How To Become An Enthralling Storyteller

At my last job, I was a senior assistant at a finance company. The boss, Mr. Gould, was tall, kinda short. Lightish-dark hair. I remember he had this little dog he would bring into the office named Horton. Or was it Morton? Anyway, I’m sorry, what was the question?

If you’ve made it past this nonsensical anecdote, bravo! A well-told story can leave an impression on your audience and create personal investment. But a poorly-told story, like the one above, incites confusion and boredom. Bestselling author Kindra Hall believes good storytellers are able to build a connection and differentiate themselves from the competition.

“Given a choice between listening to statistics or facts or listening to a story, people will always choose a story. And stories stick with them longer.” -Kindra Hall

Whether you’re interviewing for a new job or becoming a leader in your field, the ability to be a good storyteller is crucial to succeeding in the business world. If you’re looking to enhance your oratory skills with a sense of eloquence and excitement, follow these storytelling cues.

Have a point

A good story leaves an imprint because it has a purpose. No matter how elegant you tell your tale, no one will be interested if the story doesn’t have meaning. The time you found the last bag of oyster crackers at Aldi won’t hold up next to the Iliad.

Skillshare Blog believes there should be a payoff for the listener, not just the storyteller. Even if it isn’t known to the audience until the end of the tale, make sure there is a central message somewhere in your story.

Cut the bloat

Think of a time someone bored you with a story you weren’t interested in. Chances are, the story droned on, and on, and on. One of the classic blunders used by less-proficient storytellers is bogging the story down with too many unnecessary details. In the example story at the top of this article, my story about a previous job focused far too much energy on the boss’ appearance and little details about his life.

Forbes Lisa Christen reminds us of the classic sad short story “For sale: baby shoes, never worn.” In just six words, we have a full story. Let every individual word drive the story forward while trusting the audience to be able to fill in the blanks. Your audience is smart but uninformed; they’ll be able to understand your meanings.

While some background information is required, keep it to the necessary bits only, reminds Anett Grant of Fast Company.

“[S]et the scene for your audience in the most concise way possible, telling them only what they need to know to comprehend your key takeaway.” -Anett Grant

Hit emotional beats

If your chronicle is going to stay in the audiences’ mind, it needs to be more than hard facts. The reason you tell a story is to foster a connection, and simply providing the who/what/where/when doesn’t cut it.

Kindra Hall believes a successful story has four components: an identifiable character, authentic emotion, a moment, and specific (relevant!) details. This character (often you!) should experience real emotions and have a defining moment, ie the purpose of the story.

Think in terms of an interviewer asking you a challenge you’ve overcome in the workplace. You’ll leave a long-lasting impression if the story is personal and authentic. Don’t just hit the bullet points; really try to highlight the conflict and how you overcame it. Skillshare Blog points out that the conflict is what keeps an audience engaged.

“An easy and linear path to the finish line isn’t going to keep your audience engaged. Instead, you want your characters to face obstacles—and a decent amount of drama—as they journey on their path.”- Skillshare Blog

You’ll be much more likely to get a follow-up call if your story resonates with the hiring managers.

Keep it simple

Tying back to the idea your story should have a point, once you’ve made that point it’s okay to end the story. Anett Grant reminds us that humans have a short attention span; they say to keep the story like a shot clock in basketball. Get your points across and move on. There is no faster way to lose your audience than to ramble on and have them zone out and forget the point you were making.

Practice

While storytelling may not be the same as public speaking, a fear of many, many of the principles remain the same. Practice your delivery at home while following the above advice. Repetition leads to comfort and confidence. Whether your audience is one person or one hundred, you’ll be able to self-scout and recognize what is and isn’t working.

Skillshare Blog further recommends looking to those who have mastered the art of storytelling to improve. Think of your favorite storytellers and read or listen to their tales. Ask yourself why the story works and how you can adapt those techniques yourself.

Wrap up

Storytelling is a vital skill to master for your professional career. As a job seeker, it will allow you to stick in the hiring manager’s mind after the interview, leading to more follow-ups. As a leader, you’ll find yourself connecting with your team and inspiring them to new heights. It can allow you to resonate with customers, leading to more sales and satisfied clients. Some people are natural storytellers, but with a little effort, anyone can become a masterful storyteller.

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How To Host More Efficient Meetings

Some people adore workplace meetings as a chance to communicate ideas, collaborate on projects, or simply interact with their coworkers. But for many, workplace meetings can be a source of stress. They can represent a momentum-killer and slow down one’s work process or cause anxiety about what the meeting might be about. In the world of remote work, this stress can be tenfold. After all, if you’re working in your pajamas, there better be a good reason for you to turn on the camera.

