Cascade Courses
Storytelling: Transforming 21st Century Organizations
Michael Shadow
Narrative and storytelling play an enormous role in our modern economy and in public and private sector organizations. In fact, narrative has a hand in practically everything that happens of any significance in human affairs. The role of storytelling in advocating policy, changing attitudes, defending budgets, and explaining decisions is pivotal and becoming larger and larger. This seminar focuses on how narrative works in public agencies and how managers/leaders can create a compelling narrative. Participants will learn the qualities of a good narrative, the process for discovering their own story and how to script a story that unites ideas with emotions.
Learning Objectives and Competencies
The readings, exercises and presentations of this module are designed to strengthen the participant’s skills in the following competencies:
- Establishing a compelling purpose: Leaders create and communicate a compelling and inspiring vision and sense of organizational purpose
- Understanding needs: Leaders assess client needs and clearly articulate how the organization is meeting those needs and demands
- Evaluating efforts: Leaders communicate results effectively to internal and external audiences
- Establishing credibility: Leaders maintain communications and relationships with clients to gain their belief in the organization
- Advocating for clients: Leaders speak on behalf of clients to internal and external audiences
- Speaking and writing influentially: Leaders exercise superior oral and written skills to generate support for the agency’s goals and programs
- Communicating effectively: Leaders create an environment conducive to open, honest and accurate exchange with all types of individuals and audiences
- Inspiring others: Leaders inspire, motivate and touch the spirit of others in ways that matter; value emotion; compel attention of others
Instructors
President of Shadow and Associates, Inc., Ph.D., University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, 1976: Persuasive Communication, Public Speaking, Political Communication, Oral Communication