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CORPORATE
STORYTELLING:
Discovering Fire for the Second Time
Vol. 4 Number 5 2004
Publisher: Evelyn Clark
evelyn@corpstory.com http://www.corpstory.com
(c) Clark & Company 2004
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" These days, we need our mythmakers, our storytellers,
as urgently as we ever have. Storytelling is what turns
the pedestrian - a plush toy, a newscast - into something
relevant, something moving."
--Charles Fishman
as quoted in Fast Company
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IN THIS ISSUE
1. First Corporate Storytelling Webinar: November 18
2. New Criteria for Selecting Leaders
3. Behaviors that Damage Organizational Communication
4. Storytelling Your Way through Change
5. Around the Corporate Campfire Update
1. First Corporate Storytelling
Webinar: November 18
All those people who have requested a public Corporate
Storytelling workshop will finally have an opportunity
to attend a one-hour seminar on Thursday, November 18th--and
it's FR*EE! Thanks to the generosity of www.picturetalk.com,
Evelyn is able to offer this introduction to the whys
and hows of organizational storytelling. So if you've
ever wanted to learn more about the programs Evelyn usually
offers only to corporate groups or associations, this
is your chance!
Don't miss this one-time opportunity to learn about
the power of storytelling first-hand from The Corporate
Storyteller--for no charge! In this free session, Evelyn
will share some of her favorite tales from her book--and
you'll learn
- why so many top CEOs love to tell stories
- how successful leaders use stories effectively
- the bottom-line results of storytelling for organizations
Hosted by Pixion PictureTalk, the webinar starts at
2 PM Eastern Time, 1PM CDT and 11 PST. Don't miss this
extraordinary opportunity to attend a FR*EE Corporate
Storytelling seminar--without leaving your own desk!
Click here to register now: http://www.theharmangroup.com/Webinars/evelynclark_111804.html
2. New Criteria for Selecting Leaders
Based on her recent interviews with corporate executives
and news about Coca-Cola's search for a new leader, Carol
Kinsey Gorman writes in a recent issue of Northwest Entrepreneur
Network's Venture e-zine that the criteria for
selecting CEOs have changed. " In contrast to control-minded
authority of the past, today's leaders must exercise
power through a shared purpose and vision," Gorman
says. "An organizational vision is not the same
as long-range or even strategic planning.
"Planning is a linear process, progression toward
a goal. Vision is more holistic -- a sense of direction
that combines a good business strategy with a comprehensive
organizational purpose that declares its own importance.
A vision describes a business as it could become over
the long term and outlines a feasible way of achieving
this goal.
"People look to leaders for direction. To transform
an organization, leaders must adopt and communicate a
vision of the future that impels people beyond the boundaries
and limits of the past....It is incredibly important
that leaders clearly articulate the vision, and set expectations
through the images they create and the stories they tell."
For the complete article, go to http://www.nwen.org/venturer/1004/article4.htm
3. Behaviors that Damage Organizational
Communication
A quantitative study conducted by Melcrum Communications
with more than 700 communication professionals worldwide
explored the managerial behaviors they believed to be
the most damaging to organizational communication. "Not
putting information in the right context" was at
the top of the list for large organizations (and second
on the list overall). No less than 65% of respondents
cited this behavior as the one they considered to be
the most detrimental for organizational communication.
According to Melcrum's The Source for Communicators,
the top three detrimental managerial behaviors in large
organizations were:
Not putting information in the right context 65%
Not making time to discuss issues with employees 55%
Not wanting to be accountable for communication 49%
4. Storytelling Your Way through
Change
Communication massive changes in strategy, culture,
vision, goals and every other part of running a business
continues to be a common challenge in the corporate world.
Storytelling can be invaluable for those leading the
charge. Earlier this week Evelyn presented a keynote
to 200 leaders at a major Europe-based corporation who
are managing a fundamental culture shift--along with
comprehensive product and process changes--resulting
from multiple acquisitions. Sound familiar to anyone?
If you or anyone you know is faced with the challenge
of leading a significant change initiative, remember
that storytelling can be an invaluable communication
tool. Described by Harvard University's Howard Gardner,
Ph.D., as "the single most powerful tool in a leader's
toolkit," storytelling enlivens communication, and
effective communication is one of the top responsibilities
of a leader. Stories breathe life into messages of mission,
vision, and values. By relating tales of people " caught
doing things right," a leader paints a clear picture
of what it takes to succeed in the organization and helps
employees at every level to see how they can contribute
to achieving the corporate goals--even as those goals
are shifting.
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.
5. Around the Corporate Campfire Update
News is traveling fast about Evelyn's book, Around
The Corporate Campfire: How Great Leaders Use Stories
To Inspire Success. It was announced in the October
issue of The Costco Connection, and it will
be featured in the December issue of Marketing.
Evelyn also will be writing a guest column on the book's
findings for the February issue of Washington CEO.
Foreign rights to the book have already been sold to
publishers in India and Russia, and a number of other
foreign publishers have requested review copies. You'll
soon be able to find copies around the world! Also, you
can now "look inside the book" on Amazon.com
to get a preview if you haven't already bought a copy.
Of course, you can still buy direct at www.corpstory.com or www.aroundthecorporatecampfire.com.
Both sites offer the e-book 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.
To subscribe to this e-zine, either
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