I was recently working with a large nonprofit on storytelling, and boy, does this organization get it. I spent a day working with about a dozen executives, but I spent the entire day listening to them tell personal stories, then using those stories to teach lessons on structure and strategy.

With all the messaging this organization needs to convey daily, why spend an entire day working on personal stories?

Because they understand that personal stories are gold.

After crafting and telling those stories, we discussed how those stories could be applied to the work they do, and every story offered multiple ways of leveraging the personal story for business purposes.

They understand that the best way to get people to listen, believe, and trust you is to tell a story that is personal, relatable, vulnerable, and applicable to the work you do.

They understand that people tend to believe more in people than in ideas, so the person delivering the idea must be compelling, trustworthy, and connected to the audience.

They understand that if you can tell a compelling personal story, you can also tell a compelling business story. It’s the same strategies and the same structures, simply deployed in different contexts.

This was also a group of executives who do Homework for Life every day.

They play 3-2-1 as part of their organizational culture.

They apply storytelling strategies to video, social media, and presentations.

They recognize the power of storytelling.

I loved every minute I spent with these fabulous people because they are honest-to-goodness storytellers. Committed to the craft. Ready to perform.

Also, their stories were fantastic.

You can apply a story to a problem and hope for the best, or you can become an honest-to-goodness storyteller and have all the solutions you ever need at your fingertips.

I recommend the latter.