A Storytelling Coach More details here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ravishankar-iyer/
2 leading exec coaches in conversation (3-2-1 by Story Rules #39)
Welcome to the thirty-ninth edition of '3-2-1 by Story Rules'.
A newsletter recommending good examples of storytelling across:
- 3 tweets
- 2 articles, and
- 1 long-form content piece
Let's dive in.
π¦ 3 Tweets of the week
This happens a lot with me too - just the act of writing would throw up a lot of questions about what I thought was a clear structure and content in my mind.
A stunning, out-of-this-world pic!
Beautifully inspiring from Abhinav Bindra.
π 2 Articles of the week
My favourite of the many pieces after India's remarkable victory over New Zealand in the 2023 Cricket World Cup semi-final.
What a way to describe the challenge thrown by Williamson and Mitchell, when NZ were chasing:
Roller uses contrast in the last line to highlight how fortunes can transform in a month:
βb. 'Silicon Valley on the couch' by Malcolm Gladwell
(This is a podcast episode)
Why is Silicon Valley located at Silicon Valley? Ok sorry, why is it in the San Francisco Bay Area?
Because of the weather? Not really. There are places with better weather in the US, and there are tech hubs in places with worse weather (looking at you, Seattle).
Because of Stanford? Nope, it didn't have its current reputation then... And the East Coast institutions (especially MIT) were more renowned.
Because of who funded William Shockley, the co-inventor of the transistor and the person who chose Silicon Valley as the HQ for his seminal company, Shockley Semiconductor? No, the main funder of that company was based in Pasadena, L.A.
You could call Shockley the father of Silicon Valley, but it was another parent who perhaps had a greater influence on why it was located in the Bay Area.
Listen to this gripping account of Shockley, one of the deeply flawed geniuses of the world who had a seminal impact on the world of technology.
β
π§ 1 long-form listen of the week
Leading executive coaches, Deepak Jayaraman (also host of the stellar 'Play to Potential' podcast) and Jay Kumar Hariharan have a thought-provoking conversation about personal development for leaders on Jay's podcast, 'Stories that Shift'.
Deepak is a deeply thoughtful, soft-spoken, and insightful leader - and a great storyteller! He weaves in anecdotes from his professional and personal life to bring the ideas to life. Check out the stories featuring his mentors at Mckinsey and Egon Zehnder.
His speech is also rich with metaphors (how being a motivational speaker is like giving a missed catch!) and pithy phrases (moving from 'poaching to coaching'; being a 'seeker, not a speaker').
You'll come away with many memorable and valuable takeaways from the conversation!
That's all from this week's edition.
βRavi
β
PS: Got this email as a forward? Get your own copy here.
Access this email on a browser or share this email on Whatsapp, LinkedIn or Twitter. You can access the archive of previous newsletter posts here.
β
You are getting this email as a part of the Story Rules Newsletter. To get your own copy, sign up here.
β
Ravishankar Iyer
A Storytelling Coach More details here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ravishankar-iyer/
Earlier this week, I saw this fascinating movie called 'CTRL' on Netflix. Boy, was my mind blown. Sure, you could say that it was Black-Mirror-inspired. But the way it was adapted for the Indian context was superb. The writing was gripping throughout. The cinematography (mostly using phones or involving laptop screens) was raw and authentic. And the acting was fabulous - I'm a fan of Ananya Panday for her unfiltered and vulnerable portrayal of the young Nella Awasthi. Catch it if you haven't...
Maharashtra becomes magical in the monsoons. Last weekend we did a small walk up the Vetal Tekdi hill in Pune. This picture (from the Chaturshringi end of Vetal Tekdi hill) overlooks the institutional areas of NCL, IISER, IITM etc. Zoom in and check it out. Gorgeous stuff. And now, on to the newsletter. Welcome to the eighty-fourth edition of '3-2-1 by Story Rules'. A newsletter recommending good examples of storytelling across: 3 tweets 2 articles, and 1 long-form content piece Let's dive...
Last week I attended a cool event - 'Science on Tap', where a scientist talks about his or her work over beers. This talk was by Ganesh Bagler of IIIT Delhi who spoke about 'Computational Gastronomy' (essentially the use of AI for analysing and recommending food recipes). It was fascinating. For someone like me, events don't get much better. A thought-provoking topic, good storytelling, a lovely setting, delicious food, and most of all, some great beers (specifically, IPAs). Can't ask for...