An interview with David Hutchens about capturing the wisdom of an organization.
“Stories are incredibly efficient containers of knowledge, mental models, assumptions, beliefs, emotions and key information.”
– David Hutchens [Read more…]
Episode #2: Karen Dietz
Karen is the best curator of articles about successful storytelling I know. We go back a long way. She and I met in the world of traditional tellers “back in the day.” Today she has a finger on the pulse of business storytelling. In fact, Karen Dietz and Lori Silverman have written a new book: Business Storytelling for Dummies that comes out November of 2013.
Karen suggests we forget the word “storytelling” and think instead in terms of story-sharing.
Because then, it “becomes a process of thinking, listening, understanding and meaning-making.” We talk about the practice of storytelling and how this practice changes the teller once you add reflection to your process. She isn’t interested in clients who just want a jolt of storytelling by investing in a workshop without any follow up work because when a client is ready to invest in story “for the long haul” they get the full benefit.
Karen points out that when we create a culture of story sharing we help an organization reap the returns that come from a network of rich information and meaning that fills in the blanks created by statistics and measurements. She causes me to reflect that I am the worst when it comes to offering a “jolt of storytelling” by agreeing to do one workshop and moving on. I am not telling the whole story when I do that. Karen is good – that’s valuable information for me! It is a pain in my neck to deal with, but that’s what learning feels like sometimes.
We discuss a quote from Karen’s excellent website www.JustStoryIt.com:
“People don’t resist change, they resist being changed.” Peter Senge
She explains how one story consultant managed to botch the process to the point executives referred to the process by saying “We’ve been storied.” Introducing story to an organization is a multi-faceted application with results that can improve every point of communication as well as enrich the creative problem solving capacity of work groups.
“We’ve been storied.”
When story sharing is collaborative and constant we create a more mindful organization embedding reflection and awareness that helps find opportunities and avoid problems.
Karen uses art to capture and remind people of the art part of our stories she describes as “art in the air.”
Best tool: Don’t ask for a story, but ask “Tell me about a time when…”
Look for Karen Dietz on ScoopIt.com who profiled her recently in their “Lord of Curation” series. You can see her interview about curation here.
Part two of my converstaion with Karen Dietz will be published on October 30, 2013. If you sign up below I’ll send you this and future episodes of The Story Factor Podcast.
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More Experiments!
I think we spend too much time looking for the “right” story. We can’t know a story is effective until we try it out because stories are co-created. I have suggested we expect a 30% fail rate – a percentage I made up – so people won’t craft a story to death before they try it out. I thought increasing tolerance for failure might lighten things up.
How can we know a story is effective until we try it out? Stories are co-created.
Now I see at least one corporate giant has found there is no substitute for experiments. They have completely removed qualitative research in favor of telling new stories straight to consumers to see what flies.
Coke found, according to their Content Strategy Video (at 4:28), that recently their best stories were not pre-tested (ex: Old Spice Man). Coke shifted 30% of their money away from conducting research on customers to support hanging out with customers for inspiration.
Qualitative research can evaporate ideas!
Coke killed qualitative research on story ideas altogether because it “evaporates” ideas or solidifies them too soon. They put their money behind generating lots of ideas and taking these story ideas straight to consumers to see what catches their imagination. Coke cut their budget for link testing (eye movement tracking, likert scale ranking, etc) in half from 60% to 30%. Twenty five percent of their money is now used for real time testing and adapting stories as they are co-created with real live Coke drinkers.
Stories arise from unpredictable experiences.
I may be jumping to conclusions but I think this validates the idea that we can’t research our way into great stories. Stories arise from unpredictable experiences in real time with live people and grow when given space and protected from reductive scientific research. It is about experience, not examination and feelings, not facts.
Speaking of experience, I have been interviewing people with practical storytelling experience to tell me: Who is using storytelling? to do what? and how do they measure success? You can hear edited podcasts (about 20 minutes) starting next week. I’ll send you more info, then.
EASING A STORY INTO YOUR JOB INTERVIEW
Earn your turn!
Listen first. If there is dead silence offer your story as a little gift to get things rolling. Begin with an obvious link to their particular use for your story.
