One of the most important traits in great leaders is the ability to communicate effectively and clearly, regardless of who your audience is. This includes having a knack for delivering impactful presentations, whether that's on a stage in front of several hundred people, in a board meeting or to a group of staffers. It's a particularly important requirement for CIOs who often have to speak to a diverse set of audiences.

Let's face it, some people simply have a gift for public speaking. There are certain presenters who dazzle, others who stimulate or provoke and still others who move us with their stories and experiences.

But for most of us, public speaking is stressful. We worry about making mistakes, or not being able to engage our audiences or to provide listeners with meaningful content or messages.

John Hagel, the well known consultant and writer on innovation and technology, is promoting the shift to story telling in business communication.

The idea of telling stories in business has taken off in the last year or so. It's not exactly news to journalists; we use stories all the time to personalize reporting or bring abstraction down to earth. Companies have also told stories for ages -- they are called case studies.