Exercise

Read through this storyboard

Please let us know what is important to you

We may be able to help further if needed

Does your organisation suffer from any of these symptoms in managing difficult projects?

• Talk substituting action

• Upward delegation

• People admiring the problem not solving it

• People working to different agendas

• Push back, push back, push back

• Misplaced use of internal competition which suppresses cooperation

• Blame

Brilliant project plans created by heroes don’t work

Carefully planned, deliberate and deliberated

small steps that recognise the changing

opportunities and constraints inherent in the

Business.

Steps taken by people who are confident and

competent and are prepared to take a team

approach works.

We are talking about a different approach to project planning

TYPICAL APPROACH

• How life ought to be

• Focus on Outcomes, no distractions

• SMART Objectives

• Clear, detailed information

• Telling people ‘what to do’

• Monitor them closely

DIFFERENT APPROACH

• How life is

• Embracing different stakeholder views

• Writing a story to create meaning

• Co-creating the story with others

• Making sure everybody understands: Why, How, What

• Giving people freedom to deliver

We would like you to commit to giving our approach a try

Part 1 Outcome (this presentation)Outcome - Using stories to ENGAGE people so that they get involved in the project and the change agenda – WILLINGLY

Part 2 Outcome (next presentation)Giving people the DIRECTION and FREEDOM to do their bit successfully

More about Part 1 outcomes…

Understand stories; what are they for and how they work?

Write stories; use a template to create powerful stories

Understand how to engage through stories , share stories

with others

Getting complex projects done!

Engaging with Stories

More about Part 1 outcomes…

GETTING COMPLEX PROJECTS DONE

Writing and telling stories is a skill that can be learned but it needs practice

We’ll move to writing & telling stories…

…that engage hearts and minds

…that give projects meaning

…as a cause of something; move toward outcomes

…that deliver project results

…that are not merely passing on information

Exercise

What is a story?

A good place to start is our current thinking about stories

Do you have any working definitions of a story?

So, what is a story?

Using stories effectively requires raising awareness of 3 areas

• A story is an edited account of reality – are you clear what you are leaving in and out?

• A story is told to share a moral or point - are you clear what you are leaving in and out?

• A story has value to the hearer - are you clear the story is for

them and not about you?

By the way….

Nobody can disprove your story with facts

They will need a better story

All stories created to a structure

This is the most basic

MESS TURNAROUND SUCCESS

Writing a story | Star Wars Example

MESS | A young farm boy, who dreams of adventure, lives in a galaxy torn by rebellion and war. He is pushed into the conflict after his aunt and uncle are killed by the Empire for the droids he possesses….

TURNAROUND | …An old master Obi Wan Kenobi trains him in the ancient warrior ways called the Force and with the help of a rogue pilot Hans Solo, Luke tries to destroy the death star in a star fighter but the machine fails and all looks doomed but then he remembers the lessons of the Force and hits the right spot and…

SUCCESS | …the Death Star is destroyed, and they all live to fight another day (and in another movie)

Exercise

Think for a moment about a story of your project

Where is the BUT ONE DAY…?

And, the THEY ALL LIVED HAPPILY EVER AFTER?

Where’s the drama, the threat, the emotion?

Why not have a go at writing the story of your project?

Writing your story | A better template

Current Situation

Prompts for Action

Consequences and Complications

Outcomes

Key Domino

Writing your story | Template – Star Wars

Current Situation | A young farm boy, who dreams of adventure, lives in a galaxy torn by rebellion and war

Prompts for Action | He is pushed into the conflict after his aunt and uncle are killed by the Empire for the droids he possesses….

Consequence & Complications| An old master Obi Wan Kenobi trains him in the ancient warrior ways called the Force and with the help of a rogue pilot Hans Solo, Luke tries to destroy the death star in a star fighter but the machine fails and all looks doomed but then he remembers the lessons of the Force and hits the right spot and…

Outcomes | …the Death Star is destroyed

Key domino | …they all live to fight another day (and in another movie)

Exercise

Now is a good time to have a go at writing the first draft of the story of your project.

How do bring your project to life and deliver results?

You are now at a point of crisis!

You have written your story and are ready to tell it. Ask yourself:

Why are you telling your story?

(By The Way: There is only one reason!)

The reason!

> You don’t want your audience to listen to your story> You don’t want your audience to appreciate it> You don’t even want your audience to live it

You want your audience to share your story!That’s why it needs to clear and well written

Engaging “…With Others”

We want to move our thinking

• From Tell - to Share

• From Have to - to Want to

• From Discussion/Debate - to Involve/Engage

And

From ‘audience as enemy’ - to ‘audience as co-creator’

How most people think about telling stories:

Story Teller(Transmitter)

Audience(Receiver)

Try this way of thinking…sharing not telling

Story Teller

Audience

Taking the lead BUT…

Co-creating the story with the audience

Circular breathing when playing a wind instrument

It’s a bit like…blowing and breathing at the same time

Sharing = telling and listening at the same time

Time for reflection

Let’s bring it all together

Our intentions were:

• Understand stories – what are they for and how they work

• Write stories – use a template to create powerful stories

• Engage through stories – share not tell stories with others

We want to bring our projects to life; give meaning

By sharing it with others we can talk it into existence

We want to write and share

Stories that engage hearts and minds

Stories that give meaning

Stories as a cause of something

Stories that deliver results

Using stories to deliver results in your project

And finally….

Why not have a go at writing or rewriting a story for a project and send it to us for review?

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