The Art of Storytelling

We're currently prepping for the MRI Ascend conference in APAC. It's made me think back to the most valuable professional development course I’ve ever done. It came completely out of left field. It was a storytelling course.

Years ago I was lucky enough to get sent on a two day National Institute of Dramatic Art workshop called "The Art of Storytelling".

To be honest, I wasn’t enthralled at the time. I expected the cliche'd presentation skills. PowerPoint tips. Maybe some of those "public speaking techniques".

Turns out I was way off. we spent two days learning how to communicate ideas with no slides, no notes and mostly no props (at least as presentation aids).

We focused on how to structure a narrative. How to engage an audience. How to make people care. How to be heard. How to hold attention.

At some points it was actually uncomfortable. Standing in front of a room with nothing to hide behind is confronting. Most people would rather do almost anything else. Then add a video camera recording you, panning from face to feet and back up.

That course changed the way I communicate, and in turn so much more.
Over time I’ve come to believe that people can be limited more by capability to communicate than by capability to deliver.

I’ve met brilliant engineers, product managers and leaders whose ideas never gained traction because they couldn’t bring others along on the journey. I’ve also met people with average ideas who could create alignment, build support and drive action because they could tell a compelling story.

People rally behind ideas they understand. They follow people they feel a connection with.

Whether you’re leading a team, pitching an investment, selling a product or driving change inside an organisation, storytelling is a core leadership skill.

Looking back, it remains one of the best investments of time I’ve ever made in myself.