Over the last few months, I’ve shared masterclasses and advice with people working in financial crime, compliance, construction, project management and quality assurance.
And you might think, what do these groups need storytelling for?
It’s a fair question. These are very different industries with very different challenges and very different kinds of expertise.
But the more I work with different audiences, the more I see the need to make sense of information through storytelling, particularly with their key stakeholders.
Whether you’re explaining something complex, trying to get people behind a change, communicating the value of what you do and helping them see what's in it for them, the way you tell the story can mean the difference between success or failure.
And the story isn’t always about the organisation. Sometimes it’s about helping people understand their own role in something bigger or finding a way to make an idea meaningful to the people you need to bring with you.
That’s what I find so interesting about storytelling in leadership. The context changes enormously from one organisation to another, but the need to communicate for influence and impact concisely and with clarity is remarkably consistent.
It isn’t something that belongs to one industry, one function or one type of leader. It comes into play whenever we need to connect people with an idea, a decision or a direction.
And I suspect I’ll keep discovering new places where it applies.
If you’re looking for a speaker to explore storytelling, leadership, influence or communicating through change with your organisation, get in touch.