Corporate Storytelling - The Global Tale's Power

 Incorporate storytelling, you are not restricted to telling your company's story, your personal story, or stories from others. Why not make use of the strength embodied in a few centuries' worths of tales? When you speak in public, you want your audience to become completely immersed in your subject and retain your message long after you are finished. This desire and need are true for storytelling in virtually any setting, from classroom to boardroom to sanctuary to platform.

By incorporating appropriate myths, legends, fables, or fairytales into your public speaking, you can enhance the presentation's character. Additionally, you will connect with your audience on a much deeper level with this business Storytelling with data PDF technique than you will with personal stories alone. I refer to these as "world tales" in my writing. However, obtaining one from any source and utilizing it is difficult. Adjustments, rewriting, and customization are required. As an illustration, consider the following.

I recently had the opportunity to work with a client who desired to enhance her presentation's storytelling ability. She was aware that she already possessed an adequate number of personal anecdotes but desired "something more" to complete her presentation.

Points in storytelling

My first coaching point for her was that she needed to understand that a presentation can contain an excessive number of personal stories. Additionally, she recognized that stories require depth, which is difficult to achieve when telling numerous stories about other people. Other people's stories are more a collection of anecdotes than narratives. As a result, she was well on her way to delivering an effective presentation that included an appropriate balance of personal storytelling and a few (as I refer to them) "world stories."

She was on the lookout for a story that exemplified the perils of remaining in the same old place, in the same old rut. She was trying to find the perfect story for a very specific audience and was having difficulty. I began researching stories after hearing her speak. Conducting research is one of my coaching responsibilities in the area of corporate storytelling. I discovered an Aesop Fable that was ideal for her. It appears as follows in one of its authentic complex-language forms:

TWO FROGS lived in close proximity to one another. One lived in a deep pond that was hidden from view; the other in a gully with little water that was crossed by a country road. The Frog who lived in the pond advised his friend to relocate and pleaded with him to come and live with him, claiming that he would enjoy increased safety and food supplies. The other declined, stating that leaving a place to which he had grown accustomed was extremely difficult.

A few days later, a large wagon drove through the gully, crushing him to death beneath its wheels. When I suggested this story to a coaching client, she reacted with apprehension. "I could never use that as a story. They will never recover from the story's depiction of the frog being 'crushed to death.' I believe you are unaware of my requirements."

Already reasonably certain of her response, I inquired as to whether the story's message fit her presentation. "Naturally, that is true. That is true, but I am not permitted to speak of dead frogs!"

I suggested to her that one of the keys to successfully utilizing world tales is the ability to adapt a story to your presentation. It is a skill that very few so-called "business storytelling" coaches truly grasp or possess the ability to teach. Nevertheless, I've been telling stories for well over two decades. I possess the ability to tell a true story.

As part of our coaching time, I informed my client that I would adapt this story for her. Her agreement was unanimous. I adapted the story for her unique circumstances in about an hour. The new version's first draught appeared as follows:

Two frogs once existed. One lived in the country, on the edge of a clear, clean pond, and possessed everything she desired. She seemed ecstatic to be outside. Her sister, on the other hand, lived in the big city, in a small canal alongside a busy road.

The country frog paid a visit to her city-dwelling sister one day. The city frog complained about the city's noise and how difficult it was to see the moon at night due to the city's tall buildings. She was then informed by the country frog, "There is no doubt that this place is dangerous. Why don't you join me in the country and live happily ever after? Anytime I want, I can see the moon."

""No," replied the city frog, "I've heard there are a lot of snakes out there, and there's all that mud, and it takes a lot of energy to leave my home." I'll simply remain here; at the very least, the canal is always full of water."

The country frog returned to her abode, which she had always known as a happy and free place. The following day, a small child caught the city frog in a net and brought her home, where she was kept in a large jar with water and food daily. The frog remained there for the remainder of her life, never again seeing the moon, but she did have an endless supply of dead flies.

You'll notice that I took the story's essential "core" and tailored it to my client's and her audience's needs. I retained the essential concept of taking the safe path vs. taking a risk, as well as the concept of staying in a canal/rut/gully to fit her need to discuss "getting out of your rut" in her upcoming presentation.

I also needed to address her concern about her perception of the story's violence while maintaining the idea that the frog's failure to escape the "rut" would result in frustration and death. I replaced the captured frog with the finality and violence associated with a squished frog. Who knows, maybe the imprisoned frog will be released one day?

I have not shared the final version of the story with you because my client revised my initial draft to make it more appropriate for her intended audience. Once she realized she was not bound by the version she disliked, she quickly used my draught to create a story she adored that was unique to her individual presentation.

When someone objects to a "world tale" in their work, it is almost always because they object to the one version of the story they have discovered. While developing a new version of a story from the story's underlying concept may take some time, the effort is well worth it. "World tales" enable you, as the speaker and presenter, to tap into the deeper meanings that have made these stories a staple of numerous cultures for centuries.