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Smithsonian Storytelling Weekend: April 15-17, 2010

Bookings are now open for the annual weekend of organizational storytelling events in Washington DC. The events are:

EVENING WORKSHOP AT THE SMITHSONIAN: INTRODUCTION TO STORYTELLING: Thursday April 15, 2010, 6.30 pm to 9 pm. Book here

ALL-DAY SEMINAR AT THE SMITHSONIAN: STORYTELLING TO TRANSFORM THE WORKPLACE: Friday, April 16, 2010, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Book here

ALL DAY WORKSHOPS: You, Me and We: Connecting through Story: Saturday, April 17, 2009, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. More information is available here.

DETAILS OF THE EVENTS

Storytelling to Transform the Workplace

ALL-DAY SEMINAR AT THE SMITHSONIAN:
Friday, April 16, 2010, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Storytelling is a powerful and underutilized professional business tool that can be used to help achieve a myriad of organizational objectives, from generating new ideas to fostering strong work teams to sharing knowledge and transmitting values. In this seminar led by experts in the field of organizational storytelling, participants explore how narrative techniques can be used to ignite innovation and change in the workplace for the benefit of the organization, the people doing the work, and the clients and customers whom they serve.

Matthew E. May, chief strategist for MBox Design, former advisor at Toyota, and author of In Pursuit of Elegance (2009) and The Elegant Solution (2006), examines the stories used to inspire continuous innovation at Toyota, an organization that implements more than one million ideas per year.

Mary Poppendieck, retired 3M manager and co-author of Implementing Lean Software Development (2006) and Leading Lean Software Development (2009), discusses the characteristics of successful leaders and explains how stories can create a context where employees are motivated to perform their best and work as a team.

Steve Denning, former head of knowledge management at the World Bank and author of The Leader's Guide to Storytelling (2005) and The Secret Language of Leadership (2007), talks about how some companies are re-inventing the workplace using storytelling to inspire continuous innovation, productivity, job satisfaction, and client delight. He also discusses the role of storytelling as part of the seven basic principles of continuous innovation.

Elizabeth Woodward, a software transformation consultant with IBM and co-author of The Practical Guide to Distributed Scrum (2010), discusses how teams can create the change they envision by focusing on prioritization of needs in the form of user stories, continuous feedback from stakeholders, and consistent delivery of high-quality, valuable short-term wins.

Seth Kahan, an independent consultant with a specialty in change management, and author of Getting Change Right (2010), shows how leaders transform organizations from the inside out by getting people on board for bold new ideas.

Madelyn Blair, CEO of Pelerei, Inc., an organizational consulting firm, explains the concept and principles of radical learning and how it can be used to develop strategies for maintaining focus and achieving results.

If you are interested in learning the basics of storytelling, you should also check out The Basics of Organizational Storytelling on Thursday, April 15, 6:30 to 9 p.m.) to benefit the most from this program.

QUICK TIX CODE: 1M2-502
Coffee and pastries are served 8:30 to 9 a.m. Lunch is from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m.; participants provide their own lunch.
LOCATION
S. Dillon Ripley Center
1100 Jefferson Drive, SW
Metro: Smithsonian Mall Exit (Blue/Orange)

To register for Friday, go here


The Basics of Organizational Storytelling


Thurs., April 15, 6:30 to 9 p.m.


Storytelling has become an essential skills for managers and organizational leaders because it aids in establishing trust, articulating values, sparking innovation, inspiring action, sharing knowledge, building community, and generating followers and new leaders in organizations. Many leaders, however, have no background in storytelling and are confounded by how and when to share stories. In this seminar two individuals who have worked extensively in the field of organizational storytelling teach participants the basics, including the elements of an organizational story, when and how stories can be most effectively used in organizations, how stories told within an organization differ from stories told outside an organization, and how a story should be crafted to achieve specific goals and objectives.

The seminar is led by Thaler Pekar, founder and principal of Thaler Pekar & Partners, a consulting firm specializing in persuasive communications, and Svend-Eric Engh, author of Tell a Story: Be Heard, Be Understood, Get Action (Fokus).
QUICK TIX CODE: 1M2-501
LOCATION
S. Dillon Ripley Center
1100 Jefferson Drive, SW
Metro: Smithsonian Mall Exit (Blue/Orange)

To register for Thursday evening, go here

Saturday events:

You, Me, We: Connecting Through Story

To register and for more information, go here


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