How to Open Your Meeting
How to Open Your Meeting

When you gather your team for a weekly alignment session, stand up to give a presentation to your board, or plan a conference… No matter how big or small or mundane your meeting is, your attendees arrive with a set of expectations, assumptions, and preconceived notions.

The first 3-5 minutes of your meeting are your opportunity to make sure all those expectations and assumptions are aligned across the group, and folks are motivated to participate. You can do a lot in a few minutes; aim to establish operating norms or ground rules, share the agenda, and perhaps most importantly of all, set the tone. It’s in these 3-5 minutes that your attendees will make a decision about how much or little they will engage as participants and it’s your job to invite them in properly.

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ArticleStephanie JuddMeetings, OpeningComment
The Secret to a Great Hook
The Secret to a Great Hook

Opening a story or presentation is one of the most difficult yet essential things to nail down in advance. At our Story Hours, or during a coaching session, it’s very common for storytellers to begin with, “Uh... okay,” “My story is about…” or the ever classic, “So…”

It’s common to begin with a half-baked plan, and it’s not surprising because most people are still crafting the story in their heads while they are speaking. The moment may be extemporaneous or just unplanned and the slow start is an inevitable side effect. But it’s time to develop some strategies to avoid showing up like you’re not sure what you’re talking about.

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ArticleStephanie JuddstorytellingComment
Four Things to Remember to be an Influential Storyteller
Four Things to Remember to be an Influential Storyteller

As human beings, we’re neurologically wired for stories - it’s been the primary mode of information transfer for most of human history, and as a result, we remember stories and the details associated with them far more effectively than any other kind of information. Stories present information in a controlled way, and bring the audience along by having them participate in the story through emotional and intellectual engagement.

However… if you want to use a story to actually influence someone, then we’re talking about taking stories to another level of awesome sauce. When you’re trying to influence, you’re not just trying to get your audience to remember your message - you want them to think or act differently as a result.

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ArticleStephanie JuddstorytellingComment