04. Where to Find Stories?

0:00 [Vinod] Storytelling means telling stories. But where do we find those stories?

0:06 Welcome to the Storytelling at Work Podcast. I'm your host, Vinod Krishna, and here we explore storytelling, communication, leadership, and more.

0:25 In a business setting, where things tend to feel structured, formal, and often not very story-like, it's easy to assume that stories don't belong here. But here's the thing, you're surrounded by stories every single day.

0:39 Before we talk about how to find them, let's clear something up. When I say story, I don't mean something dramatic or cinematic. This isn't about thrilling chases or heroic speeches. A story, at its heart, is a moment of change. That's it.

0:56 That change could be small, like figuring out a new way of doing something, or big, like a shift in mindset that impacted your team. It could be a time when a customer conversation didn't go as planned. Or maybe it's a time when it did. It could be a challenge, a breakthrough, or something that simply stayed with you.

1:19 So where do you find these stories?

1:22 The first place to start with is you, and I'm talking of personal stories. Think of a time when you struggled with a deliverable at work or maybe with a deadline. A time when you had to learn something new and then solve a problem. Or a time when you were forced to step back from the position you defended because you realized you were wrong.

1:45 I could go on with this. Plenty of stories from our personal experiences are available to us.

1:48 Next, look for team stories, the people you work with. What's a pressure situation the team handled? Did someone go out of the way to help with a problem? Or maybe take up a stretch assignment? That situation when someone adapted or took the risk to try something new.

2:06 A third area to find stories, customer conversations, situations, or even projects. What’s that situation when a tough customer's demands were managed smoothly? Or when a customer reached out to you or your team and you bailed them out of a crisis? Or that instance where you failed to meet expectations?

2:28 Now another one is stories in the midst of change, organization changes, a change in leadership or roles, a merger, a key member quitting at a crucial juncture in the project, a shift in strategy, a product being declared end-of-life, investments in new product development halted, or maybe it’s a layoff.

2:45 You have stories available everywhere. The best way to get started is to start noticing the stories around us.

2:54 You can also look back at the end of every day, run a mental scan to find some significant moments that are story material.

3:06 I would suggest that you set up a simple system to log stories as you notice them. You can use your phone. I would recommend an Excel sheet and use appropriate tags for each story.

3:16 Two years ago, I was at the screening of a documentary of a cycling tour. When the film ended, one of the riders came up on stage and spoke about how this tour had a powerful impact on his life.

3:30 A serious injury had restricted him from any physical exercise for quite some time. He had been struggling to get back to his previous form, but that wasn't easy. When he signed up for the tour the previous year, he barely made it to the finish line. The following year, he returned to complete the almost 600-kilometre ride in style.

3:50 Participating in the tour helped him break free from the state he was stuck in, both physically and mentally. While the audience applauded, I promptly made a mental note of this wonderful story. And once I was back home, I promptly logged this one in my story bank.

4:07 So it all begins with employing our ability to notice and listen. When people have personal conversations, you'll soon be able to notice the story moments in work conversations too.

4:20 Thanks for tuning in to the Storytelling at Work Podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, do subscribe and share with someone who might find it useful. If you've got a question or a storytelling challenge at work, feel free to reach out.