Once Upon A Time: The Subtle Power Of Business Storytelling
The inside story
The difference between business stories and conventional stories is that they are told with a clear goal or objective in mind.
Effective business stories enable us to:
Connect and communicate with colleagues, customers, suppliers, stakeholders and partners.
Build rapport and help develop trusting working relationships.
Persuade - a good story can inspire people to change the way they think, feel or act.
Remember key details communicated in the form of a story are more likely to stick.
What makes a good story?
All good business stories comprise these essential elements:
Simplicity. They use language that’s easy to understand, with no unnecessary detail.
Authenticity. The story should be meaningful and the teller should be completely honest.
Emotion. Your audience should be able to identify with the main character and empathise with their emotions, whatever they may be (joy, pain, humour).
Short. Business stories should aim to be three to five minutes long. Any longer and you run the risk of losing your audience.
Ten tips for effective storytelling
Start with the end in mind. What message do you want to get across to your audience? What do you want them to do as a result of your story?
Begin with a bang. Surprise or shock your audience to get their attention.
Create characters that people can easily relate to. The more people identify with the main character, the more likely they are to buy in to your message, and be persuaded to change the way they think, feel or behave.
Be creative with your words. Use vivid, descriptive language to keep your audience engaged.
Use a simple story ‘arc’ structure - set-up, conflict and resolution. Establish the main characters, the way they change through the events that happen, the choices they make, and what happens in the end.
Play on people’s emotions by using humour, or pulling on their heart strings.
Don’t leave out the ‘bad bits’. Admitting to mistakes shows vulnerability, which can help build trust.
Introduce dramatic tension and conflict. Compelling stories have a series of ups and downs, twists and turns before reaching their resolution.
‘Show, don’t tell.’ Allow your audience to join the dots and reach the conclusion by themselves. It will help draw them in and reinforce their positive feelings (about the story, and about you and your organisation too).
Find the right medium. You could use video, virtual events or traditional paper-based methods, but make sure that whatever you choose works for your particular story.
To cut a long story short
Good business stories can persuade, entertain and influence people involved with your organisation. With these storytelling techniques, you can be sure of a happy ending!
The End
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