Stories Trainers Tell: 55 Ready-to-Use Stories to Make Training Stick (with CD-ROM) [Hardcover]

Mary B. Wacker (Author), Lori L. Silverman (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0787964360 | ISBN-13: 978-0787964368 | Publication Date: April 17, 2003

Make challenging concepts more memorable, even unforgettable!

"Stories Trainers Tell is full of fun, entertaining, and useful stories that help bring any training alive. Use it and watch people smile and learn!"
--Ken Blanchard, coauthor, The One Minute Manager® and Whale Done!(TM)

Telling stories is a powerful way to make a point, especially when the stories are compelling, well-constructed, and poignant. This book captures thought-provoking stories contributed by trainers, nationally known speakers, consultants, business leaders, educators, and professional storytellers that help make challenging ideas and abstract concepts stick.

The stories are organized around major organizational development and training themes, such as leadership, diversity, teamwork, performance and coaching, and customer service. Accompanying each story are tips, debriefing questions, key points, and a follow-up activity to maximize its impact and learning potential.

Includes a free CD-ROM with narrative readings of each story!

Contributors include: Merrill Anderson, Jean Barbazette, Joe Barnes, Paula Bartholome, Chip Bell, Geoff Bellman, William Austin Boone, Sharon L. Bowman, Karen D. L. Byrson, Chris Clarke-Epstein, Hortencia Delgadillo, Larry English, Marcy Fisher, Suzann Gardner, Joan Gillman, Steve Hanamura, Lunell Haught, Sandra Hoskins, Katherine M. Hudson, David Hutchens, Joan Lloyd, Kate Lutz, Robert McIlree, Maureen G. Mulvaney, Kathy A. Nielsen, Clare Novak, Julie O'Mara, Laura V. Page, Jonathan M. Preston, John Renesch, Shelley R. Robbins, Marcia Ruben, Sheriene Saadati, Edward E. Scannell, L.G. Shanklin-Flowers, Bob Shaver, Doug Stevenson, Ed Tate, Sivasailam 'Thiagi' Thiagarajan, and David Zach.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Telling stories is a powerful way to make a point, especially when the stories are compelling, well constructed, and poignant. This book captures thought-provoking stories contributed by trainers, nationally- known speakers, consultants, business leaders, educators, and professional storytellers that help make challenging ideas and abstract concepts more memorable, even unforgettable. The stories are organized around major organizational development and training themes, such as leadership, diversity, teamwork, performance and coaching, and customer service. Accompanying each story are tips, debriefing questions, key points, and a follow-up activity to maximize its impact and learning potential.

Contributors include: Merrill Anderson, Jean Barbazette, Joe Barnes, Paula Bartholome, Chip Bell, Geoff Bellman, William Austin Boone, Sharon L. Bowman, Karen D. L. Byrson, Chris Clarke-Epstein, Hortencia Delgadillo, Larry English, Marcy Fisher, Suzann Gardner, Joan Gillman, Steve Hanamura, Lunell Haught, Sandra Hoskins, Katherine M. Hudson, David Hutchens, Joan Lloyd, Kate Lutz, Robert McIlree, Maureen G. Mulvaney, Kathy A. Nielsen, Clare Novak, Julie O'Mara, Laura V. Page, Jonathan M. Preston, John Renesch, Shelley R. Robbins, Marcia Ruben, Sheriene Saadati, Edward E. Scannell, L.G. Shanklin-Flowers, Bob Shaver, Doug Stevenson, Ed Tate, Sivasailam 'Thiagi' Thiagarajan, and David Zach.

