7 ways storytelling improves communication - slideshare

7 Ways Storytelling Improves
Communication
Different stories serve different purposes

Everyone loves a good story.
Stories ignite our imagination.
Stories/Narratives have been shared in every
culture as a means of entertainment, education,
cultural preservation and instilling moral
values.
www.jointeambuilding.com

Stories to
motivate
Stories to share
knowledge
Stories to
spur action
Stories to share
background and
experience with
listeners

Objective 1:
Sparking Action
The story enables
listeners to
visualise the
transformation
required, then to
act on that
realisation
A “springboard
story” to inspire
change

Objective 1:
Sparking Action
The story should
describe how a
successful change
was implemented in
the past, but allows
listeners to imagine
how it might work
in their situation.
A “springboard
story” to inspire
change

Objective 2:
Communicating
Who You Are
For someone to
trust you, they
need to know who
you are, where
you’ve come from,
what you do, why
you hold the views
you do.
Build trust with
the audience by
letting them know
you better.

Objective 2:
Communicating
Who You Are
Stories for this
purpose are usually
based on a life
event that reveals
some strength or
vulnerability, and
demonstrates what
you took away with
the experience.
Build trust with
the audience by
letting them know
you better.

Objective 3:
Transmitting Values
Such stories or
parables have been
used by religious
leaders to
communicate
values since olden
times.
A story or parable
to establish
values in an
organisation.

Objective 3:
Transmitting Values
These stories are
usually set in some
kind of generic past
and have few context-
setting details.
They must feel familiar
to the audience, so as
to prompt discussion
about the issues raised
by the value promoted.
A story or parable
to establish
values in an
organisation.

Objective 4:
Fostering Collaboration
Generate a
common narrative
around a group’s
concerns and
goals, beginning
with a story told by
one member
Encourage
conversations by
sharing stories.

Objective 4:
Fostering Collaboration
Ideally, this first
story sparks another,
which sparks another.
If the process
continues, members
develop a shared
perspective, creating
a sense of
community.
Encourage
conversations by
sharing stories.

Objective 5:
Squelching Rumours
Denying a rumour
can give it
credibility.
Asking how it started
can ensure its spread.
Ignoring it risks
allowing it to spiral
out of control.
Use humour to
mock the rumour.

Objective 5:
Squelching Rumours
Use a story to
convince listeners
that the rumour is
untrue or unlikely.
This kind of story
highlights the
incongruity
between the rumour
and reality.
Use humour to
mock the rumour.

Objective 6:
Sharing Knowledge
Stories that share
knowledge include
a description of
the problem, the
setting, and the
solution.
Communicate
know-how across
an organisation
with stories.

Objective 6:
Sharing Knowledge
These stories tend to
have a negative tone
because they
highlight a challenge.
They often focus on
the mistakes made,
and why a particular
solution worked.
Communicate
know-how across
an organisation
with stories.

Objective 7:
Leading People
Into The Future
A leader is often
tasked with
preparing people for
what lies ahead -
whether in concrete
terms of an actual
scenario, or the
more conceptual
terms of a vision.
Offering a
glimpse of the
future.

Objective 7:
Leading People
Into The Future
A story can help by
taking listeners
from where they
are now, to where
they need to be, by
offering them an
image of the
future.
Offering a
glimpse of the
future.

–Howard Gardner
American psychologist and Harvard University Professor
“Stories are the single most powerful
weapon in
a leader’s arsenal.”

For more business tips and
tools, visit us at
Everything related to building strong and
cohesive teams in your organisation.

7 ways storytelling improves communication - slideshare

More Related Content

What's hot (20)

Similar to 7 ways storytelling improves communication - slideshare (20)

Recently uploaded (20)

7 ways storytelling improves communication - slideshare