MIT Sloan’s Steven G. Rogelberg’s research suggests that a mere 50% of meeting time is used efficiently, and that number plummets even further for remote meetings. Luckily, Rogelberg believes it’s easy to host more efficient meetings.

“The good news is that there’s an evidence-based path forward based on more than 20 years of research on meetings and teams. Meeting science has yielded key insights that can be incredibly helpful to meeting leaders, especially during this challenging time that is marked by an increase in remote meetings.” –Rogelberg

Meetings are a great way to get your team motivated and cohesive and to complete chief objectives, but it’s important to make your meetings efficient. We’ll follow Business Made Simple’s model of what to do before, during, and after your meeting so you can host the most impactful meetings.

Before the meeting

The most vital step before hosting a meeting is to ask yourself whether something even needs to be a meeting. We’ve all experienced a “meeting” that could have been a quick email or impromptu conversation.

Don’t have a meeting for the sake of having a meeting, recommends Workrowd. For example, if you’re just sharing information rather than having a discussion, an email can suffice. You want to respect everyone’s time.

Once you’ve determined you do need to host a meeting, make sure you invite the people that need to be there. Overcrowding is the enemy of hosting an efficient meeting, especially in a remote setting. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos suggests the “two-pizza” rule for hosting meetings, meaning if two pizzas wouldn’t feed everyone in the meeting, you’ve invited too many people. This isn’t a direct amount, as I could put away a decent amount of pizza if pressed, but the concept is wise. Invite only those who need to be there, and take minutes that can be sent to anyone else.

Of course, to keep to these minutes you’ll want to create an agenda to stick to. Using an agenda lets employees know what the meeting is about and makes it easier to stick to a timetable. Business Made Simple also suggests creating an overall objective. Without trying to achieve a tangible result, attendees can feel that their time was wasted. If people know the purpose of the meeting and the goals to be met, it makes the time feel much more valuable.

During the meeting

Once the meeting begins, you need to keep things focused and efficient. Make sure to have someone taking notes to keep those outside the meeting in the loop. A good set of notes provides an excellent reference, but without a dedicated note-taker, you may miss important details.

“Without a designated note-taker, everyone has pieces of the meeting notes, but no one has the full picture.”-Business Made Simple

If you’re leading the meeting, you need to know how to facilitate and keep things flowing well. Recall that you need to respect peoples’ time. A facilitator should know when to change topics, circle back to important conversation points, and limit small talk. This keeps the meeting on track and minimizes the amount of downtime. By previously creating an agenda and objective, the facilitator’s job is much easier once the meeting begins.

Conversely, allow catchup time to make sure everyone is on the same page. Owl Lab’s Katherine Boyarsky suggests giving some time at the beginning of the meeting for people to briefly chat and introduce themselves, especially in remote settings. This not only provides an opportunity for workers to connect with one another but increases their visibility. A seen worker is more likely to participate and feel that their voice is heard while discussing crucial topics. Balancing the social factor is tricky but necessary to host a good meeting.

After the meeting

Just because the meeting is over doesn’t mean the fun is over. Some of the most important work comes once everyone has gone back to their desk or resumed their normal duties.

Hopefully, you were able to get good notes. By having a dedicated note-taker during the meeting, you’ll be able to easily reference action points and get your plans in gear. Follow up immediately while things are fresh to keep the momentum rolling, writes Business Made Simple. By keeping your meeting solution-oriented, you can start taking steps to implement your chosen solutions. Workrowd believes that even if you don’t settle on a single solution, narrowing down your options is still a win.

Because you took good notes, you’ll want to get the meeting summary to those that need them. This can take many forms: a direct copy of the note-taker’s notes, a simple summary paragraph or bulleted list, or a recording if the meeting was virtual.

Finally, after your meeting, be open to feedback on how to improve. Not every meeting will run smoothly, and you won’t always meet your objective. People get distracted or may be having a bad day, and that’s okay. The Enterprisers Project’s David Egts suggests to always validate the value of a meeting and look for areas to improve.

Wrap up

Meetings are necessary to create optimized workplace solutions and to collaborate with your team, and sometimes you need to directly look at someone to get the best feedback. But all meetings aren’t created equally, and not every conversation needs to be an official ‘on-the-docket’ meeting. By preparing for every step of your meeting, you can be sure to get the best and most efficient results. Want to make sure a meeting is the right call? Atlassian offers a helpful flowchart to see if your needs are best met by a meeting here.

