Stories Trainers Tell: 55 Ready-To-Use Stories to Make Training Stick

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.

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 has authored Stories Trainers Tell (with Mary Wacker, Jossey-Bass/Pfeiffer, 2003), Wake Me Up When the Data Is Over: How Organizations Use Stories to Drive Results (Jossey-Bass, 2006), and Business Storytelling for Dummies (with Karen Dietz, PhD, Wiley, 2013). Bright House Networks, APHL, Lydig Construction, Homewatch Caregivers, and conference attendees have benefitted from her highly energized, practical, results-driven approach to the subject as a hands-on consultant and keynote and workshop presenter. Lori's also showcased tangible outcomes from workplace story use on more than 70 radio and TV shows. As owner of Partners for Progress®, for 25 years she's facilitated enterprise-wide change and strategic planning initiatives for organizations such as American Family Insurance, the American Legion Auxiliary, Bechtel, Chevron, Duquesne University, Valmet, and the U.S. Air Force Reserves. Lori holds an M.S. degree in counseling and guidance from the University of Wisconsin, Madison and an MBA from Edgewood College. You can reach her at lori@partnersforprogress.com and through partnersforprogress.com or business-storytelling.com (free articles and videos).