I recently attended a seminar where the speaker told us that his purpose with the seminar was not for us to just gain information but to promote a mindset change. In order for this to happen he would be including three elements in the workshop. We would first gain intellectual knowledge, then engage in the information through experience, and finally participate in storytelling. He also emphasized that the storytelling was the most important element.
Listening to this speaker again confirmed in me the power and value of storytelling. In the previous article, I shared about the benefits of storytelling for leadership. Here are some practical ways to promote storytelling.
Good Questions
Questions are the foundation to prompt any storytelling. Often people do not share their stories unless they are asked. Questions can also be asked spontaneously and at any moment when the timing seems right. For example, you may be out to lunch with a colleague and they make reference to traveling to see family for the holidays. Become curious and ask where they grew up. Ask them to tell you more about their family.
Open ended questions that prompt people to share more than a “yes” or “no” answer are always best. For example, “What was it like to grow up in a big city?” will prompt people to share more about their experience. Where asking, “Did you like growing up in a big city?” can prompt them just to say yes or no. Also be sensitive to people’s response to your questions. If you ask too many questions, they may start to close off and feel like they are in an interview. The most important quality is your own genuineness. If people feel like you really care about them, they usually happily share.
Take time to develop a list of good questions that you would like to ask people. This will help you to be prepared when the opportunity arises.
Storytelling Exercises
It is also valuable to set aside specific time with a focus on telling stories. It is important to note how much time you have for sharing stories and how deeply people are ready to share with their stories. For example, with shorter time spans and less depth of sharing, a meeting can be opened with a question that will prompt storytelling. For example, ask everyone in the group to share, “What is your favorite dessert is and why?” Objects can also be used as a part of storytelling. Along with telling about their favorite dessert, you could also ask everyone to bring a dessert to the meeting!
When you have a longer time span and a group who are ready to share more deeply, a histography exercise can be used. In this exercise, you ask each person to share about a childhood experience that has impacted who they are as an adult today. People can share a range of stories from this one prompt, and it can lead to some deep sharing and understanding of each other.
When you do storytelling exercises, you need to give everyone the opportunity to share, but also the opportunity to pass for the moment or not to share at all. Stories are a part of our personal identities. People need permission to share and what to share when they are ready.
Storytelling and Vision Casting
Stories can powerfully impact our minds. In the previous article, I shared how stories can connect to us at a knowledge (head), emotional (heart), and action (will) level. Stories are powerful for inspiring and influencing. As a leader, develop awareness of stories in your own life and the stories that you hear around you. You may want to keep a notebook to record the stories that you hear. Then use these for opportunities to vision cast. Include them as an illustration in a formal presentations and also in everyday conversation as an encouragement to others. Develop a habit of valuing stories by being aware of stories and then collecting them like a treasure.
When using stories that are not your own, be careful to treat them like a treasure. Do not use someone else’s story unless you have their permission or you change identifying information. Often people feel very honored when you ask them if you can share their story because of the value you see in them.
Each day is full of stories to collect, share and enjoy. How will you begin to use stories?