The Astonishing Power of Storytelling
Leading, Teaching, and Transforming in a New Way

First Edition

Robert J. Garmston - Co-Developer, Cognitive Coaching and Adaptive Schools

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Communication Skills | Leadership

September 2018 | 240 pages | Corwin

Visit this page to access a Study Companion for the book.

Master the secret to engaging any audience—from classrooms, to colleagues, to conference rooms

Everyone loves a good story. More than entertainment, well-told stories captivate listeners and motivate action. In this guidebook, Robert J. Garmston shows you how to leverage the power of storytelling to engage and persuade students, colleagues, and all other audiences.

Written in Garmston’s warm and conversational style and featuring current cognitive neuroscience research, the book includes:

Detailed breakdowns of the essential elements all great stories share, and templates for creating yours
Tips for supercharging your stories by drawing from personal experience as well as familiar movies, TV shows, and popular media
A guide to effective story delivery, including optimized vocal inflection and body language

Becoming a better storyteller will make you a more effective communicator and educator. Get started today with The Astonishing Power of Storytelling.

Available Formats

ISBN: 9781506386393	Paperback	Suggested Retail Price: CAD$ 36.95	Bookstore Price: CAD$ 29.56
ISBN: 9781506386386	Electronic Version	Suggested Retail Price: CAD$ 33.00	Bookstore Price: CAD$ 26.40

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Preface

Acknowledgments

About the Author and Illustrator

PART I: WHY STORIES WORK

1. Why Tell Stories

Communication Suffocation

Leading Through Narrative

Watch A Story Being Told

How Storytelling Began

2. The Neuroscience of Narrative

Story Worth Watching

Stories Arouse Cooperative Instincts

$$$ The Million-Dollar Story

Desired-State Stories

PART II: FIND, DESIGN, AND DELIVER YOUR STORY

3. Finding Personal Stories

Story Categories

Locating Personal Story Material

Stories About Your Organization

Finding Your Personal Stories

4. Other Story Sources

Six Story Sources

Biographies

Films and Television

Histories

Literature

Stories Unique to a Particular Culture

Two Stories Worth Watching

Metaphor Stories

5. Why Are Metaphors Important?

How Metaphors Are Processed

Right Hemisphere Engagement

Four Uses of Metaphor

Teach Concepts

Generate Ideas

Empower

Go Beyond Logic

Subtexts of Metaphor

6. Desirable Story Features

Engaging Openings

Have a Beginning, Middle, and End

Use Present Tense

Use Sensory Images

Include Tensions

Embed Conflict

Create Voices

Use Memorable Closings

Seven Steps to Preparing a New Story

7. Delivering Your Story

Animation

Stand Like You Are Credible

Centering

Vocal Variety

Intentional Movement

Story Worth Watching

Use Questions to Invite the Audience In

PART III: CHANGING BEHAVIORS WITH STORY

8. Promote Change: Story Structure and Examples

Desired State

Resistance

Applying the Desired-State Map: Three Examples

1. Shouting at a Parent

2. Bear in the Cage

3. A Strong, Yet Delicate Rose

Presume Positive Intentions

9. Meet Groups Where They Are

Pacing

Indirect Suggestions

What Listeners Experience

10. Design for the Intuitive Mind

Invoking Receptivity

Beyond Waking Awareness

Story Elements for Subliminal Processes

Pacing

Misdirection

Artfully Vague Language

Tensions

Indirect Suggestions

11. How Two Stories Changed Behaviors

General Components of a Well-Formed Story

Factual Specificity

Presentation Congruity

Audience Appropriateness

Elicits Empathy

Contains Submerged Moral or Point of View

Creates Internal Representations

Bypasses Protective Filters

Parallels the Audience’s Situation

Lingers on Point of Irresolution

Marks Embedded Commands

Offers Resolutions

12. In Conclusion

Story Catalog

Organizing the Stories

Shifting Perceptions

Inviting Learning

Inspiring Action

Seeking Desired States

Guide to Story Locations

APPENDIX

Worksheet 1: Metaphor Subtexts

Worksheet 2: Anatomy of Desired-State Stories

Worksheet 3: Constructing a Desired-State Story

Poetry Referenced in the Preface

Storytelling Study Companion

References

Index

Bob Garmston provides astonishing examples of the power of storytelling. Through storytelling, he that wit and wisdom can be companions on the journey to gain knowledge and insight.

Gary Whitely, Leadership Consultant; Kenai, Alaska

Kenai, Alaska

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