The Power of Storytelling

The XM Professionals Network just completed its second “XM Learning Labs” which is an innovative program where we coordinate and facilitate both large group and small group collective learning. This session was focused on “Tapping Into The Power of Storytelling.”

I really love this program. It’s wonderful to see dozens of XM professionals collaborating on their common goal of learning. While I provided some thought starters and a discussion guide, the true value came from the interactions that individual community members had with each other. It’s not only a great format, but I think we chose a wonderful topic. Storytelling is such an important skill for just about everyone, especially for XM professionals. Check out my recent podcast with Steve Walker about storytelling.

Storytelling has propelled my professional success. If I hadn't built up my storytelling skills, you wouldn't be reading this article (unless you happened to be interested in obscure facts about Tomahawk missiles). I started my career as an engine designing submarine missile systems. Like many other engineers, storytelling was not part of my professional jargon; just something I did every once in a while with my niece and nephew.

I started to really think and learn about storytelling during my MBA. And then I was lucky enough to be in a management development program at GE that included intensive presentation training. It turned out that I had a knack for it and won some competitions. My storytelling growth accelerated during 12 years at Forrester Research. I learned how to tap into the power of storytelling in my publications, workshops, and presentations. It's how I built a following.

I've used storytelling as part of everything that I've accomplished since Forrester. It's been a central component of my ability to create and grow Temkin Group, the Customer Experience Professionals Association, and now the Qualtrics XM Institute. And I believe that it is a critical skill for every XM professional. We are all change agents, and one of the most effective tools for driving change is storytelling.

One of may favorite quotes captures this really well...

”Thou shalt not?is soon forgotten, but?Once upon a time?lasts forever.” -Philip Pullman

Since there are a lot of people who were not in the XM Learning Labs who want to learn about storytelling, I'm sharing the information that I used to kick off the program. Heres a 30-minute video from our Opening Forum.

For those of you who may not want watch the 30-minute video, here are some highlights:

• Stories are powerful because they engage an audience in what you’re saying (which creates dopamine that heightens your audience’s attention and stimulates their memories) and it also motivates them to act on what you say through the release of oxytocin.?
• You need to think about your story arc. Many good stories follow a consistent pattern such as: 1) Opening, 2) Tension, 3) Resolution, and 4) Prestige
• Use data to inform a story, not to share a dissertation. This often means simplifying the data you share to focus on the specific actions you want your audience to take.
• Good story tellers are almost always more successful than good data analysts. To be a true transformer, you should master both. Here's a graphic that I shared...

If you're an XM professional, I urge you to work on your storytelling skills. It's a key ingredient in our collective ability to change the world.

I also urge you to join the XM Professionals Network (it's free). In addition to our quarterly XM Learning Labs, the community has many other ongoing opportunities to meet, share with, and learn from other XM Professionals.