Lecture-Concert Series presents Annette Simmons in 'The Power of Story' April 6

March 8, 2010 -- The fifteenth event of Arkansas State University’s Lecture-Concert Series, and the Honors Lecture of the Year, will feature Annette Simmons in “The Power of Story.” The lecture is Tuesday, April 6, at  7 p.m. in the Reng Student Services Center/Student Union Auditorium, 101 N. Caraway Road, Jonesboro. This lecture is free and open to the public.

Simmons is the president of Group Process Consulting and the author of several books, including “The Story Factor: Inspiration, Influence and Persuasion Through the Art of Storytelling” (named as one of The 100 Best Business Books of All Time) and “Whoever Tells the Best Story Wins.” Her lecture is co-sponsored by the Honors College, the Graduate School, the College of Business, the College of Communications, the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, and the College of Nursing and Health Professions.

The Honors Lecture of the Year, now in its second year, is an annual event. The Honors College is the main organizer, but the lecture is supported by a university-wide coalition of students, faculty, staff, and administrators. The Honors Lecture of the Year aims to stimulate campus discussion through academic discourse about an issue that affects higher education.

Simmons is a powerful keynote speaker and popular consultant. Her client list includes the Brookings Institution, Price Waterhouse Coopers, Microsoft, Time, Inc., NASA, the World Bank, Best Buy, and the YMCA. She has appeared on CNBC’s Power Lunch and NPR’s Market Watch, and she has been cited in Fortune, Working Woman, Harvard Business Review, The Chicago Tribune, and The Washington Post.

Simmons founded Group Process Consulting in 1996.  She earned her undergraduate degree in marketing from Louisiana State University in 1983 and her master’s degree from North Carolina State University in social psychology and adult education in 1994. She presented her first course on storytelling for government officials through the Office of Personnel Management in 1998.

Storytelling is one of the oldest influences in human history. The process of storytelling uses theory, practice, and group reflection to determine what people currently think about a given individual and his or her story. Simmons’ course on storytelling offers a comfortable, safe environment for participants to scrutinize areas where they feel no inspiration and are therefore hindered from inspiring others. Simmons evokes participant creativity and self-analysis. Storytelling is designed to help participants become better speakers, whether speaking formally or informally, by telling stories that listeners can understand and to which they can relate.

For more details, contact Dr. Gil Fowler, associate dean for the Honors College, at (870) 972-2308, or via e-mail at gfowler@astate.edu. The Lecture-Concert Series presents diverse programs to enrich the cultural life of the campus, community, and region.
--Molly Carpenter, senior public relations student intern in the Office of Public Relations, researched and wrote this release.
 

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