"Stories Trainers Tell is full of fun, entertaining, and useful stories that help bring any training alive. Use it and watch people smile and learn!"
? Ken Blanchard, coauthor, The One Minute Manager? and Whale Done!(tm)

"Bravo Mary and Lori! You've given your own profession a wonderful gift. Your contribution will be used by trainers for many years to come."
? Beverly Kaye, CEO, Career Systems International, coeditor, Learning Journeys: Top Management Experts Share Hard-Earned Lessons On Becoming Great Mentors and Leaders

"Stories Trainers Tell doesn't just give you powerful stories, it helps you turn your experiences into compelling narratives, people and teams into heroes worth emulating, and new changes into enduring traditions. It will help your own wisdom penetrate and be remembered through the stories you tell."
? Terry Paulson, Ph.D., CSP, CPAE, past president, National Speakers Association and author, 50 Tips for Speaking Like a Pro and They Shoot Managers Don't They?

"I've forgotten most of everything I've ever learned, but I rarely forget a good story. This book will support you in telling stories that penetrate deep. Great storytelling will create magical links to the listener, resulting in sustained impact and transformation."
? Thomas Crum, author of Journey to Center and The Magic of Conflict

"In my training experience, I have found storytelling to one the most powerful ways to deepen learning. This book provides trainers, consultants, and others with valuable tools and ideas to create and deliver engaging stories for any audience."
? Reggie Owens, manager, Global Learning and Development, Rockwell Automation

About the Author

Mary B. Wacker is president of an organizational development consulting firm with a service focus in a variety of workplace environments, including business, health care, utilities, government, education, and community agencies. Her firm specializes in leadership problem solving, training, facilitation, instructional design, and team deployment.

Lori L. Silverman is the owner of Partners for Progress, a management consulting firm dedicated to helping organizations achieve and maintain a sustainable competitive advantage.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 398 pages
• Publisher: Pfeiffer (April 17, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0787964360
• ISBN-13: 978-0787964368
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 8.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #771,156 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Incredibly Valuable Resource!, October 1, 2003

By 

Roger E. Herman (Greensboro, NC USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Stories Trainers Tell: 55 Ready-to-Use Stories to Make Training Stick (with CD-ROM) (Hardcover)

Storytelling has been used to convey history and lessons for centuries. Before newspapers came on the scene, story tellers would travel from village to village telling stories to share the news of what was happening in other communities and the world at large...at least as large as it was back then. One could argue that storytelling has become almost a lost art as our communication mode has shifted more to content, facts, polices and procedures. In the corporate world, leaders and managers-and training professionals-have attempted to communicate without really reaching people "inside," where messages can resonate with a mental or emotional picture. It's that inner connection that has the potential of changing behavior and making a difference. To make that connection, communicators need to engage people's minds and hearts to help them "get" the message.

So here's a book on the stories trainers tell. Big book, thick. Whew! That's a lot of fluffy, touchy-feely soft stuff! That first impression will disintegrate as you open this wonderful resource. Sure, there's a treasure chest of stories, mostly from experienced trainers and professional speakers who use them regularly to build the effectiveness of their work. If this book were merely a collection of all those stories, it would be a helpful reference...sort of a Chicken Soup for the Trainer's Bookshelf. Fortunately, the authors have a deeper understanding of what communicators need, so they created an incredible tool kit for trainers, speakers, executives, managers, coaches, parents-the list goes on.

Each of the stories is presented with tips on how to use it, questions to enrich the telling, key point options, and follow-up activities. The stories-short, not long-are set apart in the text by the use of helpful shading. So, now we have more value than just a catalog of stories. But, wait! There's more. The book includes an explanation of different kinds of stories, when and how they can be used, with a cross-reference to the 55 stories. Want even more value? The stories are gathered into chapters that organize the resources for easier access: Appreciating Differences, Communications and Feedback, Customer Service, Influence and Motivation, Leadership, Living Our Values, Performance and Coaching, Problem Solving, Teamwork and Collaboration, and Training Fundamentals.

Are you sensing why I'm enthusiastic about this book? We're not done! I've only told you about what's in the back of the book! "Stories Trainers Tell" begins with an invaluable section on the why and how of using stories to enhance and enrich communication. Page after page of tips and insight educates and inspires the reader, deepening understanding to raise the level of professionalism and effectiveness in communication.

