Explanation of how the presentation relates to the conference theme
Researchers focused on answering the question, “How do leaders inspire hope and relational action in communities through story?” and discovered that stories provide a compelling pathway to innovative and transformative change in a range of community settings. Through storytelling, community members can share learnings, collectively increase passion, learning, and capacity to address challenges and opportunities. Through storytelling, community leaders create shifts in mental models and inspire a larger group of community members (in rural, urban, regional and international examples) to drive innovation that is people-centered, inclusive and empowering for diverse voices and talents. This research includes stories and lessons from community leaders across cultures, generations, and communities.
These included leaders who: ● created the first Latine festival in a rural, predominantly white community; ● sparked collective anti-racism actions following an anti-Muslim mass shooting; ● broke internal barriers and external stereotypes with the Hmong community to create culturally-led television and community-centered educational programming; ● healed organizational and LGBTQ+ network rifts while navigating a pandemic to successfully hold a Pride Fest in a large urban community; and ● helped Croatia transition from communism to capitalism.
This session will share an interview framework, the stories shared, and lessons learned for community capacity building for storytelling in leadership programs.
Overall description for the conference program
How do leaders inspire hope and relational action in communities through story? Join the presenters as they share their community-based research about the power of storytelling for sparking community-wide change. This includes stories about leaders who brought about change and innovation in communities ranging from small rural communities to international approaches to economic development. Each story shows positive impact towards creating pathways to improvement. Presenters will highlight what the literature has to say about change management and the potential for storytelling. They will also discuss implications for leadership development in uncertain times.
