Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

Powered by Storytelling: Excavate, Craft, and Present Stories to Transform Business Communication
Powered by Storytelling: Excavate, Craft, and Present Stories to Transform Business Communication
Powered by Storytelling: Excavate, Craft, and Present Stories to Transform Business Communication
Ebook208 pages2 hours

Powered by Storytelling: Excavate, Craft, and Present Stories to Transform Business Communication

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

3.5/5

()

Read preview

About this ebook

HARNESS THE UNIVERSAL POWER OF STORYTELLING TO IMPROVE ALL OF YOUR BUSINESS COMMUNICATIONS.

What’s your story? It’s a question human beings have been asking each other since we first gathered around a campfire. Millennia later, this human need for storytelling hasn’t changed. We communicate most effectively through our personal stories—and our professional success depends on it.

This groundbreaking guide shows you how to tap into the timeless power of storytelling to transform your business. Here, executive coach, motivational speaker, and psychologist Murray Nossel, PhD, distills decades of experience into a simple method that will enable you to:

•Find the right story for a particular audience and purpose.

•Leverage your own experiences, memories, history, and heritage.

•Create, develop, and craft a universal story that resonates.

•Connect with business associates on a more personal, relatable level.

•Share your corporate vision and goals—and get others on board.

•Resolve workplace conflicts and find workable solutions.

•Boost creativity, spread ideas, and spark true innovation.

•Improve teamwork and collaboration through listening and learning.

•Integrate storytelling into all your communications for ongoing success.

You’ll learn the proven three-step method Murray’s firm, Narativ, uses with its clients, ranging from Fortune 500 companies to nonprofits. First, you excavate your personal memories and experiences to generate story ideas that suit your particular needs. Second, you craft and shape these elements into a classic story structure that really connects with audiences. Third, you present your story to your business audience using simple performance techniques that anyone can master. A fundamental element of this method is a focus on listening: the ability to hear yourself, as well as the feedback provided by a given audience―because it is your audience’s listening that shapes your telling.

Everyone needs to communicate well to succeed in business. And everyone has a story to tell. Powered by Storytelling shows you how to tell your story, connect with your audience, and achieve results.

LanguageEnglish
Release dateApr 27, 2018
ISBN9781260011913
Powered by Storytelling: Excavate, Craft, and Present Stories to Transform Business Communication

Related to Powered by Storytelling

Related ebooks

Business Communication For You

View More

Related articles

Reviews for Powered by Storytelling

Rating: 3.6666666666666665 out of 5 stars
3.5/5

3 ratings1 review

What did you think?

Tap to rate

Review must be at least 10 words

  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Murray Nossel takes an unexpected approach to storytelling. The beginning of the book focuses on honing individual and collective listening skills. Be patient. This all makes sense if you want to be a better storyteller. This book addresses more than storytelling, though. The lessons within this volume can transform how individuals and teams communicate. Nossel explains how people can move beyond judgments and biases to connect at a deep level of emotion and meaning. The methodology Nossel describes is not complex, but it does take practice. It requires a different way of perceiving and interacting with oneself and others. Plenty examples are provided illustrating the effectiveness and power of the process outlined. Exercises are provided for honing necessary skills. Nossel leads the reader through the process of developing an impactful story and explains how to present that story with impact. This is a worthwhile read for anyone who wants to become a more powerful communicator in any arena of life.

Book preview

Powered by Storytelling - Murray Nossel

PRAISE FOR POWERED BY STORYTELLING AND MURRAY NOSSEL

"If you think your enterprise doesn’t need great storytellers, this book will convince you that you’re wrong. With creativity and verve, Murray Nossel shows how to apply the power of narrative to marketing, manufacturing, management, and just about every corner of your business. If you want to become a better storyteller—and a better listener—Powered by Storytelling is the book for you."

—DANIEL H. PINK, New York Times bestselling author of Drive and To Sell Is Human

"Knowing how to craft and tell a purposeful story is a seminal skill set for every business communicator. Powered by Storytelling offers a must-have methodology for anyone who wants to learn how to tell winning stories for business success."

—PETER GUBER, chairman and CEO of Mandalay Entertainment Group and New York Times bestselling author of Tell to Win

As our lives become more digitized, the power of storytelling will rise, elevating our humanity. No one captures how to harness this tool as well as Murray Nossel. This is a fabulous handbook on how to connect through storytelling and how to listen with intent.

—FAITH POPCORN, founder and CEO of Faith Popcorn’s Brain Reserve

"We are all overwhelmed by messages and content on various platforms, but what has not changed since our cavepeople predecessors is the importance and power of a great and compelling story. Stories are the key differentiator, and Murray Nossel’s listening and storytelling methods provide a straightforward yet ingenious way to create that differentiation. Murray’s method is the engine to foster the creativity and innovative thinking to tell a unique story. Powered by Storytelling is an indispensable asset."

