Be a Business Bard: Tell Strategic Stories
We’ve all seen it in meetings – the charming fluent communicator with a gift to flatter and amuse, yet whose factual substance, sense of boundaries and breadth of perspective seems lacking. Or the concerned crusader, demanding to be heard (again) while using up precious airtime over what is a relatively narrow operational issue in the overall scheme of things. Meanwhile, silent, disillusioned peers, check out by checking their phones. And then there’s you… wondering how, in such a Brownian milieu, you might convey the significant implications of key data. And how you might influence critical decisions, and inspire appropriate collective action.
For sure, in an ideal world, the group dynamics could be improved by formal interventions. Such as Chair training, clear agendas shared in advance and managed tightly, teambuilding initiatives with the group, and one-to-one coaching of participants. But these are not going to help you right here, right now – and possibly not even long term, unless you can influence such investment (they require resources and planning).
So for now, it’s down to what you can do differently about your contribution, meeting by meeting.
An ancient craft
The most effective way to convey learning, inspire humans to act, and transmit values that bind communities together has been around since humans have been able to speak. Before writing, before the printing press. It’s in our DNA – storytelling.
Stories can help solve the friction points of leadership, organisations and communities. They help us learn, they help us make sense of what goes on around us. Bards were the storytellers and poets of old, interpreting reality and joining dots for those who could not see the whole picture. As such they were were powerful influencers.
Fortunately, storytelling is a skill, so it can be learned. Some people may have more of a knack, perhaps a natural way of using metaphor and an interesting way of recounting events. But it is a capability, and therefore can and should be worked upon by those who seek to contribute their ideas and who wish to influence.
How can they be used at work?
Translation: A story can translate complex, micro-data into macro concepts, allowing experts and specialists to share facts in a way that resonates with relationship-driven or vision-focused executives.
Reframing: Data on e.g. market volatility or supply chain fragility can heighten fear. A well-crafted narrative frames risk not as a danger, but part of the landscape to navigate in changing business lifecycles and can even be presented as opportunities.
Personal impact: Being able to influence cross-functional teams by painting a compelling vision of the future is going to be a helpful lever in your leadership effectiveness and even your career progression.
Your functional expertise is a superpower, but without storytelling, it could remain locked in a black box. So why not become a Bard?
Not sure where to start? I offer you…
The 4 Ps of Being a Business Bard
Preparation
What do you / could you already know before the meeting? Have you spoken in person with each attendee in advance? One-to-none is likely to be a strength for those who are more naturally introverted. If that’s you, use it. Yes, it takes time. But it’s critical – so it pays to prioritise it.
What are the gaps in the group’s understanding that you perceive, and that you could fill with your knowledge and insight? You are likely to know if you’ve been around a while and have been speaking regularly with your peers.
Have you tee’d up the meeting Chair with what you wish to share and ensure you have a slot? If not, how might you do so?
And here comes the magic: what is the story you could tell, the narrative that you could weave that would lift the facts you wish to make known off the page, and resonate with your peers powerfully in their imagination and gut? These have the potential to be transform your contribution.
Practice
If there are gaps in the teams’ wisdom that you can help fill, then you probably have a compelling story or two to share – you just haven’t crafted it yet. If telling stories is not something you do naturally, then it’s probably best not to unleash any for the first time in an important meeting. Stories, like good writing, need to be crafted and honed. Practice (and where possible, getting feedback), is going to be invaluable.
In front of a mirror is good, a friend or spouse is better. And why not practice them with your own team, especially if this enables them to see the organisation’s challenges through your eyes, raising their level of perspective? It helps if you give them some good criteria to articulate constructively how you did.
Even better, perhaps, join a Storytelling workshop where, alongside peers completely unrelated to your business, you craft possible stories to use, and test them on supportive, willing guinea-pigs. (See more below).
Perspicacity
This is a word we don’t use often, but humour me, it really hits the mark – it combines clear-sightedness with a kind of shrewdness. You’re not playing with flowery nonsense when crafting stories – you are appealing to an ancient human need for understanding, collective connection, and for upliftment and encouragement in service of a very important purpose. In the context of work, this purpose could be your organisation’s ability to serve its stakeholders’ needs profitably and with integrity.
You are keeping your eye on the mark – to convey important understanding and inspire collective action. So, it pays to go to the meeting with a clear intention and in your preparation, ensure your messaging and stories are aligned with that intention.
Presence
Far from being about charisma and stealing the limelight, this combines pithy messaging with emotional steadiness and demonstrating your depth of perspective.
If time is tight, the powerful punch of a pithy message is what’s needed: first, you share your conclusions – concisely and clearly. And then display your reasoning – demonstrating your broad perspective and full consideration of risks and opportunities.
Emotional steadiness is greatly helped by having done your preparation and maintaining focus. Then you won’t be taken off track by red herrings. And by consciously releasing any unrealistic expectations you may have of your peers. If you have higher behavioural standards than they can deliver (given their personality and/or circumstances), you will be disappointed. This feeling, possibly laced with judgement, will very likely leak into your communication. People will sniff it, and you’ll probably meet resistance.
Depth of perspective is gained by experience. Not downloaded information from AI, but deeper cognition from living life. And how you’ve enriched it from engaging with diverse others. Distilling your learning requires time to reflect on your successes and failures, a curious mind, and tapping into the wisdom of others who’ve been around longer than you. Optimise your presence with stories of credibility and depth. This is possible when you’ve nurtured your own credibility and depth.
In summary
To move from a frustrated observer to a powerful strategic influencer, you don’t need a personality transplant – you just need to commit to some effective tactics and build your Bard capabilities!
Hopefully this article has given you some positive ideas to mull over, ideas that will work in meetings with internal peers and also key interactions with customers and stakeholders.
Making it real – join the Masterclass
To make it real there is nothing like the experience of trying things out. I run a Masterclass for exactly this purpose on
“Storytelling for Experts and Leaders” – 17th November 2026, in-person.
We cover the practical “How to” and get you crafting your compelling narratives with invaluable peer feedback, so they command authority and shift perspectives.
To reserve your place, please email Siobhan asap as places are limited.
