A presentation is not a story, they are not interchangeable, but you can certainly use lessons from storytelling to make sure that your presentation has an organized narrative and leaves them with the takeaway(s) you want them to hold onto.
Read MoreThe number one leadership initiative in any organization today is improved coaching. Coaching empowers employees, empowerment drives engagement, and engagement drives performance. At its core, coaching is about transformation. Leading distributed teams requires transforming how we coach and changing our play calls and playbooks to get things done. As a part of our interview series called “Moving From Command & Control to Coaching & Collaboration; How Leaders and Managers Can Become Better Coaches,” we had the pleasure to interview Stephanie Judd and Kara Davidson.
Read MoreWolf & Heron announces the relocation of its headquarters to Atlanta, Georgia. Founder Stephanie Judd was also tapped to speak at a Leadership Lab sponsored by the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE). The in-person event was designed for the public health staff members throughout the United States and hosted on January 4 at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Read MoreAs a manager, you can create a predictable and safe environment for those conversations at your regular manager/employee check-ins. Many of us have had these meetings on our calendar but there’s a big difference between a well organized, predictable, thoughtful check-in and the rushed, distracted, “default” check-in. Scheduling the check-in and inviting your employee to meet with you is not enough.
Read MoreTOOL
Download a pdf with prompts and questions designed to help you inspire you to have an intentional and productive manager/employee check-in.
Read MoreWolf & Heron was featured in an article by CEO Blog Nation where Kara shares a bit about how we came up with the name for our business.
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Being influential is a challenge for many leaders, but particularly when in a team, organization or even just leading a meeting where you’re not the most experienced or lack formal power.
If you’re worried about your ability to influence within a group, there’s a lot you can do to understand the power dynamics and increase the likelihood you’ll feel and show up as powerful and influential.
Read MoreWhen organizing a working group meeting, you may decide that part of the reason for gathering is to collect input and expertise from your members. Remember that giving your participants something to DO is a powerful way to engage them and give them purpose, so don’t hold back. Then, focus on giving your conversation structure so that you can manage the loud voices and democratize the input.
Read MoreIn her book Executive Presence, Sylvia Ann Hewlett describes executive presence as resting on three pillars: gravitas, communication and appearance. As a storytelling and presentation skills coach, I work with clients on all three of these pillars. Here’s my tip: If you’re aiming to develop your executive presence, consider developing your storytelling skills as one way to do so. Here are a few reasons why becoming an intentional storyteller can help build your executive presence.
Stephanie Judd authored this article as a Forbes Council contribution.
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Because working groups are often established to work through aspirational and shifting goals, and because participants are usually loosely organized, it’s critical that participants understand why they’re meeting, what they are expected to contribute, and what they can expect in return. Although you may already have a cursory idea of agenda topics for meetings, getting clear on your “why” will take your meeting from the typical boring event to a powerful gathering with better outcomes.
Read MoreWolf & Heron, a consultancy that empowers high-potential people to engage and inspire others with storytelling, has announced that founder and managing partner Stephanie Judd is an invited speaker at the 2022 Product Management Festival (PMF). The event will be held in Zürich, Switzerland from November 9 to November 10, 2022.
Read MoreTOOL
This Google Docs reflection document includes prompts and questions designed to help you prepare for a conversation when you want to influence someone.
Read MoreTOOL
This Google Sheets template will help you map your power on a specific issue. You’ll identify the relevant people and then evaluate their power, support and the quality of your relationship with them to understand your champions and detractors.
Read MoreEVENT SUMMARY
The event was intended as forum for thoughtful conversation about the future of leadership development. Download a summary of the conversation.
Read MoreWorking groups are a particularly challenging group to organize and facilitate. Members typically participate in a working group as volunteers, or as an “add on” to their day-to-day jobs. They’re usually made up of members who are more experienced and senior than the person charged with spearheading the group, and the lack of power structure makes accountability to the group a bit thin.
Read MoreREFERENCE
This reference offers a few examples of KNOW, FEEL, and DO statements that we worked through with our clients. Compare the “before” and “after” states and see our markup.
Read MoreTOOL
This Google Sheets template will provide you with a framework to define success for your meeting or presentation. One tab offers a structure for you to think through a single meeting. Another tab offers a template for thinking through a multi-session gathering or retreat.
Read MoreWe empower your high-potential people and executives to engage and inspire others with storytelling. Download our one-page overview and keep it on hand as a reference.
Read MoreLike many event-based learning, there’s always a risk that the skills, knowledge, energy and momentum developed in our workshops may get lost in the mess of daily worklife. We have pre- and post-event activities built into the Influential Storytelling program to help people integrate storytelling directly into their workflow, but there’s always more you can do to make storytelling part of your organizational culture.
Read MoreA key hurdle for leaders stepping into their own leadership is their personal belief that they’re not ready. This article explores Impostor Syndrome, who it affects, and how to combat it effectively: check in with yourself, reframe your thinking, seek outside perspectives, and take a small step.
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