“I am particularly interested in…
- how you do X…because my interest in X started one time when
- your focus on X…because I had an experience that…
- saving us some time so I thought I’d share…
If your interviewer is already talking, listen carefully, for two reasons. One, when you give your attention first, they are more inclined to match it with a return gift of attention. Second, you can repeat back in their own language their exact words and link their words to your story bridging the conversation to your story.
Getting Away with it
Listen to a politician on TV or radio – no matter what question is asked the answer turns into the story they want to tell. You can do that too. Most questions are just probes to find out what you/your answer means to them personally. I think every interviewer has a future desire to hear “thanks” or “good job” for hiring well, as well as a present need to get the right person. If your story doesn’t address their desire or need, it won’t work.
People get irritated when you waste their time. If your story feels like a waste of time or a hard sell – they have every right to be irritated. So stop talking
Enhance “Yes or No” Questions
Avoid monosyllabic answers to “Yes or No” questions. If asked a direct question: “Have you worked overseas?” and your answer is “no” – for heaven’s sake add a story that tells a more complete and informative picture: “When I was growing up we lived in Germany and Japan. On my first day of school in Japan…” Or if you are asked, “Can you travel?” A yes answer can be coupled with, “One day last year, I had a flight…”
What about people who want me to cut to the chase?
If a picture is worth a thousand words a story can be worth an hour or two of interviewing. Remember you are there to save them time/money/frustration anyway. You may as well start doing that during your interview.
When you deal with someone who operates with a sense of urgency it is best to match their pace. They have the power and it is a big risk to force a slower pace or go deeper too soon. Your stories will have to be lean and punchy. However don’t edit to “just the facts.”
Edit to deliver an emotional impact with the least words. If the emotional impact is effective, they will ask for more of your story. For example: “I prefer to lead in a collaborative manner. But I can be directive in necessary …like the time my group’s budget was cut 30% and we had one day to decide how to deal with it. I had to push to get decisions.”
That two sentence “story” should invite a “tell me more” response.
I will be interested to hear your comments and particularly interested in responding to specific issues or questions.
Puppies, Paintings, and Philosophers
The Denver Museum of Contemporary Art’s Summer Series of Mixed Taste sounds like a delightful source of entertainment as well as a crackerjack opportunity for new stories to emerge. “Adam Lerner, director of the Museum of Contemporary Art/Denver, and Sarah Kate Baie, director of programming, enjoy mixing it up artistically.” If I could attend, I would to learn and pick up completely fresh new stories. Just think of the stories we could take away from these talks:
- Nietzsche & Puppies, Puppies, Puppies
- Space Weather & Kool-Aid Pickles
- Jean-Michel Basquiat & Fruit Trees
- Tacos & Geodesic Domes
I love to see old stories bring light to new situations. Like the old TV ad when peanut butter crashes into chocolate and… voila’ the Reese’s Cup is born! My #1 Principle of Storytelling is 1.) Storytelling is Developmental: We supply a+b+c+d but we only co-create the meaning of “= e” That is what happens with the Q&A. I find that part exciting. Imagine yourself enjoying these conversations:
It is stimulating when you don’t know what is going to happen next. So if things feel dull, boring, or predictable, then maybe you can borrow this idea from DMCA.
Adam Lerner, director of the Museum of Contemporary Art/Denver, and Sarah Kate Baie, director of programming, enjoy mixing it up artistically. Discover an interesting fact about mustard in this one mixing up Dia De Los Muertes and Gourmet Sauces (sound quality is iffy but points for taking the time to edit and post! – thanks DMCA!)
Stories come from every where, every field of study, and particularly from people who deeply care about something, or someone. Seek the geeks!!
Juicy, Colorful, Textured and Vivid
Create a vivid picture by using descriptive details that light up more than one part of a listener’s sensory cortex. Mix up sensory details sound and vision when you describe a detail like a quiet face, a blue humming, or screaming purple. Every sense you stimulate makes your story feel more like a real experience. Mix up any of the senses so listeners See, Hear, Taste, Touch, and Smell your story.
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