In 2024, Julia and her team organized an event aimed at involving Vkusvill team in the new strategy. There was just one little twist: the strategy in Vkusvill is understood differently from other companies, where the focus is on a clear schedule with deadlines and key performers.

Artem Mushin-Makedonskiy helped prep the speakers and host the event for 1000+ people, and at this webinar in a live dialogue with Julia, they will share why it was necessary to use stories about the past to talk about the strategy of the present and future, which stories helped to convey the strategy to the team and what the results of the event were.

If Maslow were to redo his hierarchy of needs today, he would probably place “Time” right on top! 

Our email inboxes are stuffed, we are struggling to cut through the noise – still, we find it difficult to remove things or say no.

This carries over at an organizational level – we “add” on to our processes, procedures, tasks - processes go out of date and become useless – yet they remain, not as necessary processes but as habits. 

The result – silo-ed activity, push back, misunderstandings, re-work and duplication. 

All these create obstacles for creativity and productivity, damaging health and overall, undermining efforts and outcomes while blocking meaningful communication. 

What can leaders do to shed light and lead change using stories?

Learning who we are at our best is a long journey as our best evolves through experience and time. Learn how curiosity can accelerate that journey and asking oneself generative questions will highlight the qualities of our best selves. Bring your curiosity and the vision of your best self and journey our journey in discovering your Best Self.

Loneliness and the feeling that there are no people quite like us around make us helpless: they generate fear, cut off our wings and stop us from acting in life and work.

The feeling that there are more of “our” people around us awakens in us the desire to act and be attentive to each other. It doesn't matter where — at work, in a relationship, in friendship or creative projects. Stories help us find common ground with people around us, build support within ourselves and the team. They allow us to find something that can connect us with others, build strong connections even with strangers, expand the space of choices, deepen understanding of our philosophy of life and self-expression in the world. An important contribution that we can make to the development of the network of “our own” is to help others tell meaningful stories.

How can we create strong connections through listening to stories, supporting and revealing people in order to form a sense of “our own”? How to act to build trust when talking about a difficult topic? How do we keep the line and not “fall through” into a story when we help another person tell his / her story so that it becomes useful to others? How to understand that the contact is broken and how to restore it? Using the example of listening to stories in the non-profit project “No More Shadows”, Lilly will share what tools a supervisor, parent or helping practitioner can take to strengthen their work.

In the year 2021 Saara was working at a media company and face a challenge: A company with a bad employer reputation, lots of communication and cultural issues that wasn't able to turn the business profitable when facing an acquisition. A company that needed a big change and fast results. One of the things she used to overcome it was stories. In this part of the conference Artem will interview Saara about her experience and you will learn how she helped the media company grow it’s revenue 25% in 12 months increasing the annual profit from -570K to +18K. Audience questions and participation will be welcomed.

From time to time, stories happen to us that make it is difficult to close our eyes to what is happening around us. In these moments of epiphany, we formulate a vision of the future: we clearly realize what kind of world we want to build.

Paradoxically, instead of sharing these moments with others, we often feel that they are not worth talking about. But it is by telling stories about moments of epiphany that we can help others see what kind of world we are building and find like-minded people. In this workshop, we will try to look for moments of epiphany in the life of each of us and discuss how to share such moments without bragging and with full confidence in ourselves and our story.

Success leaves clues. And we all want to be successful, right? So what do you do? You emulate those in your field that are what you consider successful. And you compete with them.

But when you do that, you stop being creative. You stop being yourself. And that is a futile exercise, because every human is different. 

We can never be the same. So our paths to the top are not the same. You have a unique way that you were meant to impact the world. And that unique way is determined by your story.

Plenty of people out there have your skills. Many of them more skilled than you’ll ever be. But no one has your story. So use it wisely.

Stress, conflict, and despair are unfortunate parts of the human condition, not just modern afflictions. Our oldest stories and the folk canon are rife with stories of darkness, but they also offer hope in the form of unlikely heroes and necessary helpers. 

This talk is a quick review of how sharing stories of both darkness and light is fundamentally human, and offers some examples from traditional sources that you can use to invite the light back in. We’ll cover a few myths and folktales, discuss their use and misuse, metaphors found in these stories, and how we all have the capacity to be helpers and heroes.

Simon Sinek says "Start with why", but he is actually starting with "Where" when he says "Start." He raises an interesting question. Where we start the story, or the initiating question goes unnoticed but it is crucial.

This experimental session will explore three pathways, and ask participants to focus on a current challenge: climate change, war, the economy, and then take three unfolding paths.

We will explore where WHY takes us. Why climate change? We find a Reason/s. Next, what HOW engineers for us. How do we fix this problem? We find a Solution/s. As we know with climate change, we know the reasons and we know the solutions but they have not won the day. We are still way behind in curbing emissions.

