Storytelling… it’s not just for kids
Being able to convey your message to your co-workers, manager, stakeholders, clients, or prospective clients is essential to communication.
In business communications and interactions, the focus is often on tone, style, pitch and language when discussing information. However, we often forget to place ourselves in the shoes of your listener or learner to consider what they need to connect with your message.
Regardless of the audience, learning how to convey your message is critical, and storytelling is one of the most powerful business tools you can have.
Storytelling is no longer just for bedtime stories; nor are they only for the marketing and sales team. Successful leaders and facilitators use stories to engage and connect with their teams, learners, audience and clients.
Why stories?
Presentations – be they formal training sessions, sales pitches, or monthly team meetings – provide you with the best opportunity to tell a story and inspire people to act. In a learning context, stories help learners process and remember information. It enables you, as the facilitator, to take the learner on a journey from the beginning, to the middle and the end.
Using stories to share your message will allow you to
- create a picture for your learners.
- capture the attention and interest of your audience.
- connect with their heart and their head.
- build rapport with your stakeholders and see things from a different point of view.
A story for every medium
Storytelling has been used in training and learning since time began, but we often only think of it in terms of face-to-face delivery. As we move towards eLearning as the predominant medium for learning, the use of stories to connect with learners will become increasingly important. Enabling your learners to connect with the information delivered via webinars or learner-led platforms such as Lynda, Udemy, or Alison or internal learning management systems.
The key to using stories in online learning is in the delivery. Without the opportunity for the facilitator or learning designer to gauge learner reactions, the delivery mechanism becomes critical. Combining video and text with illustrations or amination, allows the learner to feel part of the journey, rather than simply a bystander.
Here are some great articles on using storytelling in your learning workshops
- Why You Need To Use Storytelling For Learning
- learning through storytelling
- Story-Based Learning: Which Storytelling Strategy To Choose?
“Stories can change the way we think, feel and act.
Stories can capture our imaginations, illustrate our ideas, arouse our passions,
and inspire us in a way that cold, hard facts often can’t.”
The Speaker’s Director, Simone de Haas
Want to learn from the best?
If you are looking for an interactive workshop on delivering your message using stories, join us at the Learning Success Blueprint Summit in Brisbane from 21 – 22 June 2018, where Simone de Haas will teach you how to tell a good story to engage your learners. Simone de Haas brings a unique blend of artistry, presence and theatrical leadership to every keynote and presentation. At this workshop, you will learn how to Ditch the Data and Sell the Story.
Go to www.learningsuccessblueprint.com for more details.
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