Update: Story & Narrative Approaches to Change (Conference MELB 8-9 Oct)

There have been great societies that did not use the wheel, but there have been no societies that did not tell stories. ~ Ursula K. LeGuin

This is a quick update about the two-day Celebrating Story conference happening next Thu-Fri (8-9 October) in Melbourne.

There are still spots available!

Organized by my friends at Babelfish Group, the conference will feature five sets of five parallel sessions (25 sessions in all, plus an Open Space session) to explore the use of story and narrative approaches to change across the areas of business, government and community.

For full details check out the latest conference brochure or contact conference organizer Andrew Rixon directly at +61 400 352 809.

And - tell him Todd sent you!


Shifting the narrative in organizations - why change is NOT like riding a bike

Here's additional information on the session that I'll be presenting at the conference, bright and early on day two (Friday 9AM):

You are invited to a conversation that explores some brain-based aspects of story, narrative and meaning-making. Change invites people to shift their habitual narrative and in most cases provokes a (limbic) survival response, part of the ongoing Battle inside your Brain. The practical challenge is therefore to channel the resulting emotional energy into productive cognitive action and away from reactivity/resistance.

After Todd talks about the latest research in social cognitive neuroscience that explains why it can be so hard to effect behavioural change in organizations and why change programs fail to take hold, we will share an interactive discussion of what works well in practice and what we can do differently to get the results we want.

The best of the session:
• Gain insights into the hard science behind the soft skills in the areas of story, narrative and meaning-making
• Learn practical ways to help people manage the inevitable emotional reaction to change
• Leaders will learn how to communicate in a way that speaks to each person in his/her own "language" and invites people along on the change journey

Hope to see you there - do come up and say hello!
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