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How To Create A Culture Of Value At Work

Maya Angelou once said, “You can only become truly accomplished at something you love. Don’t make money your goal. Instead, pursue the things you love doing, and then do them so well that people can’t take their eyes off you.”

It can be hard to take this sentiment as more than a mere platitude in a world where cash is king, but for employees, it rings true. Happiness in the workplace leads to productive workers, and it turns out, salary isn’t the key to workplace happiness.

Via INC.com, Dapulse, a workplace collaboration tool, polled 10,000 users and asked a simple but profound question:

“What makes you happy at work?”

A strong company culture and useful perks towered over the idea of salary, but, in the end, one simple factor seemed to make workers the happiest—feeling valued.

Leah Walters of Dapulse noted, “But at the end of the day what we are learning time and time again from our users, and also as a company ourselves is, it is how you personally feel your work is being valued that makes you happier.”

A sense of being valued and belonging at work is what employees crave, and with the Great Resignation in full swing, a significant amount of employees are choosing happiness over salary. Workplaces need to examine their culture and see if they fit the bill. TalentCulture’s Andrew Nelson offered six ways to make employees feel valued. We look at our favorites.

Create innovative compensation packages

We just established that salary isn’t the key to workplace happiness, but a good compensation package is about more than money. Nelson writes that the traditional nine-to-five in the office is quickly fading, and employers need to offer new perks to compensate and keep their employees engaged.

Perkbox found that 66% of U.K. workers desired a more personalized benefits package, going beyond insurance and retirement deals (though those were still important!). What does a personalized benefits package look like?

Nelson suggested flexible schedules and leave policies, paid childcare, perks that improve employee well-being (gym memberships, counseling, etc.), and entertainment subscriptions. Indeed offers even more ideas, including performance pay and incentives (a great way to let an employee know their contributions are valued), transportation reimbursement, and volunteer days.

These perks are more in line with the reality of life in the 2020s and show a workplace committed to its employees and keeping with the times.

Stay modern

Stop me if you’ve heard this before: remote work is here to stay. We aren’t out of the woods with COVID-19 yet, and, regardless, remote work is a part of life now. A savvy workplace needs to embrace technology and keep the workplace modernized to keep employees feeling valued.

We’ve previously covered how to onboard remote teams and how to keep them engaged from home. Nelson reiterates the importance of adding company- or department-wide calls into the schedule to create a shared space to share ideas and praise. Social media can be a boon, especially for millennials. A workplace Teams space, Slack channel, or Discord server can be a place to exchange ideas or even just replace the water cooler as a platform for conversation.

For employees still working out of the office, modernizing the workplace is still a key. Forbes found that a massive number of employees seek a healthier workplace.

“An overwhelming majority (87%) of workers would like their current employer to offer healthier workspace benefits, with options ranging from wellness rooms, company fitness benefits, sit-stands, healthy lunch options and ergonomic seating.” -Forbes

Few people want to work in the stereotypical fluorescent lighting-filled cubicle jungle, and if you’ve ever worked in one, you know it’s hard to feel valued in that environment. Creating a welcoming environment for employees in and out of the office shows a commitment to investing in them, leading to a greater sense of value.

Make growth a priority

Many of Nelson’s suggestions (challenge employees, provide critical feedback) call back to a central theme: providing a foundation for growth. In the above section, we mentioned investing in employees, and this is another way to do that. If the modernized workplace is the soil, the interpersonal connections are the sunshine and water to help an employee blossom.

Giving an employee a challenging assignment shows that you believe in their capabilities while rotating employees through different assignments gives them a chance to grow, writes Nelson. Constructive feedback leads to growth and more success down the road, and actively taking time to mentor an employee shows how valued they are. Take an interest in their work and provide ways to invest in your employees.

Of course, don’t skimp out on the praise either. Indeed believes celebrating accomplishments is a great way to remind workers of their tangible accomplishments. Celebrate small and large numerical accomplishments, including customer satisfaction ratings, sales growth, new services, products, and clients, and onboarding new members. These reminders are a great way to foster a sense of value and growth.

Wrap up

They say money can’t buy happiness, and data supports the idea money isn’t the source of workplace happiness. Creating a mighty workplace culture of growth and value is the key to happy employees, and any organization wanting top-tier employees needs to view their value and happiness as a wise investment.

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Three Tenets For Successful Post-Pandemic Onboarding

A strong onboarding process is crucial to getting your new hires up to speed and acclimated with the company, but the process is much more than that. A good onboarding sets your new employees up for success by showing them the resources available to them and the support network they will have, and it gives them valuable insight into your company culture.

Experts like management consulting firm Sia Partners point to a well-done onboarding process as a significant factor in a new employee’s success.

