Stories for Work

Conclusion

I’m often asked, ‘How many stories is enough?’ To answer this, I’d have to think about the numerous inspiring speakers I have seen in person and online, all in a variety of business contexts and settings — from one-on-one coaching and mentoring sessions to 1000-plus conferences and speaking gigs. This book has limited space for the variety of contexts in which you can use stories — and the number of examples keeps growing by the day.

So, no magic number exists when it comes to the number of stories you can share. We are still a long way from having ‘too many stories’.

Secrets to make your stories work

The fact-and-figure heavy business world is desperate for authentic and story-filled engaging leaders. I hope the tools, techniques and examples in this book inspire you to be one of those leaders. And hopefully by now you know how to find and share your own stories in a variety of different situations — but before you unleash your newfound storytelling skills on the world, here are five secret tips to stories you must know.

Embrace vulnerability

The world’s best storytellers embrace their vulnerability. Brené Brown, for example, is a professor at the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work. Her book, Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent and Lead, is a New York Times number one bestseller and was voted by Fast Company magazine as one of the top 10 business books of 2012. Her 2010 TEDx Houston talk, ...