Storytelling for HR Leaders: Driving Engagement, Culture And Change
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Speaker : Nqobile Pamela Xaba
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When : Thursday, January 29, 2026
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Time : 01 : 00 PM EST
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Nqobile Pamela Xaba is an HR Professional, Leadership Consultant, and Transformational Facilitator with over 20 years of cross-sector experience spanning financial services, FMCG, public sector, and ICT industries. She is the Founder of Nonkosi Creatives, a consultancy focused on activating human-centred leadership and organisational culture transformation.
Pamela holds a Business Administration degree from GIBS Business School, with awards in Strategic Marketing and Self-Mastery. Her work sits at the intersection of people, purpose, and performance — crafting strategies that are both soul-led and business-driven.
She currently serves on the Advisory Board for the Department of Business Management at the Central University of Technology and hosts the acclaimed podcast The Diversity Roundtable, where she curates dialogue on leadership, identity, and inclusion.
Core Focus Areas:
- Leadership Development & Culture Transformation
- DEIB Strategy & Training
- HR Strategy, Talent Acquisition & Coaching
- Facilitation of Strategic Dialogues
- Women Empowerment & Advancement
Pamela
believes that leadership is a daily act of humanity, and her mission is
to help organizations lead with empathy, amplify human potential, and
build cultures that reflect the best of who we can be.
“Storytelling for HR Leaders: Driving Engagement, Culture & Change” explores how HR professionals can intentionally use storytelling to lead with influence and authenticity. Participants will unpack the neuroscience of narrative, understand the emotional drivers of engagement, and learn how to embed storytelling into their everyday work, from recruitment branding and internal communications to talent development, DEI efforts, and organisational transformation.
The session blends behavioural science, communication theory, and leadership development to equip HR leaders with practical storytelling frameworks, including the "Story Spine," "Moment that Mattered," and "From Data to Drama" techniques. Through real-life case studies and exercises, participants will discover how to turn organisational values into lived stories, amplify underrepresented voices, and craft narrative arcs that build momentum for change.
This course positions storytelling as both a personal and institutional practice, one that builds empathy, shifts culture, and creates emotionally resonant leadership.
Areas Covered
- Why storytelling matters in the future of work
- The neuroscience of stories: trust, memory & emotion
- Crafting authentic narratives: the Story Spine & Hero’s Journey
- Turning strategy, values, and data into powerful stories
- Using storytelling in DEI, onboarding, and change management
- Creating space for employee stories and lived experiences
- Story as a leadership behaviour: presence, purpose, and voice
- Building a storytelling culture across teams and functions
- Tools for digital storytelling and internal comms
- Case studies: HR leaders as narrative catalysts
Who Should Attend
- Chief Human Resources Officers (CHROs)
- Senior HR Business Partners
- People & Culture Executives
- Organisational Development Leaders
- Talent Management & Learning Heads
- DEI Strategists
- Internal Communications & Employer Brand Specialists
Why Should You Attend
HR leaders today are expected to do more than deliver policy — they are culture stewards, inclusion architects, and transformation partners. Yet many struggle to communicate initiatives in ways that resonate and move people into aligned action.
Storytelling offers a powerful way to humanize data, anchor culture in lived experience, and position change initiatives as shared narratives instead of top-down mandates. In this advanced-level session, you’ll learn how to build narrative intelligence, craft compelling messages across the employee lifecycle, and leverage storytelling to reframe resistance, build buy-in, and amplify values.
Whether you’re driving DEI initiatives, launching new HR strategies, onboarding new talent, or healing from organisational disruption, this session will show you how to use story as a bridge between strategy and humanity — transforming how your message is heard, felt, and remembered.
Topic Background
In today’s volatile, fast-changing work environments, facts alone are no longer enough to drive engagement, inspire trust, or catalyze change. Storytelling has emerged as a strategic leadership capability, especially for HR leaders, who must continuously connect the dots between people, purpose, and progress.
Whether communicating culture, leading transformation, or advocating for inclusion, HR leaders who master the art of storytelling become trusted influencers and architects of belonging.
This course explores storytelling not as a performance tool, but as a strategic practice for HR professionals who want to build stronger emotional connections, shape culture intentionally, and lead change with authenticity and vision.
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$160.00
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