—JONATHAN D. KLEIN, cofounder and chairman of Getty Images

"If you want to learn how to tell a great story, read this book. Murray Nossel, himself a psychologist and master storyteller whose own tales recall the best of David Sedaris, offers a unique method that is sure to work.

"Powered by Storytelling is much more than a how-to book about business communication. It’s an important road map for anyone who wants to convey a point in a meeting, make a compelling argument to colleagues, and listen in a way that brings out the best stories in business and in life."

—SUSAN ADAMS, senior editor at Forbes

"Murray Nossel presents a thoughtful guide, teaching us how to discover and tell the personal stories hiding within each of us—and he artfully illustrates how this brilliant tool can have a profound impact on group dynamics in any setting. If you’re looking to spark new talent within your organization, this book generously reveals how you can be Powered by Storytelling."

—ROB SORCHER, global chief content officer of Cartoon Network

Murray Nossel has forever changed my understanding of communication and deeply influenced my ability to communicate. His insights for the teller and the listener are simple yet profound.

—KATIA BEAUCHAMP, CEO of Birchbox

Murray Nossel’s storytelling method acts like a laser beam in the hands of teachers and coaches. It pierces through the fog of the typical narrative to reveal the storyteller’s sense of herself in the world. Bring this method to your work, and your students and clients will feel more in touch with themselves!

—MIKE G. KATZ, founding director of the Interpersonal Development Program at the University of California, Berkeley, Haas School of Business.

We live in an age of white noise, a constant barrage of messaging, most of which is completely ignored. The only thing that cuts through is effective storytelling. Murray Nossel’s Narativ method is a powerful, science-based, empathetic, and engaging process that enables anyone to excavate, craft, and present a story to form a deep connection with the listener.

—MARK RANDALL, assistant professor of strategic design and management at Parsons School of Design

Psychologist, actor, and corporate consultant Murray Nossel brings Narativ’s innovative practice of storytelling to the business community. Through a life lived onstage, in the academy, and in the boardroom, Nossel has discovered the enduring power of storytelling: one person describes an event in such sensory detail—what do I see, hear, taste, smell, touch?—that the listeners enter and experience the world of the teller. In his What happened?" model, Nossel coaches his client groups toward empathy for one another, trust for members of their team, and a shocking clarity for each storyteller. Powered by Storytelling is a beacon for those in search of a workplace of collaboration, effective teamwork, authenticity, and joy.

—RITA CHARON, MD, PHD, chair of the Department of Medical Humanities and Ethics at Columbia University

"In an era of increasingly loud echo chambers where genuine debate and dialogue are rarified, Powered by Storytelling not only gives the reader a compelling method to create cohesion and express sentiment but also to generate listening behaviors that break through silos and truly transform business communication."

—JIM KNIGHT, The Rt Hon Lord Knight of Weymouth, Chief Education Adviser at TES Global, and former Minister for Schools (U.K.)

Murray Nossel teaches companies that better performance lies not only in better processes but in more empathetic processes, not only in more efficient meetings but in more aware meetings. Bringing our stories into work is what we do anyway—this book teaches us how to leverage their power.

—CRISTIAN LUPŞA, founding editor of Decât o Revistă and founder of The Power of Storytelling Conference

We all have a story, but we don’t all know how to tell it. This book will teach you. Inside Murray Nossel’s sometimes hilarious, sometimes heartbreaking tales are the tools you need to craft your own narrative. I’m buying a copy for everyone I know. You should, too!

—JANN TURNER, director on ABC’s Scandal and NBC’s Chicago Fire

Copyright © 2018 by Murray Nossel. All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the United States Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

ISBN: 978-1-26-001191-3

MHID:       1-26-001191-7

The material in this eBook also appears in the print version of this title: ISBN: 978-1-26-001190-6, MHID: 1-26-001190-9.

eBook conversion by codeMantra

Version 1.0

All trademarks are trademarks of their respective owners. Rather than put a trademark symbol after every occurrence of a trademarked name, we use names in an editorial fashion only, and to the benefit of the trademark owner, with no intention of infringement of the trademark. Where such designations appear in this book, they have been printed with initial caps.

McGraw-Hill Education eBooks are available at special quantity discounts to use as premiums and sales promotions or for use in corporate training programs. To contact a representative, please visit the Contact Us page at www.mhprofessional.com.

TERMS OF USE

This is a copyrighted work and McGraw-Hill Education and its licensors reserve all rights in and to the work. Use of this work is subject to these terms. Except as permitted under the Copyright Act of 1976 and the right to store and retrieve one copy of the work, you may not decompile, disassemble, reverse engineer, reproduce, modify, create derivative works based upon, transmit, distribute, disseminate, sell, publish or sublicense the work or any part of it without McGraw-Hill Education’s prior consent. You may use the work for your own noncommercial and personal use; any other use of the work is strictly prohibited. Your right to use the work may be terminated if you fail to comply with these terms.

