Watch the faces of small children as they gather around their teacher at story-time. You will recall how we were all held spellbound by the art of good storytelling. It’s hard to find an audience more eager and willing to absorb every detail of the story. Children are visibly delighted when the storyteller brings the characters alive with sound effects and actions.

But sadly we all grow up and many of us live with the misconception that business life is about being formal … playing by the corporate rules, where story telling would be frowned upon and there is no place for childlike behaviour.

If this is true … then how come some of the best business books in the world are written in story form … isn’t the easiest way to learn management and leadership skills to read the “stories” told by successful business people.

There is still a child in all of us … and secretly we would be delighted if our clinical meetings would come to life with presentations that were coloured with great storytelling. This is a powerful way to grab and hold attention, build retention of information, and above all, motivate and inspire.

However, great storytelling in business requires people who are willing to break the mould … willing, in a sense, to put themselves at risk. Storytelling requires a bigger voice, larger gestures, greater voice intonation and, above all, the confidence to act a little daft, to animate and punctuate the story with memorable actions.

But the rewards are worth the risk. I like the idea of being memorable and what’s wrong with being talked about. As Oscar Wilde once said … “the only thing worse than being talked about … is not being talked about!” Great storytellers get invited back.

On a recent trip to visit the battlefields in Kwa-Zulu Natal, I met one of the finest storytellers I have ever experienced. His name is Rob Caskie. We met under tragic circumstances, just days after the death of his mentor and colleague David Rattray, the world renowned historian, who dedicated his life to researching and telling the real stories behind the Anglo Zulu wars.

Rob was determined that, despite the grief experienced by everyone at Fugitives Drift Lodge, “the show must go on”. More importantly, David’s legacy needed to continue through their stories of the famous battles fought, brought to life by great story telling to entertain and educate a continuous flow of visitors to the lodge.

Rob Caskie is a great story teller. Out on the battle fields, dressed in an India Jones styled hat, shirt sleeves rolled up, khaki shorts, a walking stick and a pair of what the British would call ‘sensible walking shoes’, Rob recreates the drama, the despair, the horror and the bravery of the warriors and soldiers.

How does he do it ? Firstly, he gets to know each of his guests by name … not just learning their names, but finding out what motivated their decision to visit the battle fields. We had English, Irish, Scottish and Welsh international visitors, outnumbering the sprinkling of SA guests. The Anglo Zulu war is a pilgrimage for many who had distant relatives involved.

Armed with the knowledge of who you are, and your connection to the scene, you are about to become part of the story. As his story unfolds, the walking stick becomes more powerful than a computer full of power point slides. In the process of animating the story, the walking stick becomes a rifle one minute, a sword another, and the ultimate weapon, the iklwa … “the zulu short stabbing spear”.

“Ngadla” he bellows, demonstrating the horror of this deadly weapon with a Zulu word that emulates the sound of the killing blow. Rob’s Zulu is so fluent that I swear if you closed your eyes it could be the voice of Shaka himself. “Ngadla” he bellows again and again at strategic parts of the story – a haunting sound to build the tension.

Dramatic contrast is another trademark of this story teller. From loud to soft, from large, rapid gestures to an outstretched hand steeped in pathos, from rapid fire delivery to a quiet moment of reflection … reciting the words of a soldiers prayer, Rob’s storytelling is like a trip on an emotional roller coaster. Time flies by as he brings his story to a conclusion and you are left wishing it would never end.

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