Endeavor

4 My story could be called opposites attract. I'm the creative guy who loves technology. As a teen- ager I adopted the school computer during the holidays. Nerdy maybe – but it was the early '80's and computers were like science-fiction. By the early nineties I was head of a busy corporate IT function. But I'd left behind my passion for art & design. It felt like something was missing. The digital age spelled an opportunity. I took time out to retrain as a designer in 2005. It enabled me to bring my logical IT side and my creative side into harmony. The synergy of design and technol- ogy led me to creating a digital agency which I ran for several years. Along the way I discovered a hidden talent for making the complex simple. In a world that's run by technology and big data the ability to communicate simply seemed more important then ever. The world changed after the recession with a call for more authenticity from businesses hence the story revival. Telling stories about data and technology became essential. I was certain that stories broadcast live in blogs, videos, podcasts, on websites would encourage the kind of authenticity that people craved. That propelled me to co-found The Story Mill to bring the power of storytelling into businesses. I loved my work as a corporate Marketing Director and Strategic Consultant. I'd spent twen- ty-five years working with large organisations, mostly in healthcare and retail and was ready for the next step. Time and time again I'd seen how strong connections between people are at the root of success. Yet, a lack of connection (both internal and external) was often the stumbling block to greatness in organisations. I wanted to change that and enrich the way people engage. A chance conversation in 2011 got me writing a blog of stories. It re-kindled a passion for story that I'd had since childhood. A year later I took a five week sabbatical to train intensively as a storytelling performer. It was one of the most exhilarating things I'd ever done. I was hooked! It became clear to me that storytelling could create better connections between people. It was an opportunity to share what I'd discovered, enrich the working lives of others, help people to solve business challenges and rebuild trust in business. Initially, bringing storytelling into my exiting consultancy work, I found it a powerful way of engaging, inspiring and moving people. In time, the blog became a book called The Tao of Storytelling - published in 2013. The same year I co-found- ed The Story Mill to bring storytelling into business. SPEAKERS DAVID TAYLOR The Story Mill United Kingdom CLAIRE TAYLOR The Story Mill United Kingdom

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