Abraham Lincoln once said "Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe." It's a great metaphor for sharpening skills so we can work smarter.
Every skill needs to be sharpened now and then. On Friday we "sharpened the axe" for a small group of professionals who had attended Articulus Corporate Storytelling Workshops (CSW) a few years ago. We refreshed their skills, added a few more, and had some fun catching up along the way.
This was the pilot test for an Advanced Corporate Storytelling Skills Seminar. We:
reviewed the Articulus Storyboard & discussed ways to use it outside presentations
discussed ways to differentiate our topics
covered additional framing methods
dove deeper into developing and presenting evidence with impact
explored speaking anxiety and ways to manage it
worked on preparing and responding to questions and objections
Feedback and discussion were good. They validated the thoughts that drove me to develop the Advanced Seminar:
Over time it's easy to forget some of the concepts, processes, and best practices taught in the CSW
A brief refresher can get presenters back on track to fully use the Storyboard
Having experience using the Storyboard in the wild leads to much better insights, questions, and peer feedback
CSW participants like the workshop and graduates want to extend the experience
Seminar participants' sharing of successes, challenges, and examples was superb
If you took the CSW in the past, let me know if you are interested in this seminar... or check out the Open Events page to see if there is one scheduled. I'd like to conduct one or two each year but it will depend on interest and your feedback.
Thanks, Kev