What are some of the best practices for incorporating storytelling into your leadership development plan?

I agree that incorporating purpose and values into our stories is crucial for fulfillment and impact. It transforms our work, leadership, and relationships, aligning them with our beliefs. By clarifying our purpose, developing our brand, and authentically sharing our stories, we create a connection with our audience. Articulating core values guides our decisions and shapes our lives. With the Liz Ngonzi Transforms Storytelling Framework, we craft narratives that inspire and achieve goals. Purpose and values bring fulfillment and enable lasting positive impact. Unlock more insights in my article, 'Unlocking Your Personal Brand Story: Insights and Strategies,' available at https://tinyurl.com/MyBrand100. #PurposeAndValues #ProfessionalJourney

20 seconds. That is the short window you have to grab and hold your audience’s attention when you tell your story. If you don’t capture their attention in 20 seconds, sit down. You are wasting their time and yours. How do you capture it? Never let the beginning be anticipated like a jab. Punch with all your might. For instance, I once heard a speaker open with these words: “Everyone In this room is a liar.” Nobody anticipated that. That was 1986– I still remember it! That’s the force to hit with and a way to do it unexpectedly. 20 seconds is all you have. What will you open with to catch your audience unexpectedly?

Developing a culture of storytelling starts with leaders being willing to learn the art and science of storytelling. Once leaders feel equipped with the skills to be an effective storyteller they can begin to share authentic stories which sets the scene for others. Invest in your professional development to create your story strategy and equip people with the right tools for the job.

In addition to getting trained in the art and science of telling stories. Leaders should have a set of ready-to-use crafted and curated stories for different moments in their development based on their previous experience, that they can use as needed. E.g: Times of change, Times of Growth, Times of Learning from Failure, Times for Asking for a Yes, Times to manage a No, and Times to be ready for the unknown! Having these ready-to-use, crafted, and curated stories will help in their development, but most important, in the development of others.

You have an important leadership message to share and you must connect deeply with your audience to move them to action. But you're not connecting because your communication is confusing with too many plot points. Get your audience to embrace your message by focusing on a singular problem/solution narrative. Many leaders lose their people because they are all over the place with the premise of their presentation. To avoid this pitfall, use the ABT (And, But, Therefore) agile narrative framework to focus your message on the singular problem/solution dynamic you want your audience to act upon. The ABT works because it uses the three forces of story of agreement, contradiction and consequence that our problem-solving limbic brain adores.

Stories are powerful vehicles for changing people's perspective on a subject. For real impact, you need to have a strong grasp of where your audience is starting from. It just so happens that story is a powerful tool for this, as well. Get people to tell you their stories and listen well. Your perceptions will change for the better.

Sharing a story in third person teaches your audience a lesson without being confrontational. It is a highly effective training and coaching method, as it allows the listener to hear the information without taking the guidance or correction personally.

Stories deliver the truth that creates trust. But only if you share your stories from your audience's perspective. What's in it for *them*. Even when you are telling a story about yourself, you must make sure your audience lives vicariously through the telling so they make your story their story. Ask this question to help you select the proper story or stories to tell in a presentation: "What doe I want my audience to think, feel and do when I'm done telling them this story?" That will help you select the right story from your audience's perspective. Always place them at the heart of your story. #StoryOn!

In a world inundated with information and distractions, the power of a well-structured story should not be underestimated. Through a compelling beginning, a riveting middle, and a satisfying end, we can effectively capture and sustain the audience's attention.

You know what? B2B communications should not mean Boring2Bored. Business leaders bore when they communicate in a non-narrative way meaning and, and, anding their audiences to death. Instead, narrative-proof your communications by using the ABT (And, But, Therefore) framework that is the set-up/problem/resolution structure that our narrative mind rejoices in. For instance: You communicate AND care, BUT bore. THERFORE, tell a story. There, I just used three-act story structure in 10 words to pique the interest of your pattern-seeking, problem-solving, decision-making limbic buying brain. Aristotle would say the ABT is a simpler way of saying that every story has a beginning, a middle, and an end.

Start a talk with an intriguing question - you will hook the audience to listen further until they learn the answer. It's an ace presentation technique.

The funny thing about stories is that they don't "feel" like stories. They feel like memories, lessons, or something we went through. An important component of your leadership development - in fact maybe the most practical thing you can do as a leader - is learn to think in narrative form. All of those datasets and subsequent insights? Those are dripping with story. Your goals and values? Stories waiting to be told. No one will remember your 5 core values. But spin a story about why those values make your brand uniquely set apart? Now you're connecting. What makes a great leader is the ability to turn the drab into fab. The ability to tell an authentic story that inspires action is a skill for only the legends.

If you want to be a better leader, empty your pockets. Bring it all to the table. Make it okay to share. Help them see themselves in your story by asking questions of them as you go. Tell it as if they are there with you, standing beside you, in the action.

A incredibly powerful verbal tool which is I believe is underutilised is: the transitional device. When telling a story - especially within a business, the transitional device is what helps people understand (and buy in to) the difference between "where we've come from" and "where we're going" You start with where you've come from - but look out for the transitional device (in CAPS) in the example below: Our team/company was set up in 2015 to explore if the market for [xyz] can be made more efficient. First, we started with a number of exploratory clients, and we've got some good results and learnings. BUT NOW, we need to become profitable, so we're going to reduce the number of exploratory deals, and focus only on profitable ones.

Telling stories about things that have happened is where everyone should start. Leadership stories, though, are much more about things that haven't yet happened: engaging people in what's to come and why it will be worth the effort. Practise painting pictures of the future and being honest about what's needed to get there.