The Power Of Storytelling At Work, And As A Job Search Tool

Back in November, my colleague Clare O'Connor wrote an excellent magazine piece about Murray Nossel, a South African-born clinical psychologist with a growing business called Narativ, that helps companies like Disney, HBO and Radisson build teams through storytelling workshops.  (Full disclosure: Murray is a close friend and I suggested the piece to Forbes; Clare did her own reporting.)

Narativ uses techniques, like getting employees to tell stories using the imagined voice of a grandparent, that may strike some as unconventional. But the small New York-based outfit is growing fast and expanding its client roster.

Since Forbes' piece, a heavyweight Hollywood player, Peter Guber, has weighed in on the power of storytelling with Tell to Win: Connect, Persuade, and Triumph with the Hidden Power of Story, published by Crown Business Books this month and blurbed by no less than Pres. Bill Clinton. Guber's résumé includes top jobs at a slew of entertainment companies including Columbia Pictures, Casablanca Records and Sony Pictures. In the book, published, to strong reviews, Guber weaves his own stories together with his thoughts about the importance of spinning an effective tale ("Be dialed in: your listener's prejudices can hijack even your best story.").

Meantime, Forbes contributor and management consultant Stephen Denning just released the second edition of his 2005 book on the power of story, The Leader's Guide to Storytelling: Mastering the Art and Discipline of Business Narrative. Denning published a chat with Guber here.

The growing emphasis on storytelling has made me think of how frequently my career coach sources talk about the importance of laying out a compelling narrative, in the so-called elevator pitch, in a résumé, and in job interviews. "For me, it's a fundamental part of the preparation for getting the job," says Los Angeles career and executive coach David Couper, author of Outsiders on the Inside:How to Create a Winning Career … Even When You Don't Fit In. One of Couper's clients, a project manager at a large corporation, wanted to switch careers and work in advertising. In his spare time, he raced bicycles, and raised thousands of dollars for charitable causes by convincing donors to sponsor his races. He came up with a compelling story about his fundraising efforts, and used it to convince an ad agency to hire him. He's now a vice president there.

Thanks to Susan Adams / Blogs Forbes