“Onboarding is normally seen as a “check the box” activity, but it’s the most important thing a company can do, especially when you’re onboarding in today’s remote environment.” -Sia Partners

Of course, onboarding becomes a more difficult hurdle to overcome in this post-pandemic world. The pandemic changed the hiring world in two principal ways: a shift towards emerging technology and a surplus of workers looking for employment in an uncertain world.

Per the Society for Human Resource Management (as reported at USA Today), unemployment jumped from 3.5% to 14.8% in the first three months of the pandemic. With the concept of ‘normalcy’ changing on a daily basis, organizations had to adapt and embrace new technology. Even workers that didn’t lose their jobs were looking for new work at ever-increasing rates.

As the country begins to heal, it’s clear that remote and hybrid work models are here to stay. This prevents a new obstacle for employers, who may only see their new employees on a screen. While this makes onboarding difficult, a well-prepared organization can still set its new hires up for success and welcome them into the company culture. We provide three major tenets to be aware of in this new age of onboarding, with help from the experts.

Embrace technology

It may seem obvious, but technology is the heart of remote work and the reason all of this is possible. How many people were overly familiar with Zoom prior to the pandemic? Now, it’s become a part of day-to-day life so familiar to use that even our children are savvy users. That means it’s crucial to stay up to date on current and emerging technological trends as they arise.

The Business Journal’s Niki Jorgensen suggests that everyone in the organization use the same platforms and be familiar with them. “For remote onboarding meetings and introductions, managers should design the process to use the same video conferencing platform used by the entire organization. Instant messaging platforms can help new hires build relationships with colleagues by encouraging the casual interactions typically reserved for the office. If employees are to use these tools in their daily duties, managers should ensure recruits have a solid understanding of how and when to use them.”

With everyone on the same page, and not just the hiring managers, it fosters a sense of community and continuity within your organization. This way, a new hire can ask anyone in their department for assistance.

The Alternative Board believes the missing ‘water cooler’ element can be recreated on Zoom by having a virtual “welcome party” for new employees. This allows them to see their new coworkers as people and provides opportunities to make workplace friends.

Prioritize culture

Using technology like this to create a human touch is one way to get your new hire to see your culture at work. If your employee is just completing their work behind a screen with no investment or correction to your organization, you’re doing both parties a disservice.

The University of Pittsburgh offers some suggestions. By providing a company handbook (and maybe some fun facts), your employees will get a chance to really know who you are. Beyond that, taking extra time to go over job responsibilities and expectations in a one-on-one setting provide a sense of clarity. By being specific with expectations and taking extra time to answer questions and be available, the new hire will feel valued.

Jorgensen adds that a company can provide activities that highlight cultural pillars and promote the corporate community.

“If collaboration is a pillar of the workplace, management should schedule time for hires to meet with new colleagues, either one-on-one or in a group setting.” – Niki Jorgensen

Ultimately, community, clarity, and plenty of time are the keys to emphasizing your culture.

Communication is key

The common theme in both of the above tenets is apparent. At its core, communication is the key to a good onboarding process, and without daily in-person interactions, it becomes even more essential. As employers, you should make sure extra time is allotted to check in with your new hires. The Alternative Board states that learning by osmosis and walking around the office aren’t viable learning options in a digital setting, so employers need to have regular meetings and open a back-and-forth dialogue.

Elearning Industry’s Eleni Zoe Papaioannou offers six challenges of onboarding remote employees, and most of them, including challenges such as feelings of isolation, personalizing the experience, and avoiding miscommunication, can be solved with constant and clear communication.

Talent Culture’s Jo Meunier believes an emphasis on soft skills is vital to interacting with younger workers, and skills like creativity, complex problem solving, and critical thinking can be fostered by a stable culture with good communication. Not only is excellent communication necessary for onboarding but for the employee growth afterward as well.

Wrap up

Onboarding in the digital age is an evolving and complex concept, and academic studies on the topic are increasingly popular. What’s clear is that the workplace changes brought about by the pandemic are here to stay. Employers need to adapt to this new world so that they can recruit and maintain the top-tier talents they deserve.

The Society for Human Resource Management offers a helpful how-to guide on setting up a virtual onboarding process linked here.

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How To Successfully Navigate Workplace Conflict

You’ll spend a significant amount of time at work seeing the same people every day. Ideally, you enjoy spending time with your workplace acquaintances, and you can work together well. But even the strongest relationships have frayed ends, and you (usually!) don’t get to choose the people you work with. Eventually, there will be conflict.

