**************************************************************************
CORPORATE STORYTELLING:
Discovering Fire for the Second Time
Vol. 4 Number 6 2004
Publisher: Evelyn Clark
evelyn@corpstory.com http://www.corpstory.com
(c) Clark & Company 2004
***************************************************************************
" You have to know your audience, and tailor your
story accordingly. After all, the whole point of communicating--whether
you do it through yelling or through telling stories--is
to be heard and understood."
--David Armstrong
Managing by Storying Around
===============================================
You are receiving this newsletter because you expressed
interest in Corporate Storytelling and/or requested that
you be included on the mailing list. You can instantly & automatically
remove yourself from this subscription using the links
at the very bottom of the message.
Please forward this E-Zine to anyone you know who is
interested in becoming a more effective communicator,
or who may want to learn how to supercharge their business/career.
PRIVACY STATEMENT: We will not share your address with
anyone. Period.
IN THIS ISSUE
- A Fun, Informative Gift for the Readers on Your
List
- Another Corporate Storytelling Webinar in January
- Communicating Business Strategy
- Contagious Success
- Around the Corporate Campfire Update
1. A Fun, Informative Gift for the
Readers on Your List
Looking for gift ideas for the people on your list
who love to read, are active in business and/or have
other types of leadership responsibilities? A copy of
Around the Corporate Campfire: How Great Leaders Use
Stories to Inspire Success would be ideal for:
- colleagues
- friends
- neighbors
- family members
- students
Everyone loves a good story! One of Evelyn's colleagues
reported that even her 14-year-old son enjoyed the collection
of stories about companies that manage through storytelling.
Order by Friday December 17, to ensure delivery
before Christmas. Click here to buy now: http://www.corpstory.com/products.htm
2. Another Corporate Storytelling
Webinar in January
For all of you who were disappointed to miss the first
Corporate Storytelling Webinar last month, we're scheduling
another FR*EE one-hour session in January, compliments
of www.picturetalk.com.
We're delighted to offer another chance for you to
hear and see Evelyn's introduction to the whys and hows
of organizational storytelling--and hear her share some
of her favorite stories from her book, Around
the Corporate Campfire: How Great Leaders Use Stories
to Inspire Success.
Here are the highlights of what the presentation will
cover:
- why so many top CEOs love to tell stories
- how successful leaders use stories effectively
- the bottom-line results of storytelling for organizations
So stay tuned! We'll let you know the date and how
to register as soon as we confirm the date.
3. Communicating Business Strategy
If you want all your employees to understand your business
strategy, here are some tips to help you as you prepare
your communication plan. In the October issue (Vol. 5,
Issue 5) of Melcrum Communications' publication, The
Source for Communicators, Paul Sanchez,
head of communication at Mercer Human Resource Consulting,
advises that you:
1. First confirm there's a valid strategy
Don't make the mistake of assuming your mission
and business plan are valid, that your values are accurately
expressed, and that your business strategy is up to date.
Before your announce the strategic direction, make sure
that the leaders agree on the stated strategy and can
clearly articulate it. If they aren't on the same page,
work with them until they are and before you go public.
2. Define the terms for everyone
If terms aren't consistently defined, there's
often confusion about how to apply them. Terms like mission
and vision, values, culture and business strategy are
the most misused, Sanchez says, and it's crucial for
your organization to agree on these terms and how they're
used. It's also important to distinguish strategy from
mission, which is the enduring purpose of the organization,
its reason for existing. Strategy is the way in which
your organization applies its resources to achieve the
mission or purpose.
3. Develop the core story
Some organizations merely reiterate the "official
statement" created for external audiences, such
as investors, analysts, the media and the general public.
The essence of that message should certainly be the same
for employees, but it needs to be adjusted to appeal
their specific interests within the context of your organization's
mission and values.
4. Inform and involve employees
It's highly unlikely that a single memo, e-mail
or news release by itself will inform and motivate staff,
Sanchez says. Gaining awareness, understanding and cooperation
is hard work, particularly when it comes to supporting
and implementing a business strategy and plan. The communicator's
role is to move people from awareness to understanding,
through cooperation and behavior change. With employees,
this can be done by clearly expressing how they contribute
to the organization's success.
5. Choose the right channels
Choosing and applying the right methods to
communicate strategy to employees is one of the communication
arts. What seems to be most effective is a multi-media
approach that orchestrates various media channels, such
as print materials, Web sites and face-to-face learning
sessions.
To purchase the full article ("A 10-point guide
to communicating business strategy to employees"),
or to find out more about the The Business Communicator
go to: http://www.melcrum.com/link/tbc.html
4. Contagious Success
Only 10 percent of knowledge workers are part of a
high-performing workgroup, one that makes money for the
company and is creating a new product or service, according
to a new book, Contagious Success.
The findings were the result of the largest and most
in-depth global study ever done on the factors that either
accelerate or stifle high performance in the workplace.
The book was brought to Evelyn's attention by her colleague
Paula Bartholome, The Corporate Jester, who calls the
book "a no-nonsense approach to dealing with performance
issues in workgroup or team environments." The Hudson
Highland Center for High Performance conducted the study,
and author Susan Lucia Annunzio reveals her proven strategies
for identifying, nurturing and replicating high-performing
business units.
Annunzio says that senior management usually focuses
on fixing its lowest performing units, but instead should
study the best groups so their practices can be shared
with the lower performers.
Batholome's full report on the book is at www.parallax-perspectives.com and
the book is available on AMAZON
5. Around the Corporate Campfire Update
The word keeps spreading about Evelyn's book, Around
The Corporate Campfire: How Great Leaders Use Stories
To Inspire Success. It was featured in a business column
in The Seattle Times last month and in this month's issue
of Marketing.
To read the Times article, go to
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/
Macmillan India has already published the Indian version
of the book and has launched an ambitious publicity campaign.
Negotiations are underway with a publisher in China,
and the book is under review by several other Asian publishers
and one in France.
If you haven't already bought a copy for yourself,
you can preview it on Amazon.com, order it from any bookstore,
or of course, you can still buy direct from the author
at www.corpstory.com or www.aroundthecorporatecampfire.com.
Both sites offer the e-book version as well as the paperback.
If you don't already have a copy of Around the Corporate
Campfire, buy one today! Learn how some of America's
top companies are using stories to convey values, vision,
and desired behavior. Become a better leader by modeling
your communication after the CEOs and executives of companies
such as FedEx, Nike, Costco Wholesale, Mary Kay, and
The Container Store.
===============================================
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
To subscribe to this e-zine, either complete the short
form on any page of the website - http://www.corpstory.com or
send a blank email to mailto:subscribe@corpstory.com
To automatically and instantly remove yourself from
our list or change your email address, use the links
at the very bottom of this message.
Build your web traffic by trading permanent links with
us. Send your web address in an e-mail to evelyn@corpstory.com and
we will contact you re arrangements.
Evelyn Clark, The Corporate Storyteller
Author, Around the Corporate Campfire
t. (Seattle area) 425-827-3998
t. (toll-free) 1-866-818-8079
e. evelyn@corpstory.com
w. www.corpstory.com
|
