Strategic Storytelling

In 2010 Tracy Doherty graduated from The Richmond MBA and began working at MeadWestvaco (MWV). She has since been named senior director of marketing and innovation at MWV, and this past year she has returned to her alma mater to teach MBA students the art and importance of storytelling for business.

The Strategic Storytelling class examines the elements of storytelling while practicing various storytelling methods and determining ways storytelling helps to build not only individuals but also brands and their respective organizations. 

Doherty explained the driving force behind her class. “I believe in the power of story. I see how often students come away from M.B.A. programs with financial, operational and organizational data analysis skills but lack the ability to translate this data into a compelling story that will drive decision and action. Is storytelling a critical skill for sales? Yes. Is it important for marketing? Absolutely. People know that, but it’s also just as important for communicating a vision, raising capital, getting a promotion, selling an idea and driving change. The best storytellers learn how to balance the art and science, the feelings and facts and their relatability and credibility.” 

Doherty’s class has met on Wednesday evenings for nearly a month, and two of her students shared their experience of the class so far. 

Thereza Morris, GB ’15, firm administrator at Timothy H. Guare PLC, first joined the class to improve her public speaking skills but has quickly grown to see the greater value of the course. “Professor Doherty brings so much more than public speaking tactics to the class. We analyze each other’s presentations. We discuss the ways in which companies support their brands with storytelling, which companies have been successful, which have not and the possible reasons behind that. We’ve had several guest speakers including Dave Koehn, director of broadcasting at University of Virginia Athletics, who uses stories about the athletes and the school when he commentates sports on live radio, and Ann Scott Plante, vice president of (Wello) Weight Watchers, who shared how she pitched Wello, her online fitness startup, to investors using storytelling elements which ultimately led to Weight Watchers acquiring the company. Through this class I hope to bring as much color and depth to my future presentations as Professor Doherty and our guest speakers.”

Doherty explained Fortune 100 companies identify storytelling as an essential business skill. “Storytelling is a defining characteristic of leadership. Stories make presentations better, and they make ideas stick. In this time of heightened distraction and content overload storytelling is a skill that everyone will need to master in order to succeed.”

Julianne Akins, GB ’15, business development manager at the Richmond Symphony, said, “Each night we meet, Professor Doherty pushes us outside of our comfort zones by having us present our work with the class for analysis. I realized in order to be successful in this class and elsewhere we have to be able to push ourselves, and we can’t be afraid to get personal with our stories. Professor Doherty understands today’s workplace needs to foster personal connections as that will help us as employees relate more strongly to what we do and, as a result, perform better.” 

Morris revealed, “Professor Doherty has given me the confidence to speak candidly in front of a large group. I am now discovering my ability to share things about myself in a more thoughtful and structured way, and listening to the other students’ presentations in class encourages me to keep pushing myself.”

Austin McDaniel, GB '15, founder and CEO of Dewater LLC, said, "I really enjoy this class. I'm bettering my storytelling skills, so I now craft the stories I tell to describe my company, an international technology firm focused on providing dewatering solutions to industries ranging from mining to food production, with purpose and direction. It's a new tool in my arsenal to grow my business."

As the year progresses, there is plenty in store for the MBA students. Doherty concluded, “My goal is to arm them with the skills and confidence to transform their personal and professional interactions through storytelling. I hope they come away from my class understanding what makes a great story, how it works and why it matters. Most importantly I hope they come to recognize and appreciate the countless stories that surround them every day.”