Everyday Business Storytelling (eBook)

For over two decades, Silicon Valley-bred sisters JANINE KURNOFF and LEE LAZARUS have helped teams at the world's top brands--including Facebook, Nestlé, Marriott, T-Mobile, and Medtronic--become strategic visual communicators. As co-founders of The Presentation Company, they are dedicated to helping talented businesspeople in all functions, at all levels, bring clarity and meaning to their ideas and influence decisions through storytelling.

Introduction

Storytelling Is How We Move Business Forward 1
What two Silicon Valley-bred sisters know about business storytelling (hint: it's pure, irrefutable career gold)

Part 1 Once and for all--Let's Unfluff the Reputation of Business Storytelling 6

Chapter 1: Meet the Brain Scientists 8

Chapter 2: Data (Yes, Sometimes Overused) Is Not the Villain 16

Part 2 Ok, I'm in--How Do I Get Started with Business Storytelling? 24

Chapter 3: The Four Signposts 30

Chapter 4: The WHY, WHAT and HOW of Business Storytelling 48

Chapter 5: Your BIG Idea 52

Chapter 6: Putting It All Together: Sample Story 56

Part 3 Thanks, got the basics. What Else Can Help Me? 60

Chapter 7: Push Your Story Forward with Active Headlines 62

Chapter 8: A Simple Path to Building Your BIG Idea 72

Chapter 9: Five Well-Tested Ways to Visualize Your Story 80

Part 4 Let's see the magic! How Does Storytelling Show Up in Everyday Business? 106

Chapter 10: Making a Recommendation 108

Chapter 11: Providing an Update 144

Chapter 12: Crafting an Email 162

Chapter 13: Creating a One-Pager 176

Part 5 But wait! How Do I Flex My Story? 192

Chapter 14: Audience Is Everything: A Manifesto 194

Chapter 15: You've Got Five Minutes with an Executive... Go! 202

Chapter 16: Your Audience Is Diverse How Can You Please Everyone? 210

Chapter 17: You're Told "Only Three to Five Slides" 216

Chapter 18: Team Presentations: Who Does What? 220

Chapter 19: When Your Audience Is Virtual 238

Part 6 All together now: Building a Common Language of Storytelling 252

Chapter 20: Fostering a Culture of Story Coaches 254

Chapter 21: Five Ways Managers Can Reinforce Storytelling 260

Chapter 22: Ready, Set, Coach! Five Tips for Peer-to-Peer Story Coaching 264

Conclusion

A Final Word From the Sisters 272
Your everyday business storytelling journey starts right now... #nomorefrankendecks

Gratitude 275

About the Authors 276

Notes & Photo Credits 277

Index 278

"It has always been challenging to find a comprehensive development solution that helps teach employees how to create and share compelling, audience-centric business stories. This approach is grounded in real scenarios and case studies that anyone can relate to. If you're looking to up-level your skillset in storytelling and drive business conversations forward, get this book!"
--Stacy Salvalaggio, Vice President, Retail Operations, Aritzia and Former Global Senior Director, Learning and Development, McDonald's

"There's no greater skill and ingenuity to propel your career than the ability to translate data insights into clear, authentic narratives. This book is the winning formula for any executive."
--Sydney Savion, Chief Learning Officer, Air New Zealand