#1 International Best Seller
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Story Intelligence is now available in Hardback, Paperback, Kindle, and Audible versions on Amazon. For quantity orders over 10, please contact our publisher BookLogix at pod@booklogix.com for discount pricing.
praise for story intelligence
“Stone and Livengood have written the book of the decade. They offer an original and profound view of why one must discover their latent Story Intelligence and master the art of storytelling to live a life full of meaning, purpose, and salience. This is a visionary, hopeful, and practical book that takes the reader through very tangible steps of realizing the seven powers of the story.”
—Arvind Singhal, Endowed Professor of Communication, The University of Texas at El Paso and author of the award-winning Entertainment-Education: A Communication Strategy for Social Change.
“Richard Stone and Scott Livengood have created the definitive book on storytelling. So much has been written on this in recent years. Not since Joseph Campbell’s seminal work on myth have all the disparate elements been brought together in one cohesive whole. Nor has a book emerged as compelling or emotionally rewarding to read. This is it. If you have any interest in storytelling or consider yourself deeply educated, you must read this book. You will be glad you started it from the first page right on through the last. A jewel of a guide filled with practical tips and a plethora of irresistible resources.”
—Seth Kahan, author of Getting Change Right: How Leaders Transform Organizations from the Inside Out
“The ideas in Story Intelligence are groundbreaking and revolutionary. The pacing is perfect for both understanding and thoughtful learning, and the authors expand our core human skills so well that you completely buy that you will be far better off with the new capabilities they deliver in these startlingly essential pages. This is the real deal, a mind-expanding tour de force.”
—Dan Abelow, Inventor of the Expandiverse and Founder of Everybody Rise
“This is a most timely and important book—one that has far-reaching implications at every level: educational, political, economic, and global. Above all, it shows how the most intractable of
human conflicts can be resolved once we start to listen to each other’s stories!”
—James Roose-Evans, author of Older: A Thought Diary, Inner Journey-Outer Journey, and Finding Silence
“I could not stop reading Story Intelligence. It codifies and explains all the things that we, who are practicing storytellers, are trying to do with our work. This book puts order to the powerful world of story; its organization makes it accessible. I only wish I had written it.”
—Donald Davis, author of Telling Your Own Stories and Writing as a Second Language.
Richard Stone and Scott Livengood have produced in Story Intelligence the finest and most comprehensive piece of work in the world. It is a delicious blend of theory and story. Reading the book will change your life, enhance your leadership, and bring some new vim and vigor to your organization.”—Terrence Deal, author of How Great Leaders Think and Leading with Soul
“Why storytelling? Nothing else works. Whether you’re trying to make sense of today’s world of tumultuous change or influencing how others deal with it, Stone’s and Livengood’s Story Intelligence is the comprehensive, practical guide to effective storytelling that you need.”
—Stephen Denning, author of The Leader’s Guide to Storytelling and The Age of Agile.
“Story Intelligence is a powerful and groundbreaking book. Story and storytelling are as universal to human beings as life itself. When we express our own stories—as Story Intelligence teaches us to do—we live far better and more deeply. Captivating, an important read.”
—Michael Gurian, New York Times Bestselling Author of Saving Our Sons, The Minds of Girls, and Leadership and the Sexes.
“Richard Stone and Scott Livengood take their years of listening to stories, years of telling stories, and years of research in the literature to define a new framework that can give insight into the power of storytelling in our lives. What I enjoyed most were the findings and stories they present from the literature as any good storyteller will – and does so to great effect. If you have a question about storytelling, you will find the answer here, told through copious use of stories. How clever!”
—Madelyn Blair, author of international bestselling, unlocked: discover how to embrace the unexpected
“No matter what it says on your business card, you’re in the story business. That’s why you need this insightful and actionable book. Story Intelligence will equip you with the tools to master storytelling—and the inspiration to use narrative as a force for learning, transformation, and possibility.”
—Daniel H. Pink, New York Times Best-Selling Author of When, Drive, and To Sell Is Human
“All of us can benefit greatly from seeing the world through a more positive lens. The narratives we adopt in our personal and professional lives, and the social scripts we foster and share with others, when anchored in optimism and meaning, can reinforce our belief that what we think and do matters. It can also propel us forward in challenging times. In Story Intelligence, Livengood and Stone make these concepts come to life in a practical way. This book is a valuable read for anyone who wants to make a positive impact with their lives.”
—Shawn Achor, New York Times Best-Selling Author of The Happiness Advantage and Big Potential
"In recent years much has been written about the power of stories to shape and give meaning to our lives, but nothing comes near to the encyclopedic treatment given in Story Intelligence. It is deep and delightful. Dive in and enjoy yourself.”
—Sam Keen, New York Times Best-Selling Author of Fire in the Belly and To Love and Be Loved
“Stories, the ones we tell ourselves and the ones that inspire and inform us, not only shape our lives but our realities. I have learned from experience that among the best stories we can master are those that allow us to see our next steps clearly, to face the future eyes wide open, with courage and dignity. Without these worthy companions, we can easily confront our lesser selves. This book will help us all to be better creators of our own realities through mastering the narratives we hold true.”
