Category // Misc
19th Jun 2008 @ 10.57pm
I recently went on holiday in the Outer Hebrides, beautiful islands off the west coast of northern Scotland. The weather was perfect, so I was fortunate to be able to go on a visit to St Kilda, a further 50 miles off the coast of Harris, and on the very edge of Europe. It has only recently become possible to go, with specially adapted fast boats that take two and a half hours compared to nine hours before. Read more…
posted by Paul Honeywell
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filed under Misc
18th Jun 2008 @ 5.11pm
Our website now features a new section dedicated to new positions on offer in our rapidly-growing team. Over the last year we have seen a significant increase in interest in our proposition, and in tandem with ongoing product development (not to mention numerous tweaks, adjustments and improvements to the programme) we’re firing on all cylinders.
We’re an interesting and eclectic team of people with a combination of skills ranging from strategic communications, event facilitation, creative and multi-media design, organisational change, marketing and project management - fun to work with and keen to retain the ‘family’ culture as we grow, utterly dedicated to making this pioneering approach work for our clients to achieve the best possible results.
Have a look at the Careers section of the site, and if you think you or anyone you know fits the bill, get in touch!
posted by Alison Esse
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filed under Misc
9th Apr 2008 @ 5.19pm
And then John Maeda has something to say in his book ‘The Laws Of Simplicity’….
To make anything simple, you need to apply ‘thoughtful reduction’; that’s why the iPod has fewer features than rival media players. Where you can’t reduce- and too much reduction destroys the value of your product - you have to hide complexity; which is why Google has almost nothing on its home page. But for your simplified product to succeed, it has also to appear more valuable than more complex products, something you achieve with classy materials and clever marketing; which is why Bang & Olufsen’s remote controls are heavier than you’d expect.
Right team….let’s look at our paper stock…..
posted by Alison Esse
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filed under Misc
27th Feb 2008 @ 4.54pm
“We don’t do average.
Average is middle of the road,
and middle of the road is
where you get run over.”
Another great one from the
eminent clothing brand Howies.
posted by Ryan Dixon
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filed under Misc
20th Feb 2008 @ 11.58am
Its products? Its market share? Its all singing, all dancing logo? Well, they do have something to do with it but it’s the people that decide whether a company succeeds or fails. So, should we be looking closer to home for better results? Read more…
posted by Ryan Dixon
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filed under Misc
14th Jan 2008 @ 8.56am
What makes a good leader? And more importantly, why? Here are seven ‘top tips’ for leaders who want to inspire their people, courtesy of The Practice of Leadership… Read more…
posted by Alison Esse
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filed under Misc, Organisations
13th Jan 2008 @ 6.18pm
It’s a sad farewell to Sir John Harvey-Jones who died this week aged 83. Probably one of our best known captains of industry, Sir John was a great storyteller as his 1990’s TV programmes on failing businesses will testify. Read more…
posted by Marcus Hayes
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filed under Misc, News
10th Jan 2008 @ 9.07pm
John Gapper’s excellent article in the Financial Times talks of the lessons that Barack Obama can teach business leaders.
Among these is is that storytelling is crucial to business. “Many CEOs stand or fall by their ability to frame a story” says Gapper, “not only for investors or analysts about how they are turning a business around but for employees to engage them in making it happen”. Read more…
posted by Paul Honeywell
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filed under Misc
12th Nov 2007 @ 11.34am
Congratulations to our client Currys Supply Chain which scooped an incredible three awards at Friday’s annual CiB (Communicators in Business) awards ceremony. These included awards in both the storytelling and change management categories as well as an overall Gold Award for their change management programme. Read more…
posted by Glenn Mason
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filed under Misc
24th Oct 2007 @ 11.00am
A huge congratulations to Currys Supply Chain, a long standing client of ours, which has just landed an Award for Excellence at the CiB (Communicators in Business) Strategy Awards. Read more…
posted by Glenn Mason
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filed under Misc
1st Oct 2007 @ 9.46am
The Sunday Times published a great article which underlines the need for businesses to keep things simple. Chris West, a business advisor and author, says that business needs to speak in a language that ordinary people can understand, and avoid “management-ese”. Read more…
posted by Paul Honeywell
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filed under Misc
24th Sep 2007 @ 9.57am
I spent yesterday shooting clay pigeons, racing quad bikes and driving a tank at Newick Park yesterday, all for Dame Vera Lynn’s charity to raise funds for children with cerebral palsy. Read more…
posted by Alison Esse
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filed under Misc
23rd Sep 2007 @ 3.14pm
I came across this post on Chris Collison’s blog - a great demonstration of how stories can be ruined by corporate presentations.
posted by Sally Hinder
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filed under Misc
1st Aug 2007 @ 2.01pm
Whilst traveling to a meeting on the underground recently I came across a wonderful example of storytelling… Read more…
posted by Ryan Dixon
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filed under Misc, Stories
20th Jul 2007 @ 2.45pm
I read a great story on my way to work this morning - which given the aura of glumness hovering over my fellow commuters - seemed timely as well as thought provoking.
Most of us understand that having a positive outlook is preferable to that of a negative one, but how many of us simply react emotionally to most situations rather than consciously choosing to apply a positive attitude to what life throws our way?