THE WORK IS PROVIDED AS IS. McGRAW-HILL EDUCATION AND ITS LICENSORS MAKE NO GUARANTEES OR WARRANTIES AS TO THE ACCURACY, ADEQUACY OR COMPLETENESS OF OR RESULTS TO BE OBTAINED FROM USING THE WORK, INCLUDING ANY INFORMATION THAT CAN BE ACCESSED THROUGH THE WORK VIA HYPERLINK OR OTHERWISE, AND EXPRESSLY DISCLAIM ANY WARRANTY, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. McGraw-Hill Education and its licensors do not warrant or guarantee that the functions contained in the work will meet your requirements or that its operation will be uninterrupted or error free. Neither McGraw-Hill Education nor its licensors shall be liable to you or anyone else for any inaccuracy, error or omission, regardless of cause, in the work or for any damages resulting therefrom. McGraw-Hill Education has no responsibility for the content of any information accessed through the work. Under no circumstances shall McGraw-Hill Education and/or its licensors be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, punitive, consequential or similar damages that result from the use of or inability to use the work, even if any of them has been advised of the possibility of such damages. This limitation of liability shall apply to any claim or cause whatsoever whether such claim or cause arises in contract, tort or otherwise.

To David Hoos, my life partner

In memory of my father,

Norman Woolf Nossel (1932–2012),

a business visionary

CONTENTS

PREFACE

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

INTRODUCTION

WHY STORY? WHY NOW?

IDENTIFY OBSTACLES TO LISTENING

RELEASE OBSTACLES TO LISTENING

REMEMBER YOUR HERITAGE

TELL WHAT HAPPENED

FIND YOUR ENDING

CONNECT WITH YOUR AUDIENCE

EPILOGUE

NOTES

INDEX

PREFACE

My career in transforming business communications using scientific methods began 30 years ago. While I was completing my master’s research in applied psychology, my father asked me to travel to Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, where his company had a pharmaceutical factory.

Zimbabwe had recently undergone a political revolution in which the old white government led by Ian Smith was replaced by the new black government of Robert Mugabe. The ministers issued a decree that black employees move into the supervisory and managerial positions that had been held mostly by whites since the factory began production.

The factory director told me, We’ve got a huge problem. Trained in the Rhodesian army, many of the white managers had learned an authoritarian style and held racist views. The black personnel had worked the machines and conveyor belts on the factory floor. They hadn’t been trained to lead. There was no way a white man would accept a black man as his equal or boss. It was impossible.

My father was already working on a project to transform race relations in the South African workplace. He collaborated with a U.S.-based industrial psychologist, Dr. Melvin Sorcher, who specialized in behavioral change in the workplace. Sorcher’s core belief was that racist attitudes were based on deep-rooted values and were difficult to change. However, Sorcher asserted that behavior was amenable to change. Over time, transformed behavior eventually would lead to shifts in values and attitudes. Focused on the ways people communicated, Sorcher developed a behavior modeling method to help people navigate conflict, resolve disagreements, and avoid emotional outbursts.

I trained in Sorcher’s method and spent much of the year in Bulawayo applying his techniques. My process included videotaping actors role-playing conflict situations and screening those films with employees, who then took turns role-playing the situations in dyads. For example, in a module in which a supervisor was correcting a workplace behavior, the first step was always to acknowledge the supervisee for work he or she had done well. This step was based on studies showing that employees were more likely to listen to criticism after they’d been acknowledged.

The pharmaceutical company survived 47 years of political turmoil and continues to operate in Bulawayo. I would like to think that the behavior modeling work had something to do with its survival. Although my path to applying storytelling to business communication had not yet formally begun, this experience made a lasting impression on me. I understood that there are inventive ways to improve communication in business.

After Bulawayo I returned to South Africa to complete research I had begun on methods for improving creativity. Working in the laboratory at the Wits University Department of Applied Psychology, I used a pre-post test experimental design. First, I measured creativity. Then I exposed research participants to different procedures: sensory deprivation, brainstorming, and a control group. In brief, my study showed that brainstorming, in which one generates as many ideas as possible by freewheeling thought association and suspending judgment, had a positive impact on creativity. My conclusion was that the most effective way of enhancing creativity was learning how to suspend judgment. This observation would resurface to play a critical role in my listening and storytelling method.

After a two-year stint working in mental hospitals in Cape Town, I registered with the South African Medical and Dental Council as a clinical psychologist. Then I received my army call-up papers. After boot camp, I was appointed to the position of chief psychology officer of the Natal Medical Command. My patients were soldiers. Many had returned from months alone in the African bushveld with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), vacant stares on their faces, and unable to speak.

Only one treatment worked. I asked them, What happened? and listened as they recounted

Enjoying the preview?
Page 1 of 1