Hi Alan,

As the author of three books on business storytelling (Business Storytelling for Dummies, Wake Me Up When the Data Is Over, and Stories Trainers Tell), I wanted to thank you for reinforcing the power of story for leaders. We cannot talk about this subject enough!

I wanted to add a couple items to the conversation. First, the story's key point, not the topic of the story, is what a leader needs to consider when selecting a story to tell, whether it be personal or from another source (and used with permission). Example: I tell a funny personal story in a keynote talk on personal resilience about what happened to me with a hair dresser to communicate why we need to say "I'm done!" to certain people and activities in our lives.

Second, in order to move people to action (which is the main goal of storytelling in a work environment, aside from deepening relationships), leaders need to learn how to storify data. We now know through research that's been conducted, that when data is added to a story, it negates the power of the story. We include a full chapter on this in the Dummies book.

Third, there are many forms of narrative. It's important to know that anecdotes, examples, descriptions, case studies, testimonials, and the like, are not stories. Yet many people lump them all under the category of story. Why is this important? Only story has the ability to impact people physically, mentally, emotionally, and at the level of spirit (where true change takes place). I wrote a piece with a colleague that demonstrates the distinctions so we can all learn the difference. I got this idea while speaking to corporate communicators, who admitted they don't know the distinction.

Thanks again for bringing forward an important leadership skill!
Lori