How can you illustrate leadership training methods with storytelling?

En mi experiencia hay buena recepción de la herramienta de la narración especialmente cuando está bien elegida. Debe ser algo que atrape o que tenga un tono de comedia. En general la gente agradece que sea breve y entretenida. La uso para sensibilizar acerca de la distracción o la falta de foco con la que nos comunicamos cotidianamente pero no es el único tema en el que la aplico. El uso de la voz debe ser intencional y tener momentos de suspense. Trato de evitar que en la narración se incluyan palabras en otros idiomas. Y por lo general después de la narración genero una dinámica en grupo para que ellos puedan hacer el debrief.

A nivel general, hay 𝘁𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗶𝗽𝗼𝘀 𝗱𝗲 𝗵𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗮𝘀 que un líder debe usar. Historias negativas, historias positivas y neutrales. 𝟭) N𝗲𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗮𝘀: Las usas al inicio de todo mensaje porque son las que mejor captan la atención (por eso los noticieros comienzan con noticias negativas). Tambien las usas cuando quieres que la gente aprenda o recuerde una lección importante. 𝟮) N𝗲𝘂𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘀: Su usan para explicar, el qué, cuando, y por qué de algo. 𝟯) P𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗮𝘀: Estimulan el deseo, usar cuando quieres motivar. El 90% de las veces debes comenzar con historias negativas porque primero hay que 𝗰𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗮𝗿 𝗹𝗮 𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗶ó𝗻 𝘆 𝗹𝘂𝗲𝗴𝗼 𝗱𝗮𝗿 𝗹𝗮 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗰𝗶ó𝗻. Las positivas siempre al final.

Imagine teaching conflict resolution; a story of a leader navigating a tense situation with empathy and assertiveness becomes your beacon. Now, here's the twist: don't limit yourself to your own experiences. Venture into the world of other leaders, historical figures, or even fiction. Each source offers a unique lens through which to view leadership. So, when I stand before a group of eager learners, I don't just tell stories; I craft experiences. I ensure that every narrative chosen speaks directly to the essence of what we're exploring in leadership. This isn't just about conveying information; it's about igniting inspiration and leaving an indelible mark on the path to leadership excellence.

𝐀𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐧 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐆𝐨𝐚𝐥𝐬: Select stories that directly relate to the key objectives and skills of the leadership training, ensuring they illustrate the concepts being taught. 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐥-𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐄𝐱𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐬: Use real-life examples from your own experiences or well-known leaders, making the stories relatable and authentic for the audience. 𝐀𝐝𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐨𝐧 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐬: Pick stories that highlight common leadership challenges and how they were effectively navigated, providing practical insights and inspiration.

If you're teaching a crucial topic like innovation. Picture a story that starts with a problem – a challenge that seemed insurmountable. Then, introduce a creative solution that defies convention, sparking curiosity in your audience. Finally, conclude with a surprising result that leaves a lasting impression. Yet, there's more to it. Don't limit yourself to traditional structures; embrace the versatility of storytelling techniques. Consider hooks that grab attention, cliffhangers that keep your audience on the edge of their seats, twists that challenge assumptions, and metaphors that paint vivid mental pictures. To me, it's not just about sharing tales; it's about crafting an experience, its a blueprint for transformation.

En el storytelling de negocios, las historias deben tener las siguientes características: ✅Duración: Máximo 3 minutos (incluyendo con una introducción al tema y conclusión. ✅Estructura simple: Contexto, conflicto, resolución. En el contexto hay que dejar claro si la historia es real o ficticia. Si es real casi siempre debes comenzar con una fecha, si es ficticia se inicia con el clásico: "había una vez" ✅Final: En la resolución 𝗻𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗮 𝘀𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗯𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗻𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗿 𝗹𝗮 𝗽𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗿𝗮 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗷𝗮, eso es del storytelling de entretenimiento. Además si haces esto estarías violando el gran propósito de la historia, hacer que la gente saque sus conclusiones por ellos mismos.

Create a narrative structure in the most simplified way in 3steps: Beginning: Hook with a scenario of a struggling small company. Middle: Introduce conflict, solution journey focusing on a niche market, and product development. End: Resolve with successful outcome, highlighting the importance of thinking creatively and seizing opportunities.

People always like to hear from leaders that are relatable, sincere and vulnerable. When storytelling make sure you seek authentic and real to your audience, that’s where the true synergy can happen

En el delivery de tus historias, aparte del tiempo, máximo tres minutos, para generar el mayor impacto emocional hay que tener en cuenta lo siguiente: Usar los tres tonos, alto, bajo y pausas. El tono alto lo usas al inicio de la historia. El tono bajo al final de las frases. La pausa la debes usar en dos momentos clave, antes de un diálogo y antes del momento más importante de la historia. Otro elemento clave es el uso de un prop, u objeto tangible. Por ejemplo cuando Matthew Mcconaughey fue a la casa blanca como portavoz de los niños masacrados en Texas, llevo los zapatos de una de las niñas asesinadas diciendo. "Mayte llevaba unas converse verdes, fue solo a través de us zapatos que la pudieron reconocer después del tiroteo".

I understand that it's not just about narrating stories; it's about embodying them with confidence, emotion, and authenticity. Picture a story where a leader uses humor, empathy, and feedback to connect with their team. When delivering such a narrative, it's not just about words; it's about using your voice, body language, and facial expressions to convey the tone, mood, and emotions within the story. To keep your audience engaged, leverage pauses for emphasis, ask questions that provoke thought, and use gestures that draw them into the narrative. It's about making them active participants in the story. It's through confident, emotional, and authentic delivery that leadership concepts come alive, fostering connection and engagement.

𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐍𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞: Structure your stories with a clear beginning, middle, and end, using vivid details and relatable characters to capture and maintain your audience's interest. 𝐄𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: Convey the emotions involved in the story to create an emotional connection with your audience, helping them relate to the experiences and lessons. 𝐂𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐓𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬: Clearly articulate the key lessons or messages at the end of the story, linking them back to the training content and emphasising their practical applications.

The stories serve a dual purpose – they introduce and illustrate the concepts of leadership styles, and they show the benefits, challenges, and consequences of applying or not applying these styles. As a storyteller in leadership training, I understand that every narrative must align with the desired learning objectives. Stories become vehicles for introducing, illustrating, or reinforcing the skills, behaviors, or concepts that the audience needs to grasp. They offer tangible examples of the real-world application of these principles. In essence, it's about connecting the dots between the stories and the educational goals, ensuring that each narrative serves as a valuable building block in the journey towards leadership excellence.

Las historias que utilizamos para entrenamientos corporativos vienen en 3 distintos formatos: Clips de películas, estudio de caso e historias de ficción. De hecho hay una empresa que se llama training with movies que te ofrece casi todo para trabajar con alguna película en el contexto de entrenamientos. Las películas es el tipo de storytelling que más uso. Ejemplo: Para ilustrar la transición de individuo a líder= La serie de crown. Para mostrar los 4 estilos de liderazgo situacional= Karate kid 1. Para darle traducción a la psicología del tiempo psicoemocional =Rocky VI Pro tip: Es bueno utilizar una técnica que se llama "no me digas, muéstrame" Es decir, comenzar con la película y luego hacer el link con el tema que vas a explicar.

Here are some nuances to consider: Purposeful Story Selection: Choose stories that introduce, illustrate, or reinforce the concepts, skills, or behaviors relevant to the learning outcomes. Application & Consequences: Employ stories that demonstrate the benefits, challenges, and potential consequences of applying or neglecting the learning outcomes in real-life scenarios. Variety & Adaptability: Incorporate a range of stories and examples, showcasing how leaders with different styles respond to unique situations and achieve various outcomes. Emotional Connection: Select stories that elicit emotional responses from your audience, driving deeper engagement, and fostering genuine understanding of the learning goals.

Introduce concepts: Use stories to pique the interest of your audience, and introduce new concepts or ideas. This provides a strong, relatable foundation upon which you can build further learning. Illustrate principle: Craft stories that demonstrate real-life examples of the principles and concepts you aim to teach, enhancing audience understanding and promoting memory retention. Reinforce learning points:Apply storytelling to reiterate some of the most crucial concepts in your leadership training, solidifying your audience's grasp of essential lessons. Showcase benefits and challenges: Share instances that emphasize benefits achieved through the correct application of skills and the challenges overcome by implementing specific concepts.

To me the stories aren't just one-way narratives; they are interactive bridges to learning. They stimulate critical thinking, encourage open dialogue, and promote a culture of continuous improvement. If you have to discuss a topic as complex as ethics, the stories become a catalyst for discussion, debate, and feedback, encouraging participants to share their perspectives and solutions. Stories can serve as mirrors, prompting deep reflection and self-assessment among the audience. They become tools for action planning, guiding individuals towards aligning their actions with ethical principles.

𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐐𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬: Pose open-ended questions after sharing the story to encourage participants to reflect on the lessons and relate them to their own experiences. 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐩 𝐀𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬: Organise small group discussions or activities where participants can share their thoughts and insights, fostering a deeper understanding through collaborative learning. 𝐑𝐞𝐟𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐄𝐱𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐬: Provide opportunities for individual reflection, such as journaling or silent contemplation, allowing participants to internalise the story's lessons and consider how to apply them in their leadership roles.

I enjoy leveraging storytelling to captivate an audience, emphasizing the importance of tailoring the narrative to directly resonate with them. It's crucial to thoroughly understand the audience, ensure alignment with the story's key message, and gauge their interest during the narration. Observing audience cues allows for real-time adjustments, especially in areas where engagement may wane. To maintain relevance, regularly update and refine the story. When possible, seek audience input and be adept at making spontaneous changes or omitting less engaging parts. Remember, storytelling isn't just about the narrative itself; it's about conveying a message and fostering audience engagement.

Algo muy clave es saber diferenciar entre el storytelling para entretener y para enseñar. Siempre le digo a mis alumnos y clientes que el storytelling de negocios se usa para acortar el tiempo y distancia entre la explicación y el entendimiento. Ejemplo, si tienes que viajar de una ciudad a otra cuya distancia en es de 5 horas y necesitas llegar rápido, te gustaría ¿ir en bicicleta o en avión? El usar historias es proporcionar un avión a los asistentes, les ayuda a llegar más rápido a la conclusión. La principal diferencia con el storytelling de entretenimiento es la duración de las historias. En el contexto de negocios la duración máxima es de 3 minutos, incluidos una breve introducción y una breve conclusión.

One thing I found powerful beyond telling my own stories - getting participants to tell their own stories to one another, and thereafter identifying patterns and commonalities from the different narratives to draw learning point. I'll usually tell my own stories first to model the scope and level of details I'm inviting them to tell -> thereafter, they share their stories in pairs or clusters (depending on the nature of the conversation) -> I give a bit of time to consolidate patterns & commonalities -> I then get the groups to share their findings for discussion

A couple of areas not included in the article are: 𝐓𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐀𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞: Ensure the stories are relevant to the audience's background, industry, and experience level, making the lessons more applicable and impactful. 𝐅𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰-𝐔𝐩 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐬: Provide additional materials, such as articles, case studies, or videos, that reinforce the story's lessons and offer further opportunities for learning and application.