Summary of Stephen Denning's The Leader's Guide to Storytelling

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Book Preview:

#1 I made a pilgrimage to the International Storytelling Center in Jonesborough, Tennessee, in 1998. I was seeking enlightenment. I had begun to see stories help galvanize an organization around a defined business goal.

#2 The story of the Zambia health worker was a simple example of how World Bank staff and managers could envision a different future for the organization. But I began to wonder how the tool of narrative could be used even more effectively.

#3 The strength of analysis is that it can cut through the fog of myth, gossip, and speculation to get to the hard facts. However, this strength is also a weakness. Analysis doesn’t offer a route to the heart, and that’s where you must go if you are to motivate people to take action and do so with energy and enthusiasm.

#4 I learned that telling the story in a traditional manner, with a beginning, middle, and end, would not be effective with my audience. I wanted them to focus on their own situations, not on Zambia. I decided to tell the story in a minimalistic manner, without detail and texture.

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Release date

Ebook: 24 May 2022