My Friday Night

By: Ayla Schlosser

February 20, 2014

Friday evening at 6pm is usually when I am headed home to set down my bag and collapse after a long week of work – a feeling that I imagine is shared by many people. So I was a bit nervous about maintaining the attention and interest of the eclectic group that gathered at the offices of FATE Consulting for an Introduction to Storytelling for Leadership workshop this past Friday.

I shouldn’t have been worried. We had coffee brewed, music playing, and some games lined up to get people energized just in case, but the truth is that this group of 10 professionals approached this Friday evening training with  authenticity and enthusiasm.

We had only a few hours to go over the core concepts of using storytelling for leadership in a professional setting, but it was amazing to watch this group jump in and pick up on it all so fast. Within a couple of hours they were animatedly telling their stories to one another in pairs, as the coffee sat untouched in the other room.

The whole workshop felt like a bit of a whirlwind as we crammed in as much content as possible, but at the end, I think we were all glad we decided to spend our Friday evening working on storytelling.

For one participant, the focus on values what left a lasting impression. “It was amazing to have time to think about values. Knowing more about my own values and how they are demonstrated through my actions motivated me to be active in my own community. Through my stories and actions my community will see those values and hopefully also be moved to act.”

For another participant, the practical use of clear, structured stories was the most helpful professionally. “It was the first time I stopped to think about how I wanted other people to see me. I give many presentations, but this made me think intentionally about how I was presenting myself. The framework was really important and will help me to be confident talking to anyone about my work. Normally I tell too many stories at the same time, and this will help me be clear and to the point.”

And for another, it made her realize that she should be speaking out more than she had been. “As a woman, I tend not to be confident talking publically. But this training helped give me a framework and a context, and helped me to have confidence in myself.”

All in all, I’d have to say it is the best way I’ve spent a Friday night in quite some time.