A Pedagogical Schema of Storytelling for Managers

Most postgraduate students in Indian Management Schools (and possibly in business schools in many other parts of the world) have no or very little knowledge of effective storytelling. Yet, one s ability to share personal or professional information with others in a narrative form was found to be highly rewarded in business. This pedagogical schemais conceptualized to helpmanagement studentsimprove their narrative skills. In doing so, the students were instructed to compose a compelling narrative to position and advertise a product after analyzing a advertisement case study. To achieve this goal, the activity makes use of the familiar management case method and relies primarily on theworking memory this creates,for the narrative. Simultaneously, the students are also introduced to thetechniques of creating a compelling three-act narrative through semiotic interpretation of a limited set of images. Thus, the goal of the pedagogical activity is not only to help the students master the art of compelling storytelling but also to help them acquire successful strategies of branding through narratives.