While going through my bookshelf, I came across some classic books about storytelling. Each one was pivotal when I first started teaching storytelling 15 years ago. Two of the titles include The Leaders Guide to Storytelling (2005) by Steven Denning and The Story Factor (2001) by Annette Simmons. When I discovered these books in 2005, they gave me the confidence to believe that there was something in the power of storytelling. The insights I gained from reading them, gave me the kickstart I needed to start my career in storytelling.

Wake me up when the data is over

Another book I had on my shelves (in fact I had two copies for some reason) was Lori Silverman’s Wake Me Up When the Data is Over (2006). Once again, I devoured this book as it helped me understand how stories can be used strategically in organisations.

Today, storytelling is extremely popular in business …and rightly so! Over time, it has come to be recognised as a critical leadership and communication skill. Back in in the early 2000’s it certainly wasn’t. So upon rediscovering this reading material, I thought I would pay homage to the early pioneers of storytelling and interview them.

Lori Silverman

A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Lori Silverman who graciously made some time for me on her holidays. We spoke about storytelling and the changes she has seen over the last 15 years. We also both got a bit fired up discussing how the term ‘storytelling’ has been hijacked by some fields, which is causing confusion around storytelling in business.

Tune into our conversation by listening to the audio below or you can also watch us on youtube. I hope you enjoy our discussion.