CEC Storytelling Workshops Continental Airlines
Continental Airlines
Storytelling Workshops
Definition
Development of line managers’ ability to cast corporate strategy as a story boosts emotional engagement of managers and staff.
Company Profiled
Industry: Airlines
FY2005 Sales: US$11.2 Billion
Headquarters: Houston, Tex.
Applicability
This practice may be of interest if any of the following are true:
Our internal messaging is bland or fails to engage our employees.
Our managers are uncomfortable or ineffective in appealing to employees’ emotional side.
We are trying to arm our managers with multiple forms of communicating.
Key Takeaways
• Make the acquisition of seemingly “soft” skills like storytelling more accessible by breaking them down into simple components. Situation
As Continental’s then CEO Gordon Bethune begins to lead the firm to a performance turnaround, his effective use of storytelling as a means to engage audiences and earn their support catches the attention of other executives. Pushing that skill across the firm’s management ranks appears promising, but managers are likely to struggle in adopting this very personal practice.
Action
Continental develops a workshop that breaks down the “art” of storytelling into discrete steps for managers to learn and practice. Simple tools augment the training experience and guide participants in their use of storytelling afterward.
Result
Workshop participants give the course high marks for helping boost their ability to communicate credibly. Early successes with the program have given Continental confidence to roll it out to the entirety of their managerial ranks.
• Create a safe environment for storytelling trainees by using peers for feedback.
• Provide simple tools to boost the likelihood that managers will use storytelling in their recurring communications.
Please note that the CEB program names referenced in this document have changed since the time of publication.
Chapter Four
125
Driving Engagement with Corporate Strategy
A Rare Skill
The
Storytelling Workshops
Definition
Development of line managers’ ability to cast corporate strategy as a story boosts emotional engagement of managers and staff.
Company Profiled
Industry: Airlines
FY2005 Sales: US$11.2 Billion
Headquarters: Houston, Tex.
Applicability
This practice may be of interest if any of the following are true:
Our internal messaging is bland or fails to engage our employees.
Our managers are uncomfortable or ineffective in appealing to employees’ emotional side.
We are trying to arm our managers with multiple forms of communicating.
Key Takeaways
• Make the acquisition of seemingly “soft” skills like storytelling more accessible by breaking them down into simple components. Situation
As Continental’s then CEO Gordon Bethune begins to lead the firm to a performance turnaround, his effective use of storytelling as a means to engage audiences and earn their support catches the attention of other executives. Pushing that skill across the firm’s management ranks appears promising, but managers are likely to struggle in adopting this very personal practice.
Action
Continental develops a workshop that breaks down the “art” of storytelling into discrete steps for managers to learn and practice. Simple tools augment the training experience and guide participants in their use of storytelling afterward.
Result
Workshop participants give the course high marks for helping boost their ability to communicate credibly. Early successes with the program have given Continental confidence to roll it out to the entirety of their managerial ranks.
• Create a safe environment for storytelling trainees by using peers for feedback.
• Provide simple tools to boost the likelihood that managers will use storytelling in their recurring communications.
Please note that the CEB program names referenced in this document have changed since the time of publication.
Chapter Four
125
Driving Engagement with Corporate Strategy
A Rare Skill
The