when might you want to use stories?

There are lots of reasons when you might want consciously to introduce stories and anecdotes in a work setting.

Use stories to:

  • persuade, carry people with you
  • convey ideas, springboard the imagination about what’s possible
  • illuminate a dense analysis
  • handle a difficult situation
  • allow more points of view to be seen, not just ‘us’ and ‘them’
  • place something in its larger geographic, organisational or historical context
  • show people that you can see, and empathize with them
  • show people who you are, as the teller, so they can relate to you
  • invite people to see that you’re a good travelling companion
  • share experiences that help people learn from your successes and failures, almosts and not quites
  • acknowledge the negative stories out there and by acknowledging, defuse their power
  • open up a new conversation space by introducing a story from elsewhere