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Roger Jones in Storytelling: More Than a Presentation Tool provides the following advice.

• Stories make strategy come to life as we all love a good story.
  • Perhaps it is the suspense and rollercoaster of emotions as we can’t wait to see what happens next.
  • Think about how to wrap facts in a story narrative to make them more memorable.
• As leaders and especially as pharmacists we are comfortable using logic however the wise use of stories can engage your stakeholders emotionally, change attitudes and behaviors to make change happen.
  • Think of it as lifting your plans/vision off the page so people can relate and embrace them.
  • Help others create their own stories so they feel a greater sense of ownership such as the contributions they are making everyday to patient care.
• Think about how stories help children put their world into context, showing them how things work, how we relate to each other and feel comfortable with new experiences.
• Think about using your personal experiences as stories
  • Document a straight line and mark your birth and today as the opposite ends.
    • Note on the timeline significant experiences you can remember and what you have learned from each.
  • Select three or four experiences that standout and you are comfortable sharing.
    • With young folks I use my experience in having to run three times to be elected ASHP president and learning about yourself from the losses.
    • In my Pharmacy Leadership Academy (PLA) teaching I use my experiences with 9/11 as a couple of my leadership team were stuck outside of California and we had a bomb threat called in and what we had to do with little direction from above.
    • In my professional speaking I sometimes talk about the decision to retire at age 58 and how it has played out for me.
  • Craft these experiences into stories.
    • Introduce the characters
    • Begin the journey
    • Have an element of surprise or point that made you have a light bulb moment
    • Then resolve the story
    • Share what you learned and the value to them
  • Think how you might use each story to achieve your goals
  • Keep your story short such as no more than 3 minutes
  • When sharing your story be sure to tell people how you felt during the experience
• Once comfortable with storytelling use material from your department or organization for stories.
  • Have your staff prepare their significant impacts as stories that can be shared with Senior Administration and others throughout your organization.
• Please share your experiences with using stories in your