Training Industry Magazine - July/August 2017 - 29

failed. Conversational forms of learning
thrive on implicit communication, and
stories are implicit. Although this may
seem counter-intuitive, stories used to
stimulate the storytelling of others will
yield the best results.

TABLE 1

9 STORY-BASED COMMUNICATION SKILLS
SKILL

DESCRIPTION

EXAMPLE BEHAVIORS

ELICITING

Asking effective questions. Finding
ways to draw out meaningful and
relevant information from others.

* I encourage others to share their
personal and professional experiences.
* I seek to create a climate of sharing.
* I am willing to be vulnerable
with others.

LISTENING

Invoking the imagination to enter a
teller's point of view in a deep way.

* I ask follow-up questions to clarify
that I am understanding others.
* I try to see situations and experiences
from the eyes of others.

OBSERVING

Practicing mindfulness to become
aware of the implicit meaning in other
people's words and actions.

* I have a strong sense of my own
strengths and weaknesses.
* I am sensitive to the energy, moods
and thoughts of others.
* I purposefully review the details of
my interactions with others.

INDEXING

Developing a flexible, vast, mental
schema for retrieval of experiences
and knowledge.

* I think about what I learned from
my experience.
* I am aware of how my values, beliefs
and attitudes shape my understanding
of new information and experiences.
* I share past experiences with others to
help them understand my worldview.

REFLECTING

Reviewing experiences with
circumspection and extracting
knowledge from them.

* I review my experiences to learn from
them in new and different ways.
* I relive the thoughts and emotions
of my experiences.
* I consider my experiences without
judging or interpreting them.

SYNTHESIZING

Finding familiar patterns of information
in new experiences, and creating
connections with old ones.

* I see interrelationships between
all my experiences.
* I use experiences to develop
new wisdom and insight.

MODELING

Employing a variety of analogical
techniques to bring an idea or
concept alive. Being aware of one's
actions, and using them to create
lasting impressions.

* I use or create analogies to help
people connect with me.
* I acknowledge others for the
contributions they make.
* I validate others' experiences.

SELECTING

Picking appropriate words for the
situation to clearly communicate
experiences, concepts, ideas or feelings.

* I can find a relevant experience
to add to the conversation.
* I can find experiences to share
that communicate who I am and
resonate with my listeners.

TELLING

Relaying information with authenticity.
Paint a vivid, engaging picture
for listeners.

* I use anecdotes when I communicate.
* I vary the tone and volume of my voice.
* I allow others to interject their
own thoughts and experiences
during a conversation.

STORY-BASED COMMUNICATION SKILLS
The model we use for building a story
culture at Accenture and for our clients
consists of three areas and nine skills (see
Figure 1). The skills in the Core describe
how we can become open, aware and
sensitive to stories. The skills in the
Process describe how we transform
experiences into meaningful, reusable
stories. The skills in Interaction describe
how we use stories to communicate
and connect with others. Good news:
Everyone is a natural storyteller; people
are naturally wired with this equipment.
Table 1 shows the nine skills and sample
behaviors for each. Organizations can
employ a variety of learning strategies
to help people tap into the natural
storytelling equipment.

SUMMARY
Stories offer a wealth of opportunities
for inciting insights in others. Stories are
a powerful tool for learning because they
can move people safely away from their
comfort zones, and help them encounter
something totally new. In this way,
stories act as transporters. They are lowtech, virtual reality simulators capable of
fabricating intricate worlds of discovery.
Every time a story is told, listeners enter
the realm of the imagination.
The imagination is a sacred learning
place that touches our hearts, emotions
and minds. Stories are theaters of
imagination where people can play
with characters and plots to fashion
new possibilities for themselves and cocreatively with others.
Terrence Gargiulo is the chief storyteller
at Accenture. He is an author of eight books,
an international speaker, organizational
development consultant and facilitator
specializing in the use of stories.
Email Terrence.

T R A I N I N G I N DUSTR Y MA GAZ INE - EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING 20 1 7 I WWW. T RAI NINGINDU S T RY . C OM/ MAGAZ I NE

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