We went to Liverpool on the train this morning and, when we got to the Chamber, Martin King told us stories.
In his South London, taxi-driveresque accent, he took us all around the Tulse Hill, Norwood and Dulwich stomping grounds of his youth.
He also told us classic morality tales and fables packed with riddles, real-life crossroads to negotiate and mountains to climb.
Heroes and heroines emerged in the hurly-burly of real-life, through stories people could relate to, not from the dusty pages of unread rule books.
Martin works as a storyteller to help people develop and deliver messages which are both authentic and understood.
He would agree that too much of our business culture is driven by the perceived need to grandstand, obfuscate and overpower. In fact, in his world of deep meaning but plain telling, “bullshit” would hit the mark perfectly.
He’s right, you know. The real world proceeds in stories. I offer you a story. If it makes sense and rings reasonably true, you will engage with me and respond. You may very well offer me a story of your own in return.
A man at the front told us that lawyers seldom notice real people through the clutter of the legal framework.
A woman sitting near me told us in an utterly compelling away about how shoes can tell us so much about people.
So many stories, so many self-narratives, so many tales that we can tell…….
What stories are you telling others on your journey through your business life? Are you being heard? Are you even listening?
