Storytelling and Leadership - A workshop January 23, 2010

Stories are as old as humankind and are new each time we speak them. They influence our thinking - in our families, in our organizations, in political life, in our worlds. Story is the center of everything -- it is the connective tissue bringing together our relationships, processes and results in support of our vision. Together we will create and explore and reflect toward answering the questions: What is the story of your vision? What are the stories you and others are telling, intentionally or not? What are the stories you need to tell to get from where you are to where you want to be? How can you tell them and change the narrative about your organization and thus, the organization itself?

Whether you've taken another storytelling workshop at the Center or not, this experience will leave you with a deeper understanding of crafting and communicating the stories you want to tell.

Ann Marie Foley grew up in a family where being able to tell a story is to this day a cherished and developed skill. Ann Marie believes the stories we tell define us and may vary depending on our audience. Ann Marie's professional stories include being Program Manager for M.A. in Leadership, past Faculty for B.A. in Management at Saint Mary's College, and a Personal/Professional Coach. Her educational stories include an M.A. in Organizational Development and Transformation from the California Institute of Integral Studies.

Elissa Perry is an independent consultant and an award-winning fiction writer. Her gifts are listening and observing from an empathetic place and weaving stories on paper to give back. Since 1995, she has worked as an external learning partner with organizations and institutions in the areas of leadership development, organizational learning, social media and program development. She firmly believes that at the root of learning, of being in community, of exercising leadership are the rich traditions of story.

Official Website: http://www.smcleadership.org