Briefing Note 1

Created on: 20 June, 2011

The value of

storytelling

“Stories are fundamental to the way

we learn and to the way we

communicate. They are the most

efficient way of storing, retrieving,

and conveying information. Because

hearing a story requires active

participation by the listener, stories

are the most profoundly social form

of human interaction and

communication.”

Terrence L. Cargiulo,

Organisational Development

consultant.

What this is

Have you ever noticed how the

atmosphere in a room changes as

someone embarks on a story that clearly

means something to them? The people

listening relax and engage. The person

speaking becomes fluent and animated.

In this briefing note hear about the value

of storytelling as a tool for embedding the

distinctive identity or strategic direction

of your institution.

Why it's useful

Everyone has stories about their

institution. Some illustrate the things that

irritate us about the place we work or

study – and perhaps these are the ones

that get noticed the most. But there are

many other stories that could be told

about the things that we love about our

working life, and about the things that

happen that remind us why we do the job

we do.

People love stories. A story sticks in the

mind more easily than facts and figures.

What better way to communicate to any

audience what it is about your institution

that makes it special?

What you need to know

We all know someone who is really good

at telling jokes – they use the right words

(not too many, not too few) – and they

have a sense of timing which gives the

story a rhythm and draws you to the

punchline. But if the story is something

that happened to you, or one which you

heard about and touched you, then the

chances are your own conviction will

make you a good storyteller, too.

This enables you to engage your audience

and, hopefully, convince them of your

beliefs. When, for example, your aim is to

embed the distinctive identity or strategic

direction of your institution, storytelling

can be the perfect tool.

One of the main differences between a

good stand-up comedian and you and me

is that the stand-up notices the things

that go on and makes a note of them to

use later. But that is something anyone

can do, if they learn how to do it.

Making it work for you

• Take a few moments to think of

something that has happened to

you or to someone you work

with, that reminded you why

you’re here (in this particular job,

in this particular institution).

• Without being too mechanistic

about it, try to understand why it

resonates with you: What are the

key points - about the people

Briefing Note 2

Created on: 20 June, 2011

involved, about the circumstances

– and what is incidental? What is

the emotional content – how did

the people in the story react to

the situation? This gives colour to

the mental picture you are

creating.

• These are the things that you

need to relay to listeners, if you

are going to evoke in them the

same response that the original

incident evoked in you. This

approach also allows you to

condense the story into

something you can tell quickly if

you only have a few moments to

relay it.

• Practice telling it. See how it

sounds. See how other people

react to it.

• Change it. You can tell the same

story in different ways, depending

on who you are telling it to, and

the circumstances in which you

are telling it.

• Gather more stories. Notice and

take note of things that happen in

your working life.

When you want to explain to someone

why your institution is the one to choose

– to study at, to invest in, to work for, to

partner with – a story can say it all.

Where to find out more

Papers

There are a huge range of academic

papers on storytelling in organisations.

Here are just a few:

• Bate, P. (2004) The role of stories

and storytelling in organizational

change efforts: The anthropology

of an intervention within a UK

hospital, Intervention Research 1

(1) 27-42

• Denning, S. (2004) Telling Tales,

Harvard Business Review, 82 (5)

122-129

• Mittins, M., Abratt, R., Christie,

P.(2011) Storytelling in

Reputation Management: the

Case of Nashua Mobile South

Africa, Management Decision 49

(3)

• Baker, W., Boyle, C. (2009) The

timeless power of storytelling,

Journal of Sponsorship 3 (1) 79-87

• Boyce, M. E. (1996)

Organizational story and

storytelling: a critical review,

Journal of Organizational Change

Management 9 (5) 5-26

Books

• Made to Stick: why some ideas

survive and others die, Chip Heath

& Dan Heath, Random House,

2007

• Switch: How to change things

when change is hard, Chip Heath

& Dan Heath, Random House,

2010

• The leader's guide to storytelling:

mastering the art and discipline of

business narrative, Stephen

Denning Jossey-Bass, 2005

Internet

• GovLeaders.org is a free on-line

resource designed to help

government managers cultivate a

more effective and motivated

public sector workforce

http://govleaders.org/storytelling

.htm

Briefing Note 3

Created on: 20 June, 2011

• ‘Get Storied’ is a consultancy that

has made a business out of

encouraging and teaching

businesses how to use

storytelling. Read their business

case for storytelling:

http://www.getstoried.com/2010

/01/27/the-business-case-for-

storytelling/

External expertise

• Rob Woods, Woods Training

www.woodsconsultancy.co.uk/co

urses.html, contributor to the

CASE Online training series:

www.case.org/Conferences_and_

Training/Online_Speaker_Series_-

_Storytelling.html (accessed

January 2011)

• Tony Quinlan, Narrate

http://narrate.typepad.com/abou

t.html, contributor to CASE

Europe’s communications

seminar:

http://www.case.org/Conference

s_and_Training/Strategic_Internal

_Communications_.html

(accessed March 2011)

In-house expertise

• Consider who in your institution

might have these skills. For

example, a lecturer in journalism,

creative writing or theatre

studies.

Find out more

www.distinct.ac.uk has a growing

resource section.

Get involved

If you have a case study, report, or

other resource you would like to share

with colleagues in the sector we would

love to hear from you. Please contact

us at:

contact@distinct.ac.uk

Guest author

Rob Woods, Woods Training Ltd. Training

and consultancy for fundraising teams

www.woodsconsultancy.co.uk/

If you would like to distribute this

content please contact the project

team.

© 2011 Distinct in Higher Education