Episode 28: The Importance of Being an Authentic Storyteller in Your Communication

This article is written by Cam Welsh, an emeritus professor with over two decades of coaching experience mentoring successful case-solving teams at the Haskayne School of Business at the University of Calgary. He continues to mentor aspiring young professionals and coaches as an advisor and mentor at Innovatank, How to Change the World, and initiatives at the Haskayne School of Business.

Over the past week, I have been reading Dr Michael Gerharz's posts about the importance of authenticity in business communications. Some key messages from these posts emphasize the need to use your own words to connect with your audience by discussing topics that resonate with them and ensuring that the message is unmistakably clear. Too often, we try to persuade our audience by using more words, which can dilute the message.

I also had the pleasure of meeting Michael Dargie for coffee at a local café in Calgary, Sierra Café in Lakeview. We discussed the significance of storytelling, a skill he elaborates on in his upcoming book, "Brand Jitsu." Both Dr Gerharz's and Michael Dargie's insights are influencing my preparation for the upcoming workshops I will conduct for 香港理工大学 case solvers.

Some of the Influencing Experiences

Throughout my two decades of coaching case-solving teams, I have consistently tried to convey these messages to my teams. Making personal and emotional connections with the audience is crucial to keeping them engaged with the message. I have seen great examples of this from some of these teams. One example that stands out is the first time I had a team compete in the University of Arizona, Eller College of Management 's Collegiate Ethics Case Competition. In that competition, a story told by the team helped establish a connection with the audience, making the content easier to understand and undeniably clear.

During the competition, the team delivered their first presentation in a 30-minute preliminary round that resonated with the judges, leading them to the finals for a 10-minute presentation. However, due to a misunderstanding about the timing, the judges missed the signal to wrap up the story. This may have contributed to their second-place finish. What was remarkable, though, was that as we exited the auditorium, audience members approached us to ask what happened to the character in the story. This experience reaffirmed what I have been telling teams: storytelling can make a significant impact on the audience.

This reflection made me think about the information sessions held during week-long international case competitions, where guest speakers address the teams. Many of these talks tend to be less impactful, as they often cover basic concepts of case solving with well-trained teams. However, one particular session stood out to me. While attending a competition at Georgetown University McDonough School of Business a few years ago, a speaker emphasized the importance of understanding the audience. He suggested that team members should leverage their own experiences as audience members to better gauge what to discuss and how to effectively formulate their messages.

What is the Message

The key advice for case-solving teams is twofold. First, the message should be delivered using simple words that everyone in the audience can easily understand. This is often overlooked by students, who, after learning complex concepts and "big words" in their business education, tend to want to impress their audience with their knowledge. However, it's much more effective to ensure that the audience resonates with and understands the ideas being presented. In today’s society, we often hear terms like "word salad" and "virtue signaling." Too frequently, I notice this in teams, including my own, which leads to a lack of audience engagement and understanding.

Next, it’s essential to develop a cohesive narrative that extends beyond just the introduction and is consistently revisited throughout the presentation. A well-structured story that connects the ideas and concepts of the presentation helps create personal and emotional connections with the audience. As you do this ask the following question. How can you craft your story to demonstrates how your solution addresses the problem and positions the stakeholders identified as the heroes?

Next Time

In the next episode, I will discuss some of my upcoming activities and explore effective strategies for managing the Q&A period in a case-solving competition, whether in a traditional format or a Texas-format case presentation.