Blogging the AMA Conference: The Power of Storytelling

Andy Goodman delivered the conference opening plenary on the concept of Storytelling as Best Practice. His presentation itself was entertaining and held the audience's attention (you can see a clip at his site), but the really cool part was that he had pre-seeded the audience with storytelling volunteers. Some were more polished, some less, but all had compelling tales to relate.

Then, after a brief break, AMA did something completely out of the ordinary for a plenary - they actually had attendees TALK to EACH OTHER and practice crafting and delivering their individual stories.

Goodman helps prospective story tellers answer 4 key questions:

1. What makes narrative such an exceptionally powerful tool?
2. What are the structure and qualities of a good story?
3. What is the role of stories versus data when the goal is education or persuasion?
4. How can you build a lasting storytelling culture?

At the end, the story tellers feel a stronger connection to their audience and to themselves, as they speak not only from the mind, but also from the heart.

What's your organization's story? How do you ensure that you're telling it well, and to the right audience?