A hectic project may bring out the choler, or your teammate may have a contradictory work style to yours. Maybe you and your boss don’t see eye-to-eye on your salary negotiation, or maybe someone simply keeps eating your lunch. No matter what form it may appear in, workplace conflict is unavoidable.

However, conflict is not always something negative. Conflict can be a catalyst for growth. According to organizational communication scholars Stanley Deetz and Sheryl Stevenson:

“(a) conflict is natural; (b) conflict is good and necessary; and (c) most conflicts are based on real differences” -Deetz and Stevenson (1986)

With help from leadership and workplace experts across the globe, we’ll examine the nature of conflict, recognize that conflict doesn’t have to be hostile, and learn how to effectively navigate the murky waters of workplace conflict.

Conflict itself isn’t a bad thing

As the aforementioned communication scholars have noted, conflict is both natural and necessary. It’s impossible to imagine a group of people in any setting that won’t eventually have a difference of opinion and clash.

“As with any place full of interpersonal relationships, a workplace can be rife with a wide range of conflicts. There are the work-specific problems related to promotions, salary disparity, lack of recognition for achievement, or shared responsibility among a team. There are also more general issues with personal space and privacy; and then there are plain old personality conflicts.” –Rita Friedman, Career Coach

The first instinct many have is to avoid the conflict and hope it passes so as not to create a hostile environment. Yet this denies an opportunity for growth and understanding. By leaving the cause of a conflict in the dark, a solution can never come to light. Imagine a colleague always talks over you in meetings, leaving your ideas on the sidelines. By staying silent, you may never get your chance to have your voice heard.

Libby Calaby believes without a strong leader willing to step in as an unbiased adjudicator, a team will eventually tear itself apart. A third party can help, but an understanding that conflict is necessary and that it doesn’t need to be antagonistic can empower you to take charge.

Conflict doesn’t have to be hostile

The biggest myth of conflict is that conflict is always a hostile act. You don’t need to call your coworker out in front of everyone and put them on the spot or come up with some elaborate revenge plot.

Think of conflict simply as a disagreement. A conflict may sound severe but we have disagreements all the time, right? If I want to go out for tacos but you’d rather get a pizza, that’s not such a big deal, is it? We may have a little debate about the merits of each, and ultimately both of us won’t get our way, but that’s not something cataclysmic.

Putting conflict into this perspective makes it easier to handle conversations a bit more easily. Nexxt’s Alexander Richardson offers the example of negotiations with your boss. You may want something from your boss, a raise, or a day off, and assume your boss is against you. You may believe yourself to be in conflict with your boss, and you may be right, but that doesn’t mean you’re at odds. Think of the opportunity as negotiation and you’ll get the best results.

How to handle workplace conflicts

With a better understanding that conflict is necessary for growth and that it doesn’t need to be aggressive, how can we handle workplace conflicts in a respectful manner? The experts at Small Biz Viewpoints, Robert Half, and Advanced Leadership Consulting each have their ideas on how to handle the process. These tips fall into three broad categories to get you started.

1. Be proactive

Don’t let a conflict fester or snowball out of control. You can often stop conflict before it happens by checking in with your peers and asking for simple feedback, writes Carl Robinson of Advanced Leadership Consulting.

He adds that, while recognizing conflict is inevitable, you want to establish conflict resolution procedures in advance. “Think of the procedures as ground rules for behavior within and outside the team. Don’t wait for the conflict to happen before establishing ground rules for navigating conflict.”

2. Be respectful

Stick to the facts and don’t make a conflict feel personal. Keep the argument on the issue at hand. This prevents the other party from immediately feeling defensive or attacked, and they’ll be far more willing to listen to what you have to say.

“Be mindful during the resolution process, you should use neutral terms and display open body language with all of the employees involved. For this reason, you should focus on the events and behaviors instead of the personalities.” -Small Biz Viewpoints

3. Compromise

Chances are, you won’t reach a perfect solution for both parties involved. Learning how to compromise is key. While it may feel like you’re conceding or giving up, learning how to give and take is vital for growth and to move past a disagreement. Robert Half believes “[D]iplomacy is based on tradeoffs and finding an acceptable middle ground. Aim to create a win-win situation where both parties walk away gaining something.”

Wrap up

Even in the best company culture, even if you adore your coworkers, conflicts will happen. Keeping perspective in these conflicts is necessary to gain an understanding and come to an amicable solution. You may not always “win” your conflicts, but by realizing that conflict is necessary and can be positive, and understanding how to handle conflicts, you’ll come away without losing or damaging your workplace relationships. But either way, don’t eat your coworkers’ lunch. That’s just impolite.

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