We are delighted to share that Bob Garmston’s next publication will be available soon through Corwin Press. The draft title is The Power of Story Telling: How Leaders and Presenters Persuade. Bob has been gracious enough to allow us to give you a little preview this month.

The book presents four types of stories as an organizer for ways we might want to influence an audience. The presenter or leader assesses his/her audience’s needs and chooses a category to best serve them. One type is for Shifting Perceptions, which taps into flexibility. It invites the listener to move beyond current mental models and consider new ways of interpreting the world.

A second category is stories for Inviting Learning. These inspire the recipient to open him/herself to new understandings and ways of thinking about the familiar and unfamiliar. A third category is Inspiring Action which plants seeds for trying new ways of being and acting in one’s world. Finally, there are stories for Changing Behavior. These are stories to help the listener acknowledge existing states and seek more desirable behaviors, attitudes, and ways of perceiving.

As you consider a presentation you have coming up, which of these types of stories might serve your audience?