Storytelling in the boardroom

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The art of storytelling is seeing a steady revival albeit in a different avatar. Professional storytellers are using the age-old oral tradition to motivate, inspire and heal in boardrooms, schools and NGOs. Storytelling evokes nostalgia for most of us as it brings back memories of vacations with grandma narrating tales late into the summer night. But over the years, the fast-paced life, nuclear families and technology explosion pushed storytelling into the shadows.
“Stories can be used for inspiring, teaching, self-awareness and healing. They find a strong resonance and instant connect with children and young adults. Even boardrooms are now utilising the services of storytellers to emphasise on values and for team-building exercises,” says Piyali Dasgupta Saha, an expressive art therapist and professional storyteller. She works closely with children, especially those with special needs and young adults through special sessions in schools, NGOs and organises workshops.
The impact of storytelling on the corporates and kids is quite apparent. “Earlier we used to have motivational speakers talking about various values essential to functioning in an organisation. Inspite of their efforts, such sessions would attract limited audience. Over the last few months, we have got professional storytellers on board. Their way of presentation has attracted more headcount since they come up with relatable incidents and are not preachy,” feels Gunjan Mehrotra, a human resource specialist with a Gurgaon-based MNC.
A professional storyteller commands anything between `1,000 per session to `10,000 for a three-day workshop. Pricing is usually customised depending on target audience, its size and duration of a session. “Unlike the West, there aren’t any proper degrees or diplomas in storytelling in the country. But a few places offer diploma in Expressive Arts, which pretty much covers ground,” says Piyali.
Stories work as metaphors and show solutions. And fables and folklore are a source of inspiration. “Stories are written, published and orally passed on but the trick is to make them your own. One should be able to tweak it according to the audience. The persona of the storyteller and the emotional connection that he or she establishes with the audience is quite crucial,” says Jaishree Sethi, founder, Storyghar, an organisation that employs storytelling for teaching. She adds, “Drama, voice modulation and body movements make sessions interesting. Props like masks and puppets add further finesse.”
Deepa Kiran often uses an African folk tale, The Calabash Kid, a touching tale that reflects how parental opinions frame one’s sense of self-worth. “India being a multi-lingual nation and with heterogenous literacy levels, one works with globe-trotting, cosmopolitan audience at one end and on the other hand there are those who can’t speak English. It is essential to be comfortable in English, Hindi and other regional languages depending on your area of operating,” says Deepa.
She writes stories on her own or goes back to old tales, depending on her target audience. “In a multi-media, multi-tasking world, it is always a pleasure to get an audience that is ready to go back to simple joys of listening to a story,” she adds.