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University of Maryland, College Park

Storytelling That Delivers Program and Project Outcomes

University of Maryland, College Park via Coursera

Overview

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Learn how great program and project managers use their storytelling skills to create compelling project visions, persuade stakeholders, and design effective risk management strategies to deliver project outcomes. Program and project managers are master storytellers. They have to be in order to weave high-priority information into a memorable narrative for their people. Customers must commit to and understand their goals, and how the program is meeting them. Stakeholders need to trust the direction and stay engaged with the program intent. Program and project teams and leaders, need to understand what matters and how their work connects to the greater whole. Storytelling is something that successful program or project managers learn from years of experience. If storytelling is not on the PMP exam or similar project management certification exams, why should you bother learning how to tell good stories? Because, human brains are naturally designed for stories. We have brain structures devoted to making sense of the world in cause-effect terms. Good stories are like flight simulators in that you can try out various approaches to a problem before tackling the real problem. Risk management for programs and projects is more effective when using compelling narratives. Stories are also effective ways to transmit large amounts of information to your project teams and stakeholders. People can remember more information and act effectively on that information. For agile project management, stories are how customers communicate their requirements to the agile project team. Stories are the foundation of persuasive communication and will help you become an expert communicator. Earn 10 professional development units (PDUs) while completing the only professional certification program that helps you develop storytelling as part of your collection of project management tools.

Syllabus

  • Week 1: The Structure and Components of Stories
    • We start with defining stories and their functionality. It concludes with tips and techniques for becoming a proficient storyteller.
  • Week 2: Telling the Program or Project’s Story
    • The second week describes how to use stories to tell the program or project vision. Then, we will discuss how to report status with stories and how to negotiate with stories.
  • Week 3: Risk Management Through Storytelling
    • During the third week, we will explore how to utilize stories in managing risks within programs or projects. You will learn how to transform risk management practices into narrative form. The week concludes with instructing your team on risk management first aid stories.
  • Week 4: Managing Stakeholders with Stories
    • In the fourth week, we will cover managing stakeholders through storytelling. You will learn how to assess your stakeholders and create stories that effectively engage them. The week concludes with using stories to capture lessons learned.
  • Week 5: Using Data in Your Stories (Bonus Module)
    • The fifth week includes five bonus modules from another course, Transforming Your Company’s Data Analytics: Championing the Digital Enterprise. These bonus modules provide tools and techniques for using data to create persuasive and compelling presentations.
  • Week 6: Final Exam

Taught by

William A. Brantley

Reviews

4.8 rating, based on 5 Class Central reviews

4.6 rating at Coursera based on 10 ratings

Start your review of Storytelling That Delivers Program and Project Outcomes

  • Anonymous
    Easy to understand and very relatable to my current position as a project manager. Would recommend to anyone looking to improve their presentation skills.
  • Profile image for Tamara Aranda
    Tamara Aranda
    Overall, the training was very good—simple to follow and full of useful tools to strengthen communication skills, especially in telling stories that engage and deliver value to the audience. I would have liked to see more emphasis on the visual aspects of presentations, along with practical tips on how to design and structure slides to support the storytelling.
  • Anonymous
    Course was very informative and user friendly, applicable to lots of environments and roles as well.
  • Profile image for Wairimu Maina
    Wairimu Maina
    Fantastic. I've learned new approaches that have aided in communicating with my team.
    In addition, I've learned how to finesse some skills I was already implementing. Highly recommend this course, especially to PMs who manage large-scale or consortium projects.
  • Anonymous
    thank you
    I enjoyed the lesson and learned a lot of knowledge. The explanation was excellent and easy to understand.

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