Creating Innovation through Storytelling with Susan Lindner

In this episode of Adventures in Business, Amani and Mandi chat with Susan Lindner, CEO of Innovation Storytellers. With a background that spans rural Thailand in the 90s to keynote stages across the globe, Susan has worked with leaders in over 60 countries, helping them harness the power of storytelling to drive change. During their conversation, Susan unpacked her unique perspective on innovation, storytelling, and how anyone can create meaningful impact through their stories.

Meet Susan Lindner

Susan Lindner is the Founder and CEO of Innovation Storytellers, a leading innovation storytelling consulting firm. She is a highly sought-after keynote speaker, workshop leader, messaging strategist, storytelling coach, and the world’s leading expert on innovation storytelling.

Susan draws from her initial experiences as an anthropologist and international aid worker in rural Thailand in the 1990s, where she shared stories that helped at-risk populations disproportionately affected by AIDS to slow the virus’ spread. Today, as a 20-year communications expert, she is committed to using those same storytelling skills to inspire innovation leaders everywhere to become incredible storytellers and ensure that their innovations get the resources, runway, and recognition they deserve.

Susan Lindner is the host of Innovation Storytellers, a weekly podcast that takes the mystery out of how to communicate breakthrough ideas to the people who matter most. Every week, Susan interviews top global innovation leaders from companies like Amazon, Bloomberg, Cisco, Corning, and Tesla about the stories that moved their innovations past the boardroom, lab, and production line and into our everyday lives.

Susan speaks at global conferences, consulates, and trade organizations. She has worked with C-level leaders and teams from over 60 countries at Fortune 100 companies like GE, Corning, Citi, AT&T, Arm & Hammer on their innovation storytelling strategies. The result? Those innovation leaders become incredible storytellers who go on to change the world. Susan is driven to ensure every breakthrough idea reaches its finish line through powerful stories that connect to every listener and power that brilliant idea forward.

What is Innovation?

Susan’s definition of innovation is simple: Innovation is change that brings value to others. She explained that innovation doesn’t have to be groundbreaking. Instead, it’s about creating value for the people it serves.

This actually makes innovation feel accessible, and not just for tech geniuses or industry leaders. Susan emphasized that innovation is rarely a solo endeavor – it’s almost always something that happens when we’re with other people.

The Heart of Great Storytelling

With all her experience in storytelling, Susan is certain of one thing: Empathy makes a great storyteller. 

Empathy for the audience and for the characters in the story is what sets exceptional storytellers apart. Susan explained how even complex characters like Darth Vader evoke empathy, making their stories compelling. 

Great storytellers consider how their narratives resonate with listeners. “It’s about understanding the listener’s needs and crafting a story that brings value to them,” Susan explained. 

The Biggest Challenges with Communicating

Innovators often struggle to communicate their ideas effectively. Susan says that most innovators are great at creating breakthroughs, but they’re not always great at conveying the purpose, impact, and value of their work.

To bridge this gap, Susan encourages changemakers to focus on creating “goodwill stories,” which are stories that demonstrate the benefits of their ideas and inspire others to support and champion them.

Susan Lindner on The Three Pillars of Storytelling

Susan defines three key concepts of storytelling: story mining, story crafting, and story sharing.

Story Mining: This is the process of uncovering stories by reflecting on influential people, places, events, or objects. Susan suggested starting with these prompts to find meaningful stories that align with your message.

Story Crafting: Once you’ve mined your story, the next step is to craft it with intention. Susan emphasized starting with the end in mind: What do you want your audience to take away? This clarity helps shape the narrative and ensures it resonates.

Story Sharing: Finally, Susan highlighted the importance of effective delivery. Whether in a team meeting or a keynote speech, sharing a story well requires understanding your audience and tailoring your approach to meet their needs.

Making Your Audience the Hero

Susan says you need to make your audience the hero in your story. Whether you’re pitching an idea, rallying a team, or delivering a keynote, ask yourself: How can my audience play a role in bringing this story to life? By positioning listeners as active participants in the story, you foster engagement and inspire action.

Anyone Can Become an Innovation Storyteller

Susan shares that storytelling is an intrinsic part of human history and how we’ve always communicated. It’s necessary to create innovation and make change. If you struggle to tell stories and want to get better, she says to remember that it’s like any other muscle in the body: you have to work at it to make it stronger. 

Connect with Susan Lindner

🔗 Innovation Storytellers