This is the first of two articles I will be publishing on the importance of corporate storytelling. The second part talks all about why stories need to be relatable, while this one addresses what can often get in the way of the storytelling process.
You’ve been hard at work on promoting a product that’s really important to you. You want to make sure that as many people as possible share your understanding and enthusiasm, because you’re convinced it’s a product that the rest of the world needs to know about too. You wouldn’t be working on it otherwise. Everything’s good to go.
Or almost – just one more thing to do.
A story to set your product apart?
You finally come to sit down and to write a story about this product, a story that will set it apart from everything else. But after a few sentences, you find that you can’t quite get across what you want to say. It’s difficult to explain something that, whilst important, is also complex. If it wasn’t, someone would have done it already. You scratch your head and start again – because good storytelling is important and you need to get it right.
But why? Why is corporate storytelling so important and why does it need to be done right?
Storytelling is for everyone. Stories have the power to move us – all of us – and change our behaviour, to shift us from indifference to positive, constructive action. Corporate storytelling – storytelling in business, or more generally the world of work – connects us helps us make sense of the world, and communicates our values and beliefs.
And yet, good corporate storytelling, or any storytelling, is often low down the list of organisational priorities. There may be several reasons for this. Firstly, storytellers and comms professionals are sometimes caught in what could be called the ‘communicators paradox’.
Why it can be difficult to prioritise corporate storytelling
That is, there may be enough time to write good stories, but not enough time for other priorities. Or there’s plenty of time for those other priorities, but the quality of the messages suffers because you simply don’t have the time to work on them. How is the decision between the two made?
Secondly, staff are sometimes not as fully prepared and supported as they might be. Sometimes writing can look easy, simple even, because it’s everywhere and we do it all the time. How often do you text and email each day, for instance – probably far too much! But there’s a world of a difference between writing for private consumption and writing for the world at large, which, remember, has to persuade people to take a certain course of action. Or perhaps your comms team may simply have too much to do. That doesn’t necessarily mean that they are overworked, but that ‘communications’ usually means a lot of distinct, individual activities, which in turn takes up more time. There’s always likely to be variability amongst staff in terms of writing abilities.
Is your source material complete?
Source material for effective corporate storytelling is often not fully complete. This may sound like an unlikely observation, but it’s often true. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve received source material from which to write the first draft, only to discover that the really clinching information miraculously appears in time for the second draft – and sometimes even third or fourth. And if source material is incomplete, it’s probably because someone else isn’t clear about the key messages, which we’ll come on to in a moment.
Finally, corporate storytelling is often too low down the priority list for your colleagues that are not involved in communications. Other teams are often – quite understandably – so absorbed by their day-to-day work that they lose sight of communications in general and storytelling in particular. But what is corporate storytelling if it isn’t being able to tell and sell great things about the work of your organisation? And in this ultra-competitive world, what’s the point of doing something so well if it isn’t then shouted about from the rooftops?
The best stories provoke emotional reactions.
Effective corporate storytelling
How then to write effectively? The best stories provoke emotional reactions. Every rational decision is underpinned – even driven by – an emotional response. Being able to evoke emotions through storytelling is a powerful tool even though there is often a temptation to overuse facts and figures.
Because the vast majority of readers and audiences find facts and figures too difficult to remember. They have their place though – and here are some. Messages delivered as stories can be up to 22 times more memorable than just facts. Audiences retain 65-75 per cent of what a story contains, compared to only 5-10 per cent of the information listed in statistics.
- Audiences retain 65-75% of what a story contains. 65%
- Audiences retain 5-10% of the information listed in statistics. 5%
Reading stories activates key parts of the the brain
When reading straight data, only the language parts of our brains decode the meaning. But when we read a story, other parts of the brain become activated as well. This means it’s far easier for us to remember stories than hard facts. With more and better corporate storytelling, you are increasing audience engagement.
But that doesn’t mean we can just write fairy tales. Of course not. Nor does it mean that they can just be ‘wishy-washy’ and about anything in particular – which of course, really means nothing in particular. Stories follow a set pattern and certain rules.
Corporate storytelling needs a distinct focus. This focus should closely follow, and be described in, your organisation’s communications and marketing strategies. Customers need to be very clear on what your product is – why it is special for your and for them – and storytelling is an excellent way of going about this.
Creating a more vivid identity for your company
It also helps to create a more vivid identity for your company, one that sets you apart from, and above, your competitors. With good corporate storytelling, your customers are making a more informed choice.
Each story needs to be wrapped around a clear message so that customers aren’t just buying a product, but in a sense are buying – or buying into – your company. But it can be astonishing how often people sit down to write a story but aren’t actually clear what the key messages are – that is, what lies at the core of the story and why it is being written in the first place.
Distinguish between key facts and key messages
It’s important here to distinguish between a key message and a ‘key fact’. A fact or series of facts will often underpin the messages, but they’re not the same. Key messages are based around key facts, whereas a key message goes one step further and urges the reader to take action.
Many organisations are often not clear about their key messages. After all, why do facts and figures appear so often? Partly because they’re easy to write about, but partly because it’s a useful space-filler. So, be clear what the key messages are – what they really are – before putting pen to paper.
Be clear what the key messages are – what they really are – before putting pen to paper.
Do you know your audiences – really?
Very closely connected with key messages are the audiences. Again, one must write and promote a story with a specific audience in mind. The point of corporate storytelling is to evoke emotion in order to align the audience with your way of thinking: you have to start out with your intended readers in mind, understanding them and knowing the emotion you’re trying to evoke.
And when you can do this well, it helps you to better communicate your value. Because what you’re doing, ultimately, is not just telling a story for the sake of it, but trying to persuade your audience. You don’t just want them to read the story, but to take action as a result of reading it.
Next time I will look at the importance of relating your story with your audience, and the benefits it can bring. In the meantime do sign up for a free story audit consultation or check out my LinkedIn page.