The CD-ROM? Pop this tool into your computer and enjoy an MP3 format delivery of audio dramatizations of the stories in the book. Readers can now learn as listeners also, and most of the recordings are authorized for replay to audiences. Playing a recording of someone else telling a story, then facilitating the interpretation and application of what was heard offers a new dimension to the richness of communication, thought stimulation, and movement to action.

Then there's the reading list and the index. So much! You'll be captivated with a cover-to-cover read, entranced by the stories yourself. This book will sit prominently on your shelf as a primary resource for years to come. I half-apologize for the long review, but this book deserves the accolades.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Art of Telling Stories, June 23, 2003

By 

Paul Plamondon, Training Consultant (Glendale, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Stories Trainers Tell: 55 Ready-to-Use Stories to Make Training Stick (with CD-ROM) (Hardcover)

You don't have to be a trainer or public speaker to benefit from this book - you can be anyone who uses (or would like to use) stories to create impact. This book not only contains a catalog of stories that you can use to illustrate a point (conveniently categorized into pre-defined topics), it also contains a recipe for crafting and telling your own stories. Want to know how to create that extra bit of suspense that makes a story engaging? Want to know how to create a surprise ending? Want to know what the basic structure of an effective story? Want an off-the-shelf story that you can read or recite to a group to make a point? If so, this book will serve you well.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must-Have for Trainers, June 19, 2003

By 

Susan K. Stites (Madison, WI USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Stories Trainers Tell: 55 Ready-to-Use Stories to Make Training Stick (with CD-ROM) (Hardcover)

As a trainer, I am always looking for ways to make classroom training interesting, relevant, and memorable. I've used-and watched other trainers use-role plays, case studies, demonstrations, videos, games, instrumentation, puzzles and, simulation. These are all effective training methods, but in my opinion, one method that frequently gets overlooked is story telling. In their book Stories Trainers Tell, Lori Silverman and Mary Wacker are out to change this. Their book provides everything a trainer needs-including the stories-to use story telling in the classroom.

The book is organized into two major sections. The first section contains the "how-to" of storytelling. In Chapter 1, you will learn about seven types of stories that can be used in training. Chapter 2 describes how and where you can find stories. It also provides some useful tips for organizing your stories. Chapter 3 is dedicated to helping you write your own stories. It describes a story structure as well as a process for creating stories. Chapter 4 provides information about how to integrate stories into your training programs. You will learn how to select stories and when to use them. Most important, you will learn how to frame stories in the training so that participants will take away the intended learning. Chapter 5 provides numerous tips for story telling, including how to choose a voice, how to introduce the story, how to alter a story to fit the required situation, and how to become an effective story teller. Chapter 6 deals with the legal and ethical issues of story telling including copyrights, attribution, and verifying sources.

If you feel you are a master of story telling, you can skip the first six chapters (Section 1) and dive directly into Section 2, which contains numerous stories-all catalogued and categorized for easy use.

Teaching a workshop on diversity? Check out Chapter 7, which contains stories on appreciating differences. When I taught a recent Communications class, I found the perfect story in Chapter 8 to illustrate a point I was teaching. If you teach Customer Service workshops, you will find Chapter 9 useful. If you are teaching Leadership Skills, check out Chapters 10 through 15, which deal with issues such as influence, motivation, values and ethics, performance management, coaching, problem solving, team building, and collaboration.

Finally, the book wouldn't be complete without a chapter just for us trainers. Chapter 16 includes stories that you can use when you are training trainers. I've already used Teaching a Dog to Whistle to explain the difference between teaching and learning.

Lori and Mary have created a masterpiece. Their book has taken a place on my trainer's bookshelf next to Julius Eitington, Robert Mager, Ed Scannell, and Pfeiffer & Jones. No trainer should be without this valuable reference!