Storytelling is in our DNA
In our new leadership role model, storytelling became an integral part of our DNA. This reflects the changes we are facing within the IT industry and the leading role we play. It’s our duty to tell compelling stories and work ourselves into them.
The four personal styles according to Merrill and Reid are analytical, driver, amiable and expressive. People tend to see me as an analytical. Far away on the coordinate axes diagram from the other three personal styles. An analyst is defined as someone who believes in numbers and facts. Recently I have been on a party. Someone asked me how my interested in IT started and what I loved about it. So I started telling him my story:
My dad bought me a C64 games console. I had written my first lines of code at the age of 12. I was fascinated by the infinite possibilities of computers, but I rejected the idea of becoming a software developer at first and started as a bank clerk my professional career. At this time I met Andreas, a computer enthusiast, he pulled me again into software development, networks and the internet. So I changed and followed with my path in IT. By developing software, homepages, and exploring the deeps of windows and networks, I had the feeling of endless freedom in creating everything I want. Connecting with the world just by writing commands on my computer and interacting with people by my programs.
This was the story I told the man at the party. However, whilst telling this story of my identity, I felt that it cannot be interesting for someone hearing my personal story about my first computer. And I started speaking slower and slower and finally stopped entirely. I suddenly realized that I was not used to telling stories being more of a numbers and facts driven person.
Now it just came to pass that my company sent me on a training about storytelling. Following my own way of learning and my backlog, I decided to read books about storytelling upfront. Here are a few recommendations and what I learned:
Illuminate: Ignite Change through Speeches, Stories, Ceremonies and Symbols by Nancy Duarte, Patti Sanchez
This book was the first I read about storytelling. I choose the book by Nancy Duarte, because I loved her second book “Resonate” about presentations which transform the audience. In “Illuminate” she teams up with her colleague and communication expert Patti Sanchez. Its focus is on change management, where she explains how to lead people in a transformation through speeches, stories, ceremonies, and symbols. The book is also about leadership, she explains her concept of leading a transformation exemplified on great leaders like Steve Jobs and Dr. Martin Luther King. The concept she is explaining, is a concept of rituals that are practical advises to leaders to improve and explain change. I enjoyed reading it due to the fact that my analytically driven mind is always searching for structures and patterns, which are clearly given by the process she is using. On the other hand, the book is not explaining how a good story is structured and what kind of stories to use in certain situations.
Whoever Tells the Best Story Wins: How to Use Your Own Stories to Communicate with Power and Impact by Annette Simmons
We all need good stories, those which will capture our attention, or ones which will help us to make good choices and to stay satisfied with them. As a consultant we gain trust by telling the right story at the right time. Your personal story let gain you trust by letting you show more authentically. For different situations different stories are required. The book explains story thinking in addition to fact thinking. So this book hits the nail for me. It targets public speakers that like to understand the different kind of stories that stick in my mind:
Who-I-am story
Why-I-am here story
Teaching story
Vision story
Value-in-action story
In the chapters of the book, she is going into detail about different kinds of stories and gives more practical advises on skill improvement. When I was thinking about my value-in-action story, as a site effect, the book made me think about the importance of values. My own values and the values of my company (my follow up read was a book from Marcus Aurelius on that, perhaps I will pick this up in one of my next blogs).
All in all, the book is perfect as a starting point. I often look something up and I can fully recommend it because it is geared to the needs of a consultant.
Circle of the 9 Muses: A Storytelling Field Guide for Innovators and Meaning Makers by David Hutchens
Allow me to say it upfront: I’m biased. David Hutchens was the trainer of my storytelling class. This book is fulfilling. You find all the details you need about organizational stories. It’s fully equipped with different templates and frameworks to tell a persuasive story. Whether it is defining your brand, onboarding your team or building trust to your client. A story is sticking much longer than pure facts, especially if it is a personal driven story including emotions. In each situation your story should be structured in a different way. He is explaining hands on tricks to make your story better, for example by adding emotions at the right time or by making your story shorter. Writing this, it reminds me on Ernest Hemingway’s Six-Word story: “For sale: baby shoes. Never worn.” We also talked in David Hutchens’ training about this. Can you explain your “identity story” in six words?
Another type of story sticks into my mind. It’s the hero’s journey. Discovered by Joseph Campbell, it is the archetype for a classical story. I found it fascinating that most of the successful stories like Odysseus, Star Wars and Pretty Women are build up in the same structure. This is clearly showing the power of stories and among others explained in this fascinating and often funny illustrated book.
What is your story? Can you tell it in 6 words or as a hero’s journey? Write it in the comments!