In the early days of IDEO, Tom Kelley recalls the challenges of expanding the company to Japan, where there was no office and no one there had heard of the company. All IDEO had, according to Tom, was the stories they could tell. Tom shares why storytelling is important, the 4 stories all entrepreneurs should have ready, and his favorite storytelling tips.
In a business context, it’s just as important as in film or entertainment to think about the way you structure your story and select the right pieces of information for maximum impact. Ann Kim, Senior Portfolio Director at IDEO and instructor in our course Impactful Presentations, walks through the elements of a story, different story arcs, why and how to experiment with your story arcs, and shares examples from her work in the healthcare and entertainment worlds.
Resident IDEO storytellers Zena Barakat and Brian Janosch talk about the importance of stories in the world of business and innovation. Learn how to get started weaving stories into your work today with real life examples and tips for using stories in common business scenarios.
When Jenn Maer first arrived at IDEO from the advertising world a decade or so ago, not many people were calling themselves storytellers. Now, as she says, “storytelling is having a moment.” Companies are incorporating it into so much of what they do, from pitching to branding, and explaining their values. But just as home cooks have a lot to learn before they can become trained chefs, there’s a lot to learn before you can master storytelling.
We spoke with Paul about what he sees as cornerstones of creative leadership, how to use storytelling to catalyze people toward action, and his no fear attitude toward delving into the void—darker more challenging topics like death and aging.
After an epictwo-yearjourney that included sailing through the Panama Canal, around the Caribbean, and crossing the Atlantic during hurricane season with her husband and 10-year-old son, Jen Massaro had a story to share. But she struggled to tell it in a way that was meaningful for her friends and colleagues. Through the process of refining her story, Jen gained a deeper understanding of what matters most in storytelling.