I’m not advocating that we all go around grinning moronically (although the entertainment value of this alone may be worth pursuing!) but we do have a choice. Read more…
posted by Melanie Cochran
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filed under Misc
18th Jul 2007 @ 2.58pm
I’ve just come back from a fantastic holiday in Dubai. The weather was incredible - 45 degrees each day (too hot for some!) whilst the sea resembled a bath with temperatures holding a steady 35 degrees…Oh, and the skies (in complete contrast to the UK this Summer), remained cloudless for the entire 2 weeks.
Aside from the idyllic weather though, the thing that really strikes you about Dubai is the sheer ambition of the place.
Read more…
posted by Glenn Mason
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filed under Misc
13th Jun 2007 @ 1.57pm
The Storytellers are delighted to be sponsoring the NSPCC team who will be participating in this year’s Microsoft UK Challenge (20-24 June, Yorkshire). This televised event challenges teams from the UK’s top organisations to race against the clock to complete, over four days and nights, one of the most testing courses imaginable across some of Yorkshire’s toughest terrain. To succeed (and win) competitors will require great teamwork and communication, physical fitness and mental aptitude and stamina. We wish the NSPCC team luck and courage as they enter the final days of training, and hope that all those taking part have a great time (and make it back in one piece)!
posted by Alison Esse
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filed under Misc
15th May 2007 @ 9.41am
The leadership meetings we design for our clients usually involve several storytelling sessions, which is an excellent way of helping leaders personalise key corporate messages and priorities, make sense and take ownership of them. Some of the stories are very moving, told with passion and emotion. They are stories about people, how employees have helped or made a difference to other human beings’ lives through the course of their day-to-day work.
Read more…
posted by Alison Esse
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filed under Misc
14th May 2007 @ 2.23pm
We are all natural born storytellers, so what does telling stories in business settings really feel like?
Business is often very formal, very structured, which is why presentations and events are often built around rigid agendas, charts, and of course the ubiquitous PowerPoint. These tools accentuate that rigidity. It all makes great sense to the presenter, as it is his or her thinking translated into a structure. However, what may work for the presenter very often fails for the audience. They don’t REALLY listen, and are very rarely engaged on an emotional level even if they might be on a rational one.
Read more…
posted by Paul Honeywell
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filed under Misc, Stories
23rd Apr 2007 @ 8.37am
Ever heard of work-life balance? The New York Times refers to our addiction to Blackberry’s - or ‘Crackberry’s’:
Read more…
posted by Martin Clarkson
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filed under Misc
20th Apr 2007 @ 8.00am
And by the way, those words aren’t mine, guv. But I am compelled to celebrate some new research that dubs PowerPoint presentations a disaster, doing more to switch off the brain and bore people rigid than to inform, inspire and motivate them.
There’s no doubt that PowerPoint is an incredibly useful tool, used in the right proportions and in the right way. But as a spokesperson from Microsoft says, ‘there is no substitute for being a good communicator’. Indeed, successful employee engagement depends on it.
Read more…
posted by Alison Esse
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filed under Misc, Engagement
25th Jan 2007 @ 11.40am
The 7th UK National Storytelling Week is set to run from Saturday 27 January - Saturday 3 February. Building on the success of the 2006 week which saw 900 events nationwide, this year will see a diverse array of events in Museums, Libraries, Schools and Theatres amongst other places….why don’t we make 2007 they year the work place gets involved! For a list of events taking place around the country, or for further information and guide to running your event please visit The National Storytelling Week website.
posted by Lis
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filed under Misc
4th Oct 2006 @ 8.31am
What is innovation? Here is an interesting take on the polarities of innovation. Storytelling, for sure, plays an important role in extracting ideas and knowledge from people within organisations, but there are no strict rules as to the form that innovation takes…
posted by Paul Honeywell
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filed under Misc, Organisations
3rd Oct 2006 @ 7.03pm
We love this poem by Elspeth Murray, which echoes our frustration at the complexity, jargon, irrelevance and clutter that litters communication within organisations today. Elspeth wrote the poem for the launch of the cancer information reference group SCAN (South East Scotland Cancer Network) in January 2006, which has been trying to improve the quality and speed of services for people with cancer.
Read more…
posted by Martin Clarkson
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filed under Misc
3rd May 2006 @ 4.00pm
‘Telling people what to do doesn’t work any more because they don’t do it - and nor should they.’
Good words from ex BBC boss Greg Dyke - what he has to say in People Management this month ticks lots of boxes for us….
posted by Martin Clarkson
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filed under Misc
11th Jan 2006 @ 1.33pm
Nice to see The Storytellers mentioned recently in Richard Donkin’s column in the FT, with his view of the importance of Meaning at work.
Read more…
posted by Martin Clarkson
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filed under Misc
20th Oct 2005 @ 3.18pm
There has been an interesting, week-long-so-far debate on Melcrum’s SCM forum about what makes a good leader. The response has been amazingly varied. As the Conservative Party enters its final phase of choosing a leader, I thought this BBC News Magazine article was appropriate. I’d be interested to think what everyone out there thinks about this subject!
posted by Martin Clarkson
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filed under Misc
21st Jun 2005 @ 11.04am
One of the greatest storytellers of this century has explained in the Sunday Times how, in an era where digital technology brings so much to life, the imagination still plays a vital role in good storytelling.
Read more…
posted by Martin Clarkson
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filed under Misc
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