The Power of Storytelling as a Tool In Business, Learning and Organization Development

April 10, 2008

Note:  Senior Training Directors' Forums are targeted for training and development professionals who have a minimum of 10 years of training and development (or equivalent) experience and are responsible for developing training and development strategy. Director level professionals are also responsible for decision making in their organizations. These programs are designed to offer strategic insight and time for round table interaction with peers.

Overview

Roger Schank once said, “Humans are not ideally set up to understand logic; they are ideally set up to understand stories.”

Our guest speakers will introduce you to specific concepts and strategies for applying storytelling to better meet the business and learning goals and initiatives within your organization. Join us for this interactive, insightful, progressive and fun session that will provide you with hands-on experience, tools, techniques and resources to take back to your workplace.

Learn how the power of storytelling can:

• Bring your organization to a higher level of performance
• Build high performing teams
• Gain stakeholder buy-in
• Generate new ideas
• Promote company messages and culture
• Transfer knowledge and support talent management
• Improve global workforce interactions
• Develop effective learning experiences
• Inspire action
• Develop an “antidote to Powerpoint”
• Create memorable business communications
• Develop powerful organizational leadership

Our guest speakers Will Hornyak and Gary Hirsch will show you the fundamentals of great storytelling, conduct lively improv-based activities and provide you with resources, tools and techniques that you can use in your own business environment to achieve tangible results.

Alignment with National ASTD Competency Model

9 Focus Areas Areas in BOLD will be addressed in this presentation.

1. Designing Learning 2. Improving Human Performance 3. Delivering Training 4. Measuring and Evaluating 5. Facilitating Organizational Change 6. Managing the Learning Function 7. Coaching 8. Managing Organizational Knowledge 9. Career Planning and Talent Management

Speakers

Will Hornyak graduated from Marquette University in 1976 where he received a bachelor's degree in journalism and history. He was recognized by the Society of Professional Journalists as the Outstanding Graduate of his class and went on to work as a journalist in the United States and Latin America with the Inter-American Press Association. Storytelling, teaching and speaking has been his full-time career since 1994.

A strong advocate for storytelling as a tool in personal and social empowerment he has worked with the Mankind Project, the Multnomah County Department of Juvenile Justice, the Oregon State Penitentiary and the Portland Office of Diversity.
He currently teaches storytelling to MBA students at Portland State University and communications students at Marylhurst University and performs throughout the United States. He has provided performances, keynotes and workshop programs for the United States Forest Service, Johnson Controls Inc., the American Cancer Society, Oregon State Penitentiary, the Oregon Department of Human Resources and at numerous schools, theatres, festivals and community centers. He lives in Lake Oswego, Oregon a short walk from the Willamette River.

Gary HIrsch is the co-founder of “On Your Feet” Improv and has led programs with Nike, Warner Bros, FedEx, Intel, Saatchi & Saatchi, Mattel, and others. He has been teaching and performing professional improv for fifteen years. He is a voracious doodler, illustrator, painter (doodlehouse.com). He has presented and taught at numerous improv festivals, and marketing related conferences. Gary is also an adjunct instructor in the School of Business Administration, Portland State University.

Details

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