#6 Storytelling

Where are you right now, dear Vanessa?

In Mainz, at our apartment. My husband is sitting not far from me, wearing headphones, but he wouldn’t understand much anyway—he’s Finnish, and we speak English to each other.

You’re half-French and speak French too. So can you coach and consult in three languages? –I think that’s great, and I’d love to be able to…

Yes. That’s true. But I haven’t quite gotten to Finnish yet :).

In your first career, you were an actress and director. What does that have to do with today’s topic, “storytelling”? Does it have anything to do with it at all?

Yes, of course. As actors and directors, we’re always telling stories and trying to make them as good, memorable, moving, and touching as possible, so there’s a very direct connection there.

Okay, that was a somewhat naive question… How did you go from acting to consulting?

I left my civil service position as an actress and started my own business with a training company for people in the public sector. One of our first major assignments was to prepare the editorial staff of the Neue Zürcher Zeitung—both for the demands of cameras and studio formats as well as for public appearances and formats for and on social media. Later, training and coaching for executives on the topics of storytelling, change, and emotional intelligence were added. Today, I primarily support organizational and strategic development processes.

We’ve mentioned the word “storytelling” quite a few times now. Please share your definition of it.

A good story always opens the door to further steps and fosters a greater willingness to listen. Storytelling uses the techniques and structure of good stories to link a message to emotions and convey it through emotions. The messages don’t even have to be fully understood or accepted right away. For example, a good story can make a company’s history concise, vivid, and relatable. Like the story of Dunlop. Do you know it?

No, tell me!

In 1888, there was a Scottish veterinarian named John Boyd Dunlop whose son received a tricycle as a birthday gift. The vet’s practice was located in the family home, and the loud clattering of the tricycle’s wheels on the floor made the animals—who were already nervous—even more so. Without further ado, the resourceful Dunlop wrapped thin strips of rubber around the tires, glued them together, and filled them with air to muffle the noise of the wheels. That was the beginning of the tire and the first step in a brand’s long life.

Nice story—I’ll probably think of this every time I see the word “Dunlop” from now on. – Where do we find storytelling everywhere? I’m reminded of some fantastic TED Talks where the speakers manage to draw me right into their topic, usually with a personal, emotional story.

There are three well-known types of storytelling in business. I’ve already given the example of the business story, as with Dunlop. The second is the learning or development story. Here, a hero—such as a coachee, a team, or a department—embarks on a journey, faces obstacles, ultimately succeeds, and learns valuable lessons.

And the third?

The third is the so-called “relational story,” as you know it from TED Talks: As a speaker, you don’t know your audience, you don’t know where they stand, but you want them to trust your expertise and keep listening to you. TED speakers have a message they want to convey for each section of their talk.

Each of these sections is usually linked to a highly relatable, emotional, and personal story. As a listener, you connect with it, and the message is established.

You speak so vividly and passionately about storytelling. What is it about it that captivates you so much?

With stories, I can reach and win over people of any educational level, any background, and with the most diverse learning horizons and goals. At Janus, we work in a wide variety of corporate contexts and with a diverse range of target audiences. This spans from top management in the financial sector to shift workers in production. And we want to help everyone understand, for example, the 4-Ear Model (Appeal Ear, Self-Revelation Ear…), which seems quite abstract at first glance. With a simple story that Schulz von Thun himself tells: “The traffic light is green!”—this works incredibly easily, no matter the context (if you don’t know the story, you can find it here: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vier-Seiten-Modell).

And how do you coach or train on the topic of storytelling? What are typical elements of a training session?

My training sessions are very practice-oriented. Participants come with a specific concern and develop their own story around it. They determine for themselves what type of storyteller they are. To support this process, we like to use the INSIGHTS personality model. With the help of another model, they then identify and describe elements of the situation that are relevant to their story. They work their way toward their story in several stages.

Just out of curiosity: What are typical concerns that participants bring to the table?

Real examples include: “How do I embed sustainability into our corporate strategy?” Or: “How do I improve the mood in my team when everyone feels like they’re working harder than the others? How do I (re)build a sense of community here?” Or: “How do I get people to donate their old bicycles to refugees?”

We could talk more about that, too. –But please come back to the elements!

The crux of every story is the key message. People usually have a vague idea of their central message. We develop this further and shape it until it really fits. The Dutch woman with the bicycles eventually distilled her message into the phrase “Ring your bell.” In her presentation, she actually incorporated a bell, which she rang at various points throughout her talk.

Is there any criticism of storytelling?

Yes, there’s an important objection that I can well understand: that we are—or can be—manipulated by stories. And that does indeed happen. The world is full of loud stories meant to get us to do something: shop, donate, support, take sides… The good news: If we’re good storytellers ourselves, we see through it more easily. And: We need many more stories that win people over to a good cause!

There it is again—this theme runs through this interview series with Janus-type people: You, too, want to make the world a better place.

I doubt I can do that, but yes, I’d like to do my part with what I can.

What do participants say? What does typical feedback look like?

Because I’m very attuned to the participants, people are already quite enthusiastic. Women often say that I encourage them to tell their stories. And a challenging participant recently gave me a lot of credit because, from his perspective, I manage to tailor individual learning messages for each person. I took that well and was very happy about it!

Finally: Is there such a thing as bad storytelling?

What I personally don’t like at all is when “the moral of the story” is hammered home at the end.

At its best, stories offer a space where people can find their own way and draw their own conclusions. Storytelling is an invitation into my—and your—space of thought and exploration, an invitation to walk part of the way together. Where you, as a listener, end up is your decision.

Thank you so much for the interview, dear Vanessa!