How Stories Enhance Business Communications
My daughter came home from school last week and enthusiastically told me how her middle school science teacher brings class lessons to life by sharing anecdotes that relate to the curriculum. I wasn't surprised by her enthusiasm.
In my post on sticky business writing, I cited a list of attributes that make our communications durable and memorable. Among those attributes are stories.
Most of us have experienced first-hand how facts and ideas conveyed through engaging stories come alive and linger in our thoughts and memories. Media producers, public relations professionals and marketers routinely harness the power of story to channel their messages to audiences.
The importance of storytelling is also gaining a foothold in other business sectors. In his Forbes.com article on The Power of Stories, John Kotter notes that some business leaders are coming to recognize that “we learn best--and change--from hearing stories that strike a chord within us.” They understand that the stories a firm broadcasts --deliberately or inadvertently -- about itself, its employees or its clients can have a big impact on its business culture and bottom line.
To evaluate how stories infuse our business, Kotter suggests that we consider these questions:
- What are the stories that define us in light of our customers, employees and shareholders?
- Are these the stories we want to tell--and have others tell about us?
If the answer to these questions is "No," he recommends that we take steps “to replace the old stories” with ones that genuinely support our business values and success.
Seth Godin adds to this point in a post on how to tell a great story. Drawing from an Ode Magazine article he wrote on the same topic, Godin sets out the underpinnings of all great stories. Among other common denominators, he says, all great stories:
- Capture the imagination
- Are consistent and authentic
- Don’t contradict themselves
- Agree with what the audience already believes
- Make people feel smart and secure
Many of us are comfortable with the idea of incorporating stories into conventional business writing and communications. At the MarketingProfs Daily Fix blog, Jennifer Jones shares that storytelling is also the key to making social media work for us. Jones recognizes that, even in the new media universe, information delivered via stories is much more vibrant and indelible than dry presentations of fact.