—Isaac Lidsky, New York Times Best-Selling Author of Eyes Wide Open
“While I have been a fan of Gardner’s work on emotional intelligence for years, as a leader working on shaping the future through embedding increased levels of positivity in hundreds of major organizations and school districts around the world, I also knew it was only half the story. Social scripts are unwritten rules that dictate how we think and behave together. These are the narratives, good or bad, that determine the collective mindset and rules of engagement inside our organizations—they become institutionalized patterns of thought and behavior. Story Intelligence provides that other half. Creating meaningful narratives in our personal and professional lives makes it all possible.”
—Greg Ray, Co-founder, and CEO, International Thought Leader Network
“The genius of this book isn’t the invention of something new, it’s the discovery of a truth we all know intuitively, hidden in plain sight: that story is arguably, in the authors’ words, the most powerful force in the nonphysical world. We use it every day. Not only does this book reveal the power of story, but it also identifies the sources of that power and illustrates how to employ it in every aspect of our lives. It has been the most relied upon tool in my career as a speaker and as President of High Point University. We are all stories in motion. Our phenomenal success at HPU has been a function of creating an educational experience that is aligned with the aspirational stories of the best and brightest young women and men in the world and being a catalyst in the achievement of their highest potential. We know our success is a function of our students’ success. Thank you, Rick and Scott, for your great insights and for making it available to everyone.”
—Dr. Nido R. Qubein, President, High Point University
“At some level, we all know the power of story to captivate our minds and leave us with precious lessons and colorful memories that often last a lifetime. Very few of us, though, have stopped to explore the nature of stories themselves. These authors have indeed done all of that exploration for us. The research and thought that went into this book is so impressive and lays a strong foundation for anyone who wants to truly understand and better use the power of story in their own work.”
—Beverly Kaye, author of Up is Not the Only Way: Rethinking Career Mobility and Love ’Em or Lose ’Em: Getting Good People to Stay
“As President of Pacific Crest for over 30 years, I have worked with thousands of faculty members and college students. During that time, I have used storytelling as an instrumental tool to produce transformational change. Once I read Story Intelligence, I saw so many opportunities to strengthen my abilities using the numerous examples, practical insights, and techniques presented throughout the book. As a result, I have already become more effective, inspiring, and transformational in all of my endeavors.”
—Dan Apple, President, Pacific Crest and author of Professional Guide to Self-Growth and Learning to Learn: Becoming a Self-Grower
Richard Stone
Scott Livengood
Scott Livengood
Richard Stone is a nationally recognized speaker on the power of storytelling and its applications in business, healthcare, and education. He got his start 25+ years ago developing story-based training programs for team building and leadership development and has been a leader in work on narrative reminiscence. He has worked with diverse organizations and Fortune 500 companies. Richard has authored: The Healing Art of Storytelling, Stories: The Family Legacy, The Kingdom of Nowt, and co-wrote The Patient Survival Handbook with Synensis’s CEO Stephen Powell. Previously he was the Chief Innovation Officer for Synensys, and prior to that the StoryAnalytics Master for the IDEAS Innovation team (a former division of the Walt Disney Company) where he was on the team that created StoryCare, an innovative program for driving behavioral change among healthcare staff to improve patient safety and satisfaction. Richard also co-created the award-winning board game Pitch-A-Story and is an accomplished artist and photographer. Richard is also on the board of PCI Media, an international organization located in New York City committed to improving health, environmental, and social justice outcomes around the world using the power of story. Richard was the recipient of the 2015 Patient Voice Impact Award co-sponsored by the Leapfrog Group and the Patient Voice Institute. The video he created for the award describes his experience caring for his ailing father. Richard lives in Decatur, GA with his wife, Elizabeth Cohen.
Scott Livengood
Scott Livengood
Scott Livengood
Scott Livengood is owner and CEO of Dewey’s Bakery, Inc. Dewey’s has two divisions, a commercial wholesale bakery and retail bakeries. Through Scott’s leadership, Dewey’s commercial bakery has become a premier crafter of premium cookies and crackers, a respected specialty and gift brand, an emerging national brand in the natural/specialty and mainline grocery channels under both the Dewey’s and Salem Baking Company brands, and a leading strategic partner for custom brand development of premium products serving many of the largest and most respected food retailers in the country.
Established in 1930 in Winston-Salem, NC, Dewey’s Bakery is a high volume retail bakery that has served families in the area for over four generations. Previously, Scott was CEO and Chairman of the Board at Krispy Kreme Doughnuts. Scott has served on numerous boards including the Carter Center, where he participated as an observer in the 2002 Jamaican Presidential election with President Carter. In support of his belief in the power of story, he served several years as a board member and chair of the International Storytelling Center. In 2012, Scott and his wife Michelle created the Scott and Michelle Livengood Foundation. Its focus is supporting initiatives that promote the fulfillment of individual potential, community building, and the realization of hope. They both fund and are actively engaged in program development. He and Michelle live in Winston-Salem, NC, and have four children.
