power” is transforming into the “power of love.”

A Caring Attitude

Joel Manby, CEO of Herschend Family Entertainment (HFE), takes love seriously. He leads the largest family-owned theme-park organization in the United States—it’s the ninth largest in the world. For Manby, love is a verb, and it works inside and outside the workplace. His 2010 appearance on the first season of CBS’ Undercover Boss allowed millions of viewers to see HFE’s leadership model in action. Manby went undercover to the front-lines of his company, working side-by-side with his employees giving “Ride the Duck” tours, participating in early morning park clean-ups and other duties performed at the park. Along the way, he encountered employees who were down on their luck. He became motivated to do more for them.

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“Leading with love dissolves limitations
and opens the playing field so each
person can create, achieve and grow.”

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At the end of the episode, Manby gave back to alleviate the hardships of those employees he had met. The response to the show was overwhelming—it inspired Manby to write Love Works: The Seven Principles. In it, he explains the principles that guide his life and career. He believes leaders can be successful and care about employees by implementing patience, kindness, trust, unselfishness, truthfulness, forgiveness and dedication in their interactions with coworkers.

Manby says, “HFE trains our leaders to love each other, knowing that if they create enthusiasm with their employees, the employees will in turn create an enthusiastic guest experience.”

Follow Your Heart

John Mackey is co-founder and co-CEO of Whole Foods Markets, a natural and organic food market that supports environmental stewardship. Fortune Magazine named Whole Foods one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For in 2014—a distinction the company has held for 17 consecutive years.

In an interview with American media host Oprah Winfrey, Mackey described the company’s mission: To sell healthy food, make a living and have fun. He advises following your heart when choosing a career. Mackey shared his story about how he dropped out of college, learned to cook and moved to a vegetarian co-op in Austin, Texas. It awakened his food consciousness and became his passion. He and his then-girlfriend borrowed and raised a total of $35,000 to open SaferWay, a market and health food restaurant. After two years, SaferWay merged with Clarksville Natural Grocery and reopened as the first Whole Foods Market. Mackey now leads a corporation of 380 stores with 80,000 employees known as team members.

Mackey says leaders have a responsibility to develop their own…”

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THE REST OF THIS ARTICLE

The current issue is available for viewing only by Toastmasters members.If you are a member, CLICK HERE to login. You must enter your user name and password to view this month’s issue. (Your user name is the same as your member number, which is easily found on your Toastmasters magazine label.)

Click on the image below to watch a speech by Joshua Fredenburg, who is a nationally recognized speaker, author, and leadership consultant who provides expert advice on leadership, diversity, and healthy relationships: