David Hutchens, an expert in storytelling for leaders, shares invaluable insights on how personal narratives can enhance organizational connection. He emphasizes that an effective story should be brief, impactful, and include a clear leadership point. Hutchens discusses the balance between personal reflection and community storytelling, highlighting the significance of emotional articulation. He even introduces a storytelling tool, the Leadership Story Deck, to help leaders master their narrative skills and facilitate meaningful change within their organizations.
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When to Tell Personal Stories
Tell "me stories" when interviewing, building your brand, or extending influence.
Use them to showcase value, share beliefs, and onboard new employees.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Coaching for Leaders Origin Story
Dave Stachowiak started Coaching for Leaders because he couldn't find a good leadership podcast.
He prioritized consistent airing, good audio, and useful content.
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Keep Stories Concise
Effective leadership stories are concise, around 2-3 minutes long.
Focus on the core message and cut unnecessary details.
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David Hutchens: Leadership Story Deck
David Hutchens helps leaders find and tell their stories. He works with leaders around the world to find, craft, and tell their most urgent stories for the purpose of creating shared meaning, preserving culture, disseminating learning, and speeding change in organizations.
He has taught the Storytelling Leader program at some of the most influential organizations, including NASA, Paypal, Loreal Paris, Cisco, Walmart, Google, FedEx — and he’s written many books, including the Circle of the 9 Muses*, Story Dash*, and The Leadership Story Deck*. He is the co-creator with longtime friend of the show Susan Gerke of the GO Team program.
Many of us have heard that we should be vulnerable and, at least occasionally, share a story about ourselves. But how do you tell a story about yourself without making the entire interaction about you? In this episode, David and I explore how to best utilize a personal story to help the organization move forward.
Key Points
While leaders more often tell stories about others, a personal story can be very powerful for relationship building.
An effective, personal story is 2-3 minutes.
Telling a story about yourself needs to have a leadership point. Be clear on the “so what?” once the story concludes.
Even if you don’t quite capture all the emotion, say the word out loud that describes the emotion you want to convey.
Share your stories with others to get objective insight to tighten your message.
Resources Mentioned
Leadership Story Deck by David Hutchens (use code CFL24 for a limited-time discount)
To receive a free copy of the Story Canvas, David invites listeners to reach out to him directly via david@davidhutchens.com
Related Episodes
Ignite Change Through Storytelling, with Nancy Duarte and Patti Sanchez (episode 268)
How to Start Better With Peers, with Michael Bungay Stanier (episode 635)
What Vulnerable Leadership Sounds Like, with Jacob Morgan (episode 648)
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