These are the notes I took from a presentation of Hannah B. Harvey, PHY, Professional storyteller from some education CDs called the great courses.

A: A story that is part of a presentation.

• Your presentation has a trajectory, goal or objective. Stories can move your idea forward.
• Upper management can use interpersonal communications skills to build community and comradely.
• In the boardroom: ask who is your villain? Who do you want to unify your audience against? If might be a problem your company is facing. It might be falling sales.
• Who is your hero? Personify it.
• What is the role of the audience in your story? If your company is presented as an unlikely hero of the story your employees could be presented as helpers to the hero. They have a role to play an ongoing story to save the company.
• Your story has heroes, villains, helps and will contain. It’s focused on drama, action and struggle. Takes audiences on a journey where they have a role.
• You will need to project your voice if you’re talking to multiple people in a room.
• Keep your presentation economical and invite your audience to participate.
• Best to present your story prior to a certain concept you want to present that will complement that idea. You draw concepts from that story that will support the bullet points of your presentation.
• Telling the story can put you in an ease and help you present your ideas in a new and fresh way.

B: Stories from Management:

Hannah B. Harvey, PHY, the professional storyteller from some education CDs called the great courses.

• If you’re in management how you can tell the story of your company to your employees or to an outside audience
• Tell your company history as a story helps your audience to empathize with your company.
• Who was the antagonist, what dragons did you have to face in your heroes journey? What dragons does the company face?
• You have a chance to tell why you work at the company. You need to tell a story that you want to believe in.
• Bring in your audience in the rising action. Where they help with the victories.
• You will need to listen to the stories of your employee. Listen to what employees shave to say.
• Stories from your employee will tell you what they value. What are themes? Give them the freedom and trust to tell their stories. You can learn from them. Some can provide valuable observations/insights that may not have been considered before. Examples might be the first employee offered flex time or the first minority who was promoted etc.
• Senior employees can train the next generation to keep the company story alive.

Do you have something to add, please do so in the comment section of this blog.