What helps a story travel across cultures? In global organisations influenced by Western communication styles, leaders often rely heavily on data, logic, evidence and carefully structured presentations to create impact. Those things matter, but they are rarely what people remember most. What people take away is the meaning they attach to your messages, and in leadership, storytelling shapes how you build trust, make ideas memorable, influence stakeholders, communicate change and help people connect with a shared purpose. Yet a story that resonates in one cultural context may not land in another if the references, humour, metaphors, assumptions or emotional signals do not translate, even if you are communicating within one organisation. In this conversation with Ned Legaspi, cultural intelligence educator, author and former media executive from the Philippines, we explore why storytelling has become such an important leadership communication skill, especially for professionals working across cultures, markets and diverse teams. Ned brings over 30 years of experience in storytelling and cross-cultural communication, including senior media leadership experience and teaching communication. He is the author of Culturally Intelligent Storytelling for Southeast Asian Creators and a CQ Fellow. Together, we explore universal human themes, but why cultural translation is vital if your stories are to land. Hope, loss, family and belonging may be universal human experiences, but the way they are expressed, interpreted and emotionally received is deeply shaped by culture. Ned shares his Bamboo Framework as a practical way to think about culturally intelligent storytelling for leaders, and has clear relevance for global professionals who need their ideas to connect across cultural boundaries. Ultimately, storytelling is about audience awareness, cultural adaptation and the ability to communicate meaning in a way others can recognise and trust. What you will learn in this episode: Why storytelling is now one of the most important communication skills for leaders How stories help make strategy and business messages more memorable and meaningful Why universal themes do not automatically create universal connection How culture shapes attitudes to humour, authority, conflict, belonging and emotional expression Why metaphors, idioms and local references can create distance when they do not translate Ned's Bamboo Framework to help you think about storytelling across cultures Why understanding your own cultural DNA is the starting point for communicating across difference What Western leaders can learn from Southeast Asian perspectives on communication, relationships and time This conversation offers a great reminder that global influence is about understanding the cultural context in which your message lands and shows why culturally adjusted storytelling can help you connect, build trust, and make your ideas memorable. How culturally adaptable are the stories you tell? What idioms, humour, or metaphors could be limiting how your message lands across cultures? Resources: Connect with Ned Legaspi on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nedlegaspi Visit Ned Legaspi's website: https://http://www.nedlegaspi.com Buy Ned Legaspi's book: https://nedlegaspi.com/buy/ Buy Victoria's book, Become a Global Leader:https://culturecuppa.com/book/ Follow Victoria on LinkedIn for more strategies, ideas and inspiration: https://www.linkedin.com/in/victoria-rennoldson Read this Episode's Blog post here: Cultural Intelligence in Storytelling - https://culturecuppa.com/cultural-intelligence-in-storytelling/
