Storytelling In The News: #172

Chicago Tribune reviews Squirrel Inc

Jim Pawlak's syndicated column appeared in The Journal Gazette, Fort Wayne, Michigan and the The Chicago Tribune on July 27, 2004.

July 27, 2004

Biz Books Biz Books
By Jim Pawlak“
Squirrel Inc. – A Fable of Leadership Through Storytelling”
by Stephen Denning, Jossey-Bass, $22.95.

Great communicators often use stories to make their point. Why? Facts and figures can overwhelm and leave the human element out of situation. Telling someone to do something doesn’t teach them why it should be done.

Squirrel Inc. is a firm that transforms from nut-burying to nut-storing. It finds acorns of truth along its path. These acorns are the seven forms of organizational storytelling. Each of them shares the following framework: If your objective is. …You need a story that. …Your story will need to. …You will also need to. …Your story will use or inspire such phrases as. …When your story is successful. …

For example: If your objective involves a complex idea and a call to action, you need a story that is true. It must involve something to which the audience can relate and focus on a positive outcome. It needs to be told with minimal detail. You will also need to make it exciting to ensure people listen and want to learn more. You will use phrases such as “Just think” and “What if?”

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