Episode 43: Strengthening Teams through Storytelling with Francisco Mahfuz

Guest Bio

Do you know that dream where you have to speak in front of the class and you’re terrified? I lived it 😳

My 7th grade teacher said “Francisco, come up here and tell a story to the class”. All the other kids stared at me, and I thought “Oh no”.

Half of them looked horrified, and the other half couldn’t wait for me to crash and burn.

But I realised I was actually excited.

You see, I was never a popular kid. My mom made a big sacrifice to put me in that fancy private school, but that meant I couldn’t afford the things my classmates had, and that made me different. And when you’re a kid, being different is no good at all.

I never felt like I fit in, that I was cool – but now I had my chance.

So I got up there, and told one of my stories. And they loved it. They laughed, they cheered, they asked for more, and I felt like I was the most popular kid in that school.

Until the bell rang, when I left the stories in the classroom and went back to being the same old me.

For many years I felt unfulfilled, unexcited, and every morning when the alarm went off, I thought “There’s got to be more to life than this…”.

That’s when I found my way back to stories.

Now I help international organisations and teams tap into the power of story.

I also work with individuals on how to brand themselves and attract their ideal clients through storytelling.

🤔 If stories could make an awkward, unpopular kid cool (even if only for a while) and give me a reason to get out of bed in the morning, can you imagine what they could do for you?

🚀Do you want to develop your origin story to find the clarity and confidence to attract your ideal clients and grow your business?

🎤Do you want a transformative talk at your conference, event, or corporate retreat, where no one is bored and reaching for their phones?

💥Do you want your team to deliver memorable presentations without wasting hours of preparation? And communicating in a way that engages, persuades and inspires?

LET’S TALK: Send me a DM or email me at francisco@franciscomahfuz.com

Want to see more?

✨ Check out my website:
https://www.franciscomahfuz.com

🎙️Listen to The Storypowers Podcast, where I interview experts on how story can grow your business and make a difference:
https://www.franciscomahfuz.com/podcast (and everywhere podcasts are found!)

📖 Or read all you’ll ever need about presenting with my book, Bare: A Guide to Brutally Honest Public Speaking:
https://amzn.to/2IBAAFw

Recap & Takeaways

• [00:11 – 03:01] Meet Francisco Mahfuz, keynote speaker and story coach

• [03:04 – 05:20] Francisco’s return to storytelling

• [05:24 – 08:49] A focus on public speaking, communication around change management and culture

• [08:52 – 11:46] A focus on storytelling to improve corporate culture and events

• [11:48 – 15:14] Approaching storytelling by reviewing values and people’s own reflective stories

• [15:15 – 18:38] Different truths, feedback, and finding a story that isn’t a battle

• [18:40 – 24:28] Psychological safety and a “story circle” process

• [24:31 – 27:23] Story capture can help cut toxicity, and how personal anecdotes can supersede even training

• [27:25 – 32:23] Liar’s Poker and other Michael Lewis books, people figuring out big messes

• [32:24 – 38:42] Making complexity simple through storytelling, knowing your audience and communication purpose

• [38:42 – 41:25] Facts are like ice cubes [41:26 – 44:23] What it looks like at the organizations Francisco works with

• [44:24 – 48:06] Communication isn’t hierarchical, storytelling and creating a course of action

• [48:20 – 49:08] How to reach Francisco