» Stories

People like hearing stories. If you can tell a pertinent story, your message has a far greater chance of lodging in the listener’s mind. Stories can be stories about you and your clients, or about other people’s clients, or be more metaphorical as are these.

Here’s a (true) story about how one of these stories, The monks and the lady of the night, was the key to helping the client resolve a particular problem.

Below are stories which illustrate emotional intelligence in the context of the workplace and, more generally, in relationships

There are around forty true stories about clients and others—anonymised—on this site. Well worth browsing:

Work story index

Related material:
> But why tell stories?

Stories

Dolls

Elsie had a tempestuous childhood relationship with her sister and this troubled her well into her adult life.

Empathy: the human connection to patient care

This promotional video for the Cleveland Clinic is beautifully judged. Interesting that there is no voiceover. A good example of

Embrace life

This is our favourite video. A transcendent example of the principle that, if you want to get someone to do something, shouting at them, scaring them, revolting them, even,

The power of music

This ad for Milton Keynes ran on British television in the seventies. Cut to varying lengths depending on when it was run, this is the complete version, a treat for late

The power of words

The film eloquently and compellingly makes the point, “it’s not what you say, it’s the way you say it”.

Short story

Superb concision.

Glass of water

A trainer walked around a room. As she did so, she raised a glass of water. Everyone expected they'd be asked the old "half empty or half full?" question. Instead,

Contact

From Woody Allen's film Stardust memories with Charlotte Rampling.

Stop it!

Bob Newhart's classic (in every sense of the word) sketch reveals a few truths

Drill

Apart from a few odd individuals, people don’t buy power tools so they can slip into the garage and caress them. They buy an electric drill because they need a hole in the wall.

How to tell when a relationship is over…

... in ninety seconds. A very droll resume of key events when things go wobbly

Submarine

The navy's most advanced submarine came to a halt and eventually limped into port.

Tying up the cat

When the spiritual teacher and his disciples began their evening meditation, the cat who lived in the monastery made such noise that it distracted them.

Jumping the queue

A journalist is standing with other commuters in a long, snaking line for a bus, when a smartly dressed businessman blatantly cuts into the queue line behind him...

Heaven and hell

A woman who had worked all her life for good causes was granted a strange wish

The tiger and the strawberry

One day while walking through the wilderness a man stumbled upon a vicious tiger.

The atheist and the bear

An atheist was walking through the woods. As he was walking alongside the river, he heard a rustling in the bushes behind him. He turned to look and saw a seven foot grizzly bear

Woodcutter

Simon was good at one thing: chopping down trees. So, off he went, his axe over his shoulder, in search of work.

Washing up

Two monks worked in the kitchen of a large monastery.

Two cars

Two yuppies were out one sunny summer day, racing around the country lanes, each in their open top sports car.

Perfection

A priest was in charge of the garden within a famous Zen temple. One day, the priest was expecting some special guests, and so he took extra care in tending to the garden.

Oasis

Two people are wandering, lost in the desert. They are dying from hunger and thirst.

The monks and the lady of the night

Two travelling monks reached a ford in a river where they met a young lady of the night

Camels

A rich merchant died and left to his three sons his prize stud camels. As was traditional in their society, each son received camels according to his age.