Did we ask the right question? Are we telling the story the right way for action? What if we ask WHERE? Where are we? In the middle, in between. In between what? What is the field of possibility and limit in which we find ourselves? Asking where places us into relational space, and exposes borders, patterns and proximities that

How and Why are not interested in. Where adds amplitude to our too narrow schools of inquiry. Inspired by Australian indigenous models of stories as maps, we will demonstrate a different method of inquiry, to show that when we have lost our way, we don't need more whys and hows. We cannot negotiate ourselves out of our dilemmas. We need to learn a new set of navigation skills that storywise is pioneering.

At last year's conference, Murray Nossel explored the the question "Сan stories change the world?" by describing his project with the US State Department harnessing the power of storytelling to address gender based violence in El Salvador.

This year, Murray will once again enter into a dialogue with Artem Mushin-Makedonskiy examining research findings based on the project's implementation and exploring how lessons learned will inform its current application in a New York City community and future adaptation for Mexico's educational curriculum.

Audience reflections and questions will be welcomed.

More details coming soon!

At this joint webinar, Julia Malikova and Artem Mushin-Makedonskiy will talk about the journey in which the Timepad team, through the exchange of meaningful stories, discovered and formulated the company's mission and values.

You will learn how the work was built and warm conversations around the campfire were held in an online format, how living mission and values were crystallized from stories, how they were conveyed to the team and how the Timepad team uses the resulting artifacts of campfire conversations in their work today.

In a highly competitive environment, some people mindlessly accept that Sun Tzu’s “Art of War” - deception, surprise attacks, and disregarding harm – offers viable strategies. Yet, war stories destroy trust, suppress information and prompt resource hoarding. But polarization is not inevitable. Shining a light on basic human paradoxes reveals how opposites are often better understood as two connected values in tension.

Telling stories that reveal the nature of paradox proves how connected opposites really are –paradoxes that toggle back and forth rather than cancel each other out – and shifts the frame from a battle into an opportunity to collaborate and manage paradoxes more efficiently: individual and collective, structure and freedom, universality and specificity.

Once it is clear both sides are “right,” your group can find strategies that harvest the best of both points of view and shift to a more collaborative narrative.

“The art of medicine consists in amusing the patient while nature cures the disease”, Voltaire (1694 – 1778).

This presentation looks how we move from symptoms and sickness to healing using storytelling. When it is dark, there will be a light somewhere if you look for it.

Narrative medicine is not something you’ll easily find and if you do, information is sparse. But would it surprise you to know that the techniques employed by both Western allopathic medicine and traditional healers (such as sangoma, inyanga, shaman) make extensive use of narrative techniques? And that most practitioners are unaware that much of their work is based in storytelling?

Narrative medicine refers to an eclectic combination of art and science used to heal the mind / body complex using storytelling. No practitioner does it quite the same way and because narrative medicine skills are not formally taught, they are learned intuitively and through emulation to the extent that many healing practitioners use narrative medicine without realizing it. Narrative medicine engages skills related to listening to stories, transforming the stories and re-telling stories the narrative medicine patterns identified are similar in African traditional healers in the South Sotho and Zulu traditions, South American shaman and cuarando as well as Western-trained doctors.

More details coming soon!

At this panel discussion in the company of Ralph Weickel, Howard Drakes and Paul Costello, we will look at story as a lighthouse and talk about the kinds of lighthouses we need to build and deconstruct so that our present has a future.

We will discuss the following questions:
- What stories do we need to tell, help others remember, co-create and act upon so our Now does not become the last Now there is?
- What personal and  organizational old stories keep us from moving forward like lighthouses that once were useful and now are misleading?
- What stories are acting like pretend lighthouses created by pirates to lure people and organizations down shady paths? What can we as story practitioners do about it?

In every task, in every project, you are on the hero's journey. First, you accept the challenge and step out of your comfort zone, decide to make changes. Then you assemble a team, or you become such a team for yourself. Then you definitely encounter obstacles and dragons on your way.

Some turn back at this stage and no longer take on new challenges. But those who go further, defeat the dragons, acquire valuable artifacts, return home changed. And then they tell stories. And these stories help new heroes start their journey.

The game "Time of the Brave" is a set of stories of Russian heroes who bravely overcame obstacles and readily share their findings around a campfire. In an interactive workshop you will see how stories help us find creative solutions for the development of our projects and move forward in your own stories.

Come to the workshop and let the story illuminate your personal courage and give wings for growth!

The storms are ensuing. You intuit distressing calls for help from all directions. What if you have no clear radio signal to hear these SOS calls? What if you can’t communicate directly with lost heaving ships? And what if the vessels in peril are dependent upon you?

It’s time to climb the winding stairs to the watch room of your storied lighthouse. Light your lamp, begin scanning the seas, and trust in its illuminating power.

This two-part session:
- Unpacks the illuminating optics of storied lighthouses, and
- Provides case-based examples, techniques and tools

Organization change can be messy. But it doesn’t have to be.

Much of what matters takes place under the surface, and overlooking these hidden factors - as most change programs do - too often results in failure and frustration. What’s the answer? More thoughtful conversation, inquiry and more compelling storytelling, some of our most fundamental human tools, which enable leaders to understand more fully what is happening under the surface in their organization and have better communication and engagement with their teams.

