Why Great Leadership Needs Both Storytelling And Story Facilitation

What Kind of Leader Are You?

You might have heard that there are two kinds of leadership styles: The leaders who are the sage on stage versus the guide on the side. The sage on stage is the storyteller with executive presence. He knows how to tell a brief, brilliant story that inspires a room to take the next necessary step forward. The guide on the side is the story facilitator. She knows how to share the spotlight with the other people in the room in order to discover the stories that will help the team innovate and connect.

But the truth is every leader actually needs to know how to be both the sage on stage and the guide on the side. Different situations call for different communication skills and leadership styles. Knowing when to be the storyteller who commands the room and when to be the story facilitator who draws others out will help you become a more effective leader.

Organizations today are searching for dynamic leadership, people who know how to engage and listen. In a study of thousands of executive job descriptions over nearly two decades, researchers Raffaella Sadun and Joseph Fuller found companies moving away from charismatic smooth talkers toward what they called “socially adept leaders.” Companies want leaderships that “listen empathetically, welcome input, and rally the workforce around a common goal.”

Leadership Storytelling Vs. Story Facilitation: What’s the difference?

You can eat a meal with just a knife or a fork, but to truly enjoy it, you need both. Each does a different, complementary job. Storytelling and story facilitation work the same way.

Story facilitation is the art of drawing stories out of others, helping them articulate the data, emotions, and meaning that usually go unspoken. Unlike teachers, facilitators aren’t always subject matter experts. They’re experts in the process of learning, reading group energy, and making meaning. They listen differently. They don’t just assign turns to speak; they tune into what isn’t being said but needs to be heard. They sense hesitation, nudge participation, and frame questions that unlock what is stuck.

Leadership storytelling, on the other hand, is the strategic weaving of fact and emotion to engage an audience and inspire action. A leader with a brief, brilliant story ready on hand for the moment can quickly engage a team, make complex information memorable, and build morale and trust.

Great storytelling strengthens your executive presence, your impact on an audience, and your ability to communicate complex ideas memorably. Skilled facilitation helps you discover ideas you didn’t know existed and see people and situations differently. Together, they help you provide the best kind of leadership: Your teams will be able to understand each other, innovate, and better serve clients.

When a COO started a meeting with the marketing team of a new product, morale was down.  The marketing was not going as planned, motivation was waning, the mood on the previous two calls was depressing. She knew she had to do something to salvage the situation. So she started the meeting with a question, “When you first saw our product, what elements of the product made you say, “Yes, I want to represent this?” It opened the door to stories and hearing their perspective and new insight. It opened the discussion and elevated the energy of the team. It led to brainstorming new ideas and brought new motivation to the situation.

The beauty of successful facilitation is that the rest of the team didn’t know what was happening; it just seemed like we were having a good conversation and brainstorming session. But without it, we would have repeated the dull mood of the past two meetings.

Leadership choice: When to be the storyteller?

Whether your audience is a single person or a room full of hundreds of people, a story helps what you say stay memorable and meaningful. Here are some times storytelling is most effective:

• Sales pitches
• Keynotes
• Conference panels
• Job interviews
• Annual reviews

How to build your leadership storytelling skills

Storytelling frameworks, like IRS, which I use with all my clients, are an approachable method for learning how to craft a compelling story in just three or four sentences. IRS stands for

• I – Intriguing beginning
• R – Riveting middle
• S – Satisfying ending

To use the IRS framework, open with a question or scenario that sparks curiosity. Then build the middle around a central tension using only essential details. Close by returning to your opening and answering the questions you raised, while leaving room for your audience to reflect and ask their own questions. You can learn more about IRS and other storytelling tools in my earlier Forbes.com article.

Leadership choice: When to be the story facilitator?

The two most urgent times that call for story facilitation help leaders steer clear of crises:

• You sense there is something that is being left unsaid that is holding back your team and you want to help people share hard truths.
• The same conversation or disagreement leads to the same dead end over and over again and you want to move your relationship forward.

Used proactively, story facilitation can help you avoid those situations altogether. Use story facilitation proactively, when you need to:

• help cross-functional teams start collaborating
• reconcile colliding perspectives and opinions
• onboard new clients or team members
• mentor others
• build a new team from scratch
• introduce yourself and your leadership style to a new group of people

How to practice your story facilitation skills

• Be curious. Instead of quickly reacting to others, pause and ask, “Tell me more.”
• Listen intently. Don’t listen to respond; listen to learn. When you listen intently it’s important to summarize and reflect what you are hearing to ensure you are understanding and also to demonstrate your investment in the speaker.
• Ask crazy good questions. Ask powerful open-ended questions that help people reflect and share freely.

The true power of storytelling and story facilitation is being able to pivot nimbly between the two leadership communication styles. You can be sage on stage and the guide on the side as needed. When you do so, no one will notice what you are doing, but they will get more out of the conversation. When CEO Sylvia Kwan was leading an off-site for the leadership team at her company, Ellevest, she intentionally pivoted to be the guide on the side, using Crazy Good Questions. She recalls, “The impact was extraordinary. Engagement skyrocketed, every voice found space, and our team left energized and aligned.” Like Kwan, leaders who are fluent in story facilitation and storytelling will ensure they are ready for the opportunities and challenges that await them. When you invest in your leadership communication skills, you unlock your team’s ability to succeed.

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