Story-telling Worksheet
Denning's book has a premise: story telling is the way to make your company grow. Interesting concept. Sometimes useful. Here is a worksheet (truncated) on formulating a story about where you want to take your company (Denning, 99):
One piece of paper, three sections. First section: Where we've come from. Second section: Where you are now. Third section: Where you are heading. A line connects the sections. It ties the story together, "the journey of your life" (Denning, 99).
Now tell a short story (sixty seconds) about the first section. Review it for relevance. Tell it to other people. Check out if they understand it and have suggestions. Repeat for the next two sections. You now have a three minute speech to tell your team. Need a longer speech. Prepare more one minute stories. Add them to your speech.
Seem too simple? Try it. You don't want a complex formulation. You want simple stories, one after the other, to engage folks. They'll actually listen and engage. That's good.
Denning, Stephen. The Leader's Guide to Storytelling. Mastering the Art and Discipline of Business Narrative. Jossey-Bass. 2005.