Having strong conscious storytelling skills, helps us not just tell better stories, but also to support others in identifying, crafting and shifting their own narratives. Listening with a storytelling lens allows us to more deeply understand and empathize with others, and to support them in articulating and sharing their values, goals and intentions. 

In this interactive session, you will receive tools to help you organically key into others narratives in order to connect, coach and act as an ally.

In this session David will explore how to be fully present to what emerges in key moments when people are sharing their stories. Through some experiential practices, you will learn how to see so much more of what is right in front of you as people tell their stories, how to work within their narrative material, and how to liberate the potential from growth that is present in that moment. This approach is based on my experience that often the fastest way to move forward is to stand still — with CAKE (compassion, acceptance, kindness, and engagement).

More details coming soon!

In this talk, you will hear why it is essential to build emotional marketing for the most commercial organization possible, a bank for entrepreneurs, and how Tochka has been successfully doing it over the years. Together with Sofya, we will investigate the following questions:
- Why should a bank tell stories and build an emotional connection with the audience and how can it be done?
- Why is it important to stay honest with your audience even in times of crisis?
- How to preserve the brand's DNA and cultural code when it has grown 10 times in 10 years?

In this talk, Anjali shares the transformative power of storytelling in navigating uncertainty and adversity. 

Drawing from the inspiring tale of a multinational corporation that harnessed the force of narrative to galvanize its workforce toward success. Through personal experiences and professional insights, Anjali shares the rationale behind her strategic decisions, offering invaluable lessons for leveraging storytelling as an unconventional yet potent tool for driving excellence. 

Stories become beacons of hope, guiding us through the darkness towards a brighter tomorrow.

: In a world shrouded in strategic fog, a global food company attempts to illuminate its path yet leaves 40 leaders lost in darkness. Discover how a co-created strategy story pierced through the strategic haze, transforming overwhelming data into a beacon of clarity. 

This talk reveals the power of storytelling in elucidating strategic choices, proving narratives are not just tales but lighthouses guiding us through the now.

Abstract language is a huge barrier to understanding and communication. It contributes to the oceans of misunderstanding and misinformation we face across the globe. If you believe that little things can make a difference, then everyday storytelling is for you. It’s easy to focus on the big stories for big occasions; everyday storytelling is about using tiny stories every day. If we all do it, we can help change the world.

Thirsty for answers? Consider this: What if getting to where you want to be in life is less about answers and more about the questions you ask?

Finding clarity and connection helps to strengthen us through emergent times. The fastest way to do this is to work with our stories to find a powerful question that can open new doors. Both storytelling and the art of asking questions are leadership skills you need now. 

Join Story Activist Mary Alice Arthur to explore this powerful partnership and find new wisdom. This will be a very active and participant-centered workshop, offering you the opportunity touring your question to The Flow Game. You’ll discover a playful way to work with what really matters.

Stories can be powerful in how we make sense of and create meaning in organizations, and in developing more adaptive leaders and organizational cultures. Leaders often get stuck in the ways that they make sense of themselves as a leader, and the world around them. This is further complicated by the role that organizational culture plays in creating systemic meaning.

In this session I will offer a narrative approach that I use with leaders to help them identify the stories that are keeping them stuck, and ways to reframe those by exploring exceptions to those stories. By looking for story exceptions, leaders can begin to create new and more adaptive approaches to leading, at both the personal and systemic level.

This talk will explore why stories are central to our understanding and meaning of the world we live in and how they actually help to form that same world.

This will be a multimedia event. Come prepared to watch, listen, and tell. Fear not. There will be minimal theory and practical examples.

Great stories impart their wisdom to those who listen with an open heart, an open mind, and a willingness to change in response to what they learn. How can we ‘listen to the light’ of generative stories so their hidden gifts can guide us in troubled times? 

This session will invite you into new ways of encountering and listening to stories. It will include a practical activity, so please give yourself time and space to listen without distractions and have something to write with.

Time upon a once there was a land at the bottom middle of a map. As far as those who studied could tell, this was the Cradle of Humankind. Home to us all. It was also a land that gave gifts of the concepts Apartheid (separateness) and Ubuntu (togetherness) to the world. A land where light and dark lived shoulder to shoulder.

Perhaps the grandest irony of the land was captured on the coat of arms. A motto.

ǃke e꞉ ǀxarra ǁke

A wish? A caution? Observation?

“People who are different meet”. And where people gather there is story. This invocation to together is gifted us by the ǀxam, a grouping of the San (Bushmen).

The cruellest irony is that the last of the ǀxam tongue left this land and life before the year was 1920, when diverse people came together to fight as humanity had never done before.

So come with me, into the dark, that we may different see the light.

In the final panel discussion, we will talk about the aspects and properties of stories that we need to light up the Now together with David Drake, Kat Kopet, Laura Packer, Rain Bennett, Bruce Pereira and Terrence Gargilo.

We will discuss the following questions:
- What are the properties of stories that can help us see ourselves, our teams and companies see the present moment more clearly?
- How can we tell, craft and help others remember these stories better?
- How can we rely on a story if a beam of a lighthouse only highlights a part of space around it?