'Narrative nous', 'nous narrations'.

?Hi, bonjour. This is our third newsletter and this time we are focusing on narratives and stories – in different languages avec un propre Passepartout.

Around the world in 80 days? Maybe not, but how about 800 words?

Today, you need to imagine you are about to get on an airplane. Welcome to Archetypical flight 03. Our 3rd newsletter and special tour around recent projects. Fasten your seatbelt, we are about to take off.

Our first destination is India. Over the mountains. ... ?

We are about to land now. did you have a good meal and a nice flight?

In India, an international bank asked us to work with their South Asia team to finalise strategy and improve team cohesion. As part of a two-day workshop, we created a game involving a fictional country and developed scenarios for the team to experiment with new ideas in a safe environment. We helped them create new ways of working and improve efficiency.

Back to the airport now. Just a short flight now to Pakistan. No time for a meal – just a snack and now we have landed already! This is just a quick stop to check in with our local client – we’ve been helping them with their sustainability reporting, and advising them on international perspectives.

Back to the airport again!

Did you know there are direct flights from Pakistan to the Central European country of Zubrowka?

Zubrowka you ask? Well, bison grass vodka, yes, but also the City-state which is home to the Grand Budapest Hotel. This is basis of our latest case study and simulation. What is the business model of the Grand Budapest Hotel, and how does it compare to its competitors: Hotel California and the Overlook Hotel? Our new case study explores how these hotels make money, and what you can do as a leader to improve business performance. Your chance to analyse a business and have powerful conversations with colleagues and clients.

18h45 now. The Orient Express arrives. It stops in Zubrowka on its way to Paris. Get on board, Have a nice dinner and a good sleep and we’ll see you in the morning.

Bonjour. Bienvenue à Paris. Nous espérons que vous avez bien dormi.

Earlier this month nous étions à Paris, working with a French consumer goods client exploring the power of storytelling. It was fun to coach in English and French and to navigate different ideas and perspectives. It is rare for an executive team to invest two days in presentation skills and storytelling training. We applaud our client. During those two days, we explored the 6Cs of stories, and discussed advanced presentation skills such as ‘reversal’, props, and interpretation / translation. At the hotel, we also saw a great example of encouraging behaviour change: take the stairs and expend calories.

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Next stop:? Off to the airport and a direct flight to USA. Welcome to America!

Our recent project:? we worked with the new leader of a key division of an international organization on the Eastern Seaboard. She wanted to focus and align her team. We designed a workshop to establish team norms and focus attention on the right areas. We’ve been working with this client for a while, so it is good to keep the conversation going.

That’s the end of our tour. Thank your for joining us. You have just won a free ticket from the USA East Coast back to your home town. Thank you for joining us. Have a good flight home!

What we’re reading

The Artful Dickens: Tricks and Ploys of the Great Novelist, by John Mullen. An exploration of Dickens’ storytelling techniques and how he develops narratives and environments to create an immersive experience. Lots of great ideas for our future workshops.

Coming up

Summer (for those in the Northern hemisphere). Enjoy!

Spain. We’ll be in Northern Spain in September exploring new models around listening and influencing. Watch this space for an update on our new research and our new model.