Publisher: Evelyn Clark
evelyn@corpstory.com http://www.corpstory.com

(c) Clark & Company 2004
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" The marketplace is demanding that we burn the policy manuals
and knock off the incessant memo writing; there's just no time.
It also demands we empower everyone to constantly take initiatives.
It turns out stories are a--if not the--leadership answer to both issues."

--Tom Peters

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IN THIS ISSUE
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1. Special Pre-Publication Offer

2. Telling Tales in the Harvard Business Review

3. Are Consumers Influenced by CSR?

4. This Month's Featured Corporate Story

5. Corporate Storytelling Live

6. Upcoming Storytelling Events

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1. Special Pre-Publication Offer
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Evelyn's new book, Around The Corporate Campfire: How Great
Leaders Use Stories To Inspire Success, is scheduled to be released
at the end of June. If you order before June 30th, shipping and
handling will be included in the purchase price of $19.95.

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.

Order your copy of the book now and save. Go to Evelyn's Web site,
www.corpstory.com, and reserve your print copy today. An e-book format
also will be offered soon. Check the Web site toward the end of June
if you prefer e-format.

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2. Telling Tales in the Harvard Business Review
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Harvard Business Review's May issue includes another article
about storytelling in organizations. (Last Spring award-winning writer,
director, and screenwriting coach Robert McKee was featured in
an article on his experiences with business stories.) The latest
article, "Telling Tales," was written by Steve Denning, author of
The Springboard: How Storytelling Ignites Action in Knowledge-Era
Organizations.

Steve relates his experiences with storytelling at the World Bank
when he was program director of knowledge management. He also
lists the seven uses of stories as he has categorized them:
sparking action
communicating who you are
transmitting values
fostering collaboration
taming the grapevine
sharing knowledge
leading people into the future
To purchase a reprint of the article, go to www.hbr.com and search
for "Telling Tales."

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3. Are Consumers Influenced by CSR?
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Consumers are "increasingly keen" to know companies' Corporate
Social Responsibility policies, reports a recent issue of The Source
for Communicators from Melcrum Communications, but few have the
information to act on their beliefs. Citing a poll from MORI, The Source
says 84% of respondents said CSR would influence their buying decisions,
but only 5% consistently buy brands on ethical grounds.

TV advertising was named as the most effective means of consumer
communication, but word of mouth was more important, according to the
poll. Jenny Dawkins, director of the study, said "it's the more informal
forms of communication that really influence people. Employees make
very good advocates of CSR."

While 86% of people surveyed thought companies should communicate
their community activity and 59% said it's acceptable for companies
to benefit from these activities, they didn't want companies to allocate
significant budgets to communicating about CSR if it meant the social
service program budgets would be cut as a result.

A full article on the research is published in another Melcrum publication,
The Business Communicator. For more information, go to
http://www.melcrum.com/link/tbc.html. For details on the MORI study,
contact jenny.dawkins@mori.com.

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4. ^^^^This Month's Featured Corporate Story^^^^
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WRQ: Just Like Riding A Bike

Why would an enterprise software and IT consulting company
feature a cyclist on the cover of its annual report? And why would the
chairman's message be accompanied by a photo of him in cycling gear?

When the company is WRQ, it makes perfect sense, unlikely as the
image may seem. As explained on the annual report cover, WRQ shares
key traits with world-class bicycle racers. “Those who succeed are well
trained and race proven," the copy explains. "They have an overwhelming
desire to win—a desire fueled by confidence, teamwork, endurance, and
commitment. WRQ shares the same overwhelming desire to win.”

Chairman, CEO and founding partner Doug Walker has been commuting
by bicycle since the company was founded in 1981, and many of his
employees are cyclist commuters, too. "We have more cyclists percentage-wise
than REI," laughs Walker, a member of REI's Board of Directors. He's quick
to add that it stands to reason, since WRQ is near downtown Seattle and
REI's headquarters building is in an office/industrial complex near a suburban
shopping mall.

But the large population of cyclists at WRQ reflects the casual culture in a
company that identifies teamwork as a core value. The team spirit is evident
in many ways, including the enthusiastic use of storytelling as a basic
communication tool. Walker tells stories in his frequent talks to employee
groups, stories are an expected part of monthly reports, and employees
" grade" one another on how well they write their tales!

Explaining that employees are proud of WRQ's products and services, which
enable companies to access and integrate host applications, Walker
says “you have to use stories to tell people what you expect. You can’t just
tell them to adopt a new attitude about work. The trick is to tell inspiring
stories in such a way that you connect them to the individuals listening.
Can they do the same thing as the hero of the story? Do they have it in them?”

At WRQ the answer is obviously, "Yes." Four out of five Fortune 500
companies rely on their products daily, and the company is the highest rated
in its industry for customer service and customer loyalty. In addition, 74%
of the company's customers say they plan to establish WRQ's products
as their corporate standard.

Note: The rest of WRQ's story is told in Around The Corporate
Campfire: How Great Leaders Use Stories To Inspire Success. Go

to www.corpstory.com and order your copy now.

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5. Corporate Storytelling Live
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National Storytelling Conference adds second presentation from Evelyn!

Evelyn is now presenting two programs at the National Storytelling
Conference next month in Bellingham, WA, and you won't want to miss them--or
any of the other exciting events lined up between July 6 - 11!

When another speaker canceled an appearance at a pre-conference
event Tuesday evening, July 6th, the National Storytelling Network's
Storytelling in Organizations group asked Evelyn to moderate a panel
discussion with executives from the companies featured in her book,
Around the Corporate Campfire. It promises to be an engaging, informative
and fun evening, with the following panelists sharing their tales and insights:
Nelson Farris, Director of Education and Chief Storyteller, Nike
Dick Ploetz, Vice President of Human Resource Systems and Operations, Medtronic
Rich Barbee, President and CEO, K/P Corporation
The panel discussion will be held in the Wilson Libraries Presentation Room
on the Western Washington University campus and the event is open to the public,
so bring your friends and colleagues! A no-host bar reception begins at 7 p.m.,
followed by the program from 7:30 - 9:00. Tickets will be available at the door.
Admission is $20.

Another presentation you won't want to miss:

Friday, July 9, 2004 -- "Passing the Torch: How Great Leaders Impart
Mission, Vision, and Values Through Storytelling" is the topic of Evelyn's
second presentation at conference. This one is scheduled for 10 - 11:30 a.m.

All Conference presentations are on the campus of Western Washington University
in Bellingham, 90 miles north of Seattle and 55 miles south of Vancouver, BC.
For more information and to register, go to http://www.ac.wwu.edu/~rvohs/NSC.html
Maps and directions are also posted online.

To bring the power of story to your company, or to your organization's
next conference or retreat, book The Corporate Storyteller now.
Call from the Seattle area: (425) 827-3998 or (toll-free) at 1-866-818-8079.

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6. Upcoming Storytelling Events
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Wednesday, July 7, 2004 -- The Storytelling in Organizations section
of the National Storytelling Network has lined up a "highly interactive series
of sessions" at the annual conference in Bellingham, "including world café-style
full group interactions, keynote speakers, a panel on storytelling and
technology, and an offering of practical applications workshops." Learn from
the thought leaders and trendsetters in this emerging field. To sign up, go to http://www.ac.wwu.edu/~rvohs/NSC_SIGpreconference.html.

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