The Story Cookbook

Reviews / Votes

"Change managers and others helping people through change have a number of ideas and techniques to involve and encourage communication during the change. The Story Cookbook provides an excellent suite of ideas to increase that repertoire. Some cookbooks contain recipes that you may remember and consult once every so often, but they eventually become dusty and unloved. You may use other cookbooks frequently, and they have dog-eared pages and just a few stains from frequent use. The Story Cookbook is likely to be one of your latter reference sources. [...] I offer a big thank you to editors Andrew Rixon and Cathryn Lloyd for gathering these ideas into a single reference source. I encourage you to dip in and select your favourites ... and then come back for seconds, and thirds."Colin BradleyPresident, Action Learning, Action Research Association Ltd; ALAR Journal, 2019"Their contribution to the literature is particularly unique in presenting the storytelling processes and approaches as a meal, starting with a light canape and entree to connect and energise people, followed by a more substantial main course, and finishing with a dessert and even an after dinner mint... To be sure, this book offers a banquet to its readers. Here are rich opportunities for productive action and learning, while working together towards achieving sustainable positive change."Ortrun Zuber-Skerritt2019"But this book shows a generosity of spirit. There is a wonderful array of 'recipes' being shared. The simple ('entrees') to complex ('mains') provide facilitators with fresh ideas to incorporate into a range of change programmes... We need good communication more than ever as issues become more polarised and divisive. Storytelling is a powerful way of uniting people whether in the community or in organisations. I applaud the generosity of the contributors and the readable style in which the activities are presented."Mike BagshawEmeritus Lecturer of Worcester University, 2019"With a diverse range of activities curated and introduced by two talented editors, The Story Cookbook is an invaluable treasury of storytelling resources. Consultants, coaches, teachers and facilitators will find the sure-fire, story-based activities immediately useful for their work with individuals and groups. If we want to change ourselves and the world around us, we have to imagine them differently and change the stories we tell about what really matters. The role of the storyteller is vital to our future and this generous book will bring out the storyteller in all who read and use the tried and tested 'recipes' contributed by so many experienced practitioners."Geoff Mead, PhDAssociate Professor of Narrative Leadership, Hult International Business School"As a person who has dedicated her career to bringing theater, stories, and their humanizing properties outside the proscenium, I am grateful to The Story Cookbook for helping to build a bridge between business and the performing arts. This book is an accessible stepping stone for anyone looking to improve their organization's culture, creative collaboration, and leadership through story-based group exercises. I hope more non-theater folks will adopt these tremendously useful methods to inspire outside-the-box thinking, engender empathy in diverse groups, and improve communication, so that someday soon their relevance will go without saying."Martha BullOrganizational Aesthetics (2019), 8(1), 32-33