Corporate Storytelling – The Power of the World Story

You are not limited to the stories of your company, your personal life, and the stories of others in corporate storytelling. Why not invoke the power contained in a few centuries of stories? When you speak in public, you want your audience to be immersed in your topic and able to retain your message long after you’re done speaking. This want and need actually applies to storytelling in almost any setting, from the classroom to the boardroom, from the sanctuary to the platform.

Mixing in some good myths, legends, fables, or fairy tales in your audience can enhance the character of your presentation. Also, with this business storytelling technique, you will connect on a much deeper level with your audience than when you use only personal stories. I call these kinds of stories “tales of the world.” However, it is difficult to pick one from any source and use it. Some tweaking, rewriting, and customization needed. Let me give you an example.

I recently had the opportunity to coach a client who wanted to add more storytelling to his presentation. He knew he had enough personal stories already, but he wanted “something more” to round out his presentation.

My first comment as a coach to her was that it was good for her to recognize that there can be too many personal stories in a presentation. It was also good for her to recognize that stories need depth and it’s hard to have depth when you’re telling a lot of other people’s stories. Those other people’s stories are more anecdotes than narratives. So she was well on her way to making a strong presentation with a strong use of personal narrative balanced with some (as I call them) “world stories.”

I was looking for a story that would demonstrate the dangers of staying in the same old place, staying in the same old rut. He had a very specific audience in mind and it was difficult for him to get the right story. After listening to her, I started researching stories. Research is one of my corporate storytelling coaching duties. I found a perfect Aesop fable for her. In one of her original complex language forms, it appears like this:

TWO FROGS were neighbors. One inhabited a deep pond, far from public view; the other lived in a ravine that contained little water and was crossed by a country road. The Frog that lived in the pond told her friend to change residence and entered it to come live with him, telling her that she would enjoy greater safety from danger and more abundant food. The other refused, saying that it was very difficult for him to leave a place to which he had been accused.

A few days later, a heavy truck drove through the ravine and crushed him to death under its wheels. When I suggested this story to my coaching client, she responded with a degree of revulsion. “There’s no way I can use a story like that. They’ll never get over the frog being ‘crushed to death’ in the story. I don’t think you understand what I need.”

Pretty sure what she was going to say, I asked her if the message of the story worked for her presentation. “Of course I would. I would, but I can’t talk about dead frogs!”

I suggested that one of the keys to using world tales is the ability to adapt a story to fit your presentation. It’s a skill that very few so-called “business storytelling” coaches really understand or even have the ability to teach. However, I have been telling stories for more than two decades. I have the skills of a true storyteller.

I told my client that I would adapt this story for him as part of our training time. She agreed. In about an hour, she tailored the story to her specific needs. The first draft of the new version looked like this:

Once there were two frogs. One lived in the country in a clear, clean pond and had everything she wanted. She was so happy to be outside. Her sister, however, lived in the big city on a small canal by the side of the road, where she was very busy and dangerous.

One day, the frog from the country visited his sister in the city. The city frog complained about the noise in the city and how difficult it was to see the moon at night because of all the tall buildings. The frog in the field told him, “It sure is dangerous here. Why don’t you come to the field with me and live free and happy? I can see the moon whenever I want.”

“No,” said the frog who lived in the city, “I heard there are a lot of snakes out there, and all that mud, and besides, it takes a lot of energy to get out of my house. I’ll stay here.” ; at least the canal always has water in it.”

The peasant frog returned to his home, where he was always happy and free. The next day, the city frog was caught in a net by a little boy, who took it to her house and put it in a big pitcher where it was kept with water and fed every day. There the frog remained for the rest of his life, never seeing the moon again, but he had an endless supply of dead flies.

You’ll notice that I’ve taken the essential “core” of the story and adapted it to meet the needs of my client and their audience. I kept the essential concept of taking the safe path vs. take risks, keeping the idea of ​​staying in a channel/trailer/ravine to fit well with your need to talk about “getting out of your rut” at your next presentation.

I also had to address his concern about his perception of violence in the story by keeping the idea that the frog’s failure to break free from the “grind” would result in frustration and death. I replaced the definitive and violent image of a crushed frog with that of a captured frog. Who knows, maybe one day the captured frog may be released.

I have not shared with you the final version of the story as my client adapted my first draft to suit his audience. Once she saw that she wasn’t limited to the version she didn’t like, she quickly used my draft to develop a story she loved that was unique to her individual submission.

When a person objects to a “world tale” in their work, they most likely object to the only version of the story they have discovered. Although it may take some time to develop a new version of a story from the basic idea of ​​the story, it is well worth it. The “tales of the world” allow you, as a speaker and presenter, to access the deeper meanings that have made these stories a staple for many different cultures for many centuries.

Take a chance with stories! In the end, do you want your audience to feel connected to you, to have the “aha!” time such stories create? Mingle and explore the power of the “world story” to magnetically draw your audience to your message.