FAQs
About Us.
What does theWholeStory do?
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theWholeStory is a UK leadership communication consultancy, founded in 2006. We train and coach leaders and teams to communicate clearly and authentically. We look at the whole picture: the thinking behind the message, the story that carries it, and the person who tells it.
Who do you work with?
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Most of our work comes from Heads of L&D, transformation, organisational change and culture. We work with leadership teams and with teams across the organisation, from internal audit to sales, as well as coaching individuals one to one. It often comes at a moment when an organisation is changing or setting a new direction.
Which sectors do you work in?
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We work with corporate and financial services organisations, the public sector and charities, and have long-standing relationships with many of our clients. Our approach works in any sector or function, because you are the experts in your content. We help you understand it more deeply and communicate it well in the situations you face. Working with so many organisations since 2006 has given us a good sense of what different businesses and functions need from our methodology.
Who will deliver the work?
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The people you speak to are the people who deliver the work. theWholeStory is a small, specialist team: Lily Pender, Josh Gaillemin and Ben Joiner. There's no handover to an associate you haven't met, and you work with us from the first conversation through to the follow-up.
Our approach
Is storytelling a creative skill?
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Yes. Creativity is often seen as the opposite of structure, or as something people either don't have or don't need at work. In practice it depends on method and technique, and it can be learned. Storytelling gives you a way to use your imagination and what you know, so that people understand your message, remember it and act on it. Leaders and teams use it for strategy, change communication, client conversations and everyday communication at work.
How is this different from presentation skills training?
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Presentation skills training usually focuses on delivery. We see communication as something broader: how we think, feel, listen and speak. We help you create what to say as well as how to say it, because the two work together. It starts with connecting to your message, knowing what matters in your content and why, and then connecting with your audience so they engage with it.
Will participants have to share personal stories?
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Not in the way people often expect. For us, personal experience happens at work: your own relationship to what is happening and to the people involved. That is what makes a message real, and storytelling gives you the structure to communicate it.
Is this suitable for people who don't enjoy speaking up?
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Yes. Some of the people we work with find it hard to express their opinions or articulate their expertise when their role needs it, and are often seen as shy or quiet. Others are experienced leaders who find high-stakes moments or the demands of leadership communication uncomfortable. The work is practical and builds on how each person already communicates, and it helps them know they are worth hearing.
Formats and delivery
Do you run in-house workshops?
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Yes. Most of our work is in-house with teams and departments, shaped around what is happening in the organisation. We also coach individuals one to one.
How do you tailor a programme?
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We start with a conversation about what is happening in your organisation: what your people need to communicate, who they need to reach, and what outcomes you need from the training. The programme is then built around the real situations participants face, and designed to fit into the bigger picture of what the business is working towards.
How long is a typical programme?
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Our formats range from one-hour masterclasses to three-hour and full-day workshops. For bigger outcomes, a series of full-day workshops can build on each other. We believe in learning by doing, so real change and application happen within the workshops themselves. Coaching sessions are 90 minutes or longer, and work best over at least three sessions.
How many people can take part?
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Most of our workshops are for groups of around 12, which gives everyone time to practise and receive feedback. We also work with larger groups, particularly as part of an away day or conference.
Where do you deliver?
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We run workshops and coaching in person, at your premises or a venue of your choice, and online.
Can you help people communicate better online?
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Yes. In every workshop we look at the real situations and settings people communicate in, and how the techniques work both in person and online. We also run focused workshops on Online Presence and Impact.
What happens after the workshop?
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Every participant receives a handbook created specifically for the workshop they attend, to use during the session and take away as a guide for using the techniques back at work. Because participants work on real, current pieces of communication during the workshop, they leave with something ready to use straight away. After the workshop there are two levels of support. At the end of our workshops, participants usually note what they will put into practice, and how and why. A light-touch reminder then draws on those answers to help keep the techniques in use. Our Application Surgeries are follow-on sessions with us, in groups or individually, designed to help you put what you have learnt into practice and develop that practice over time. Some people are coaxed towards more confidence; others are challenged towards greater precision and nuance.
Working with us
How do you measure the impact of the work?
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At the end of our workshops we usually ask participants what they wanted from them. They then rate, on a scale of 1 to 5, whether they now have the techniques to achieve that and how easily they can use them. Over 90% of responses are a 4 or 5. We also ask what they will do as a result of the training, which shows how the learning will be applied back at work and shapes the follow-up support we offer.
How do we book, and can you invoice against a purchase order?
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Get in touch and we'll talk through what you need, then arrange dates that work for you. We can invoice against a purchase order, and we're happy to complete supplier forms, NDAs and any other onboarding your organisation requires.