Anecdotally Speaking

We’ve had a busy few weeks here at Anecdote HQ, so this week, instead of giving you a new episode, we’re re-releasing our 7th episode! In this episode, Shawn shares an engineering story from the 1970s.

This episode is one of Shawn’s all-time favourites, partly because Mark gave the story a low rating (4/10), but we’ve since had friends and clients tell us how useful it’s been! Shawn also recently reread the article where he first found this story, which he highly recommends. You can find it here: https://buff.ly/2SBRWKR

We often have people ask us, “Does storytelling work with scientists or engineers?“ There seems to be an assumption that some professions only care about numbers and facts and aren’t interested in stories. We answer, “Of course!“ Everyone tells and listens to stories—it’s a human condition. But if you are talking to engineers, they will likely be most interested in engineering stories.

Shawn mentions the Hidden Figures story he later told on the podcast in 037 – Fortran reveals Hidden Figures (https://buff.ly/2sUTWO7) and encourages us to look to movies as potential sources of stories.

This week, Shawn shares an innovation story. It follows researcher Dr Everett Rogers and the insight that led him to develop his innovation diffusion theory: https://buff.ly/2SjxVsj

In the past, Shawn and Mark told this story frequently, but they forgot about it somewhere along the way. You’ll hear how excited they are to use it again, particularly to aid change management.

Shawn makes another book recommendation. This time he recommends Change: How to make big things happen by Damon Centola: https://buff.ly/2TdPSsR

It’s Shawn’s turn to tell a story, and he chooses to share an analogy story gleaned from two scientific studies. Steve Jobs first told this story in the 1980s, providing a perfect example of taking something that has happened and relating it to an audience to make a point.

Shawn mentions the Micheal Phelps story he heard from a sales leader, which he shared on episode 038 – Dolphin kicks out number one: https://buff.ly/2Gy0T0p

This week on Anecdotally Speaking, Mark shares a story about mindset, which spurs the sharing of several other anecdotes that demonstrate how the expectation of an event can cause it to occur—the Pygmalion effect.

Shawn mentions the book he is currently reading, Humankind: A Hopeful History by Rutger Bregman: https://buff.ly/3o27O4U

This week on Anecdotally Speaking, Shawn shares the story of Lewis and Clark’s expedition to the west coast of America, focusing on three specific journeys—the initial planning, the preparation, and the actual expedition. 

Shawn found this story in Stephen Ambrose’s Undaunted Courage: https://www.amazon.com.au/Undaunted-Courage-Stephen-Ambrose/dp/0684826976

Shawn also mentions this paper that he wrote with David Drake: https://www.anecdote.com/2008/05/new-whitepaper-three-journeys-a-narrative-approach-successful-organisational-change/

Podcasts are great places to find stories. This week, Mark shares a story he heard on an episode of Invisibilia (https://www.npr.org/transcripts/817977005). The story follows 71-year-old Joy Milne and how she discovered she had an unusual ability. 

Shawn also mentions Sudhir Breaks the Internet, another podcast (https://freakonomics.com/sudhir-breaks-the-internet/), and Gary Klein's Triple Path Model of Insight (https://www.gary-klein.com/insight) in this episode.

Welcome to another episode of Anecdotally Speaking! This week, Mark shares a sports story featuring National Football League (NFL) player Tom Brady. It illustrates that, despite our best efforts, our ability to assess potential is poor. 

Have you been waiting for an opportunity to learn from Anecdotally Speaking's Shawn Callahan? Shawn is delivering our upcoming virtual Storytelling for Leaders program! For more information and to register, visit: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/storytelling-for-leaders-europe-apac-tickets-137546183337

This week on Anecdotally Speaking, Shawn shares a story he first heard more than ten years ago from his friend and fellow storyteller, Victoria Ward. It follows the events leading up to Gerald Ratner’s departure from his family business, Ratners Group, and shows how quickly you can kill a brand by using the wrong words.

You can watch the speech Ratner gave, which Shawn mentions, here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nj9BZz71yQE. And you can listen to the episode of Cautionary Tales with Tim Harford which also features this story here: https://timharford.com/2021/02/cautionary-tales-martin-luther-king-jr-the-jewelry-genius-and-the-art-of-public-speaking/.

In this episode of Anecdotally Speaking, Shawn shares a story from when he was working in computer programming in the late 1980s. It follows how he made a groundbreaking discovery for his team, but only once he had found the right phrase to gain access to what he needed. 

Shawn mentions our upcoming School Story Lab. If you’re interested in attending or know someone who might be, visit: https://www.anecdote.com/school-story-lab/. Our second cohort begins in May!

Welcome back to another episode of Anecdotally Speaking! This week, Mark shares a story from his time in the airforce.

The story describes how a design fault caused a Macchi jet trainer to crash at the RAAF Base Pearce. Mark often uses the story to encourage others to ‘stop transmitting and start listening’.

You can find an image taken on the day of the crash via www.anecdote.com/podcasts.