Summary:

Maybe you've been in a conference room when an earnest co-worker dims the lights and fires up a PowerPoint presentation.

If the lights were on, this well-meaning individual would see eyes glazing over, as the audience cringes at yet another set of informational graphics, charts and bullet points.

"You can almost feel the bodies slouching," sighs Stephen Denning, a consultant in knowledge management and organizational storytelling and the author of Squirrel Inc., a book focusing on how storytelling can help business leaders. "People tune out when you start shoveling information at them."

Now, sit in the same conference room and listen to someone tell a story with a point. The story draws you in, captures your attention, stirs your imagination and leads you directly to the point at hand.

Unfortunately, this is a lesson business leaders have been slow to learn. In the business world, analysis is king. The hard facts are what drive business decisions. But that is just part of the equation in Denning's view.

Subjects Covered: business

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