The Art of Storytelling

Monday, April 5, 2010 | 9:41 a.m.

Storytelling is one of the oldest and most effective ways to communicate. Stories engage us, teach us, and entertain us. Storytelling is beginning to catch on as an effective way to communicate in business. I find story a great way to connect with the things that really matter to my clients and have had considerable success using story as part of my firm’s marketing, organizational consulting, and design processes.

Annette Simmons, in her book “The Story Factor,” describes story as:

“...a narrative account of an event or events – true or fictional. The difference between giving an example and telling a story is the addition of emotional content and added sensory details in the telling.”

As our society moves into a new economy, one many are calling “the Conceptual Age,” storytelling will gain momentum and be vital for future business communication. Storytelling will humanize business and allow us to communicate complex scenarios with precision and clarity. Either given verbally or in writing, stories have a way of engaging the listener or reader in ways no other communication medium can. Storytelling connects both the mind and the heart as follows:

Stories make us want to know more. A well-told story that engages its audience can become memorable and leave the audience wanting more. In lieu of writing a standard proposal letter, consider telling a story of how your services will transform the client and assist in achieving his goals. Describe in detail what it feels like to work with your company. Describe how the outcomes benefit the client. Use language that vividly describes the outcomes so that the client can see and feel the story. While I can’t guarantee that you’ll win the contract, if written well, I can guarantee your proposal will stand out from the pack. And there is a good chance the potential client will want to know more about your company.

Stories allow us to envision alternate scenarios. I had the good fortune to facilitate a visioning session for a midwest engineering firm last summer. One of the tactics that I used was to have the firm write a magazine article for an issue featuring the firm in five years’ time. Members of the firm were instructed to write the firm’s story in present tense detailing how the firm would be viewed in the future. The process of telling the story engaged the participants. I found out a lot about the firm and they learned much about each other and what alternate realities could exist for the collective group. Their story described how the firm would better the communities in which it worked. The group described a scenario that used engineering as a vehicle to the new reality of community enrichment. The participants connected around the story and bonded together as they described their preferred future.

Stories cut through the “noise.” We are all bombarded each day with more information than we can possibly read, remember, or use. A well-written story can stand out from this information overload, helping to grab the reader’s attention. Story can communicate in a different and more engaging way than other writing conventions. Story can cut through the “noise” of information.

Stories allow us to connect around issues that really matter. In a time that is filled with so much spin and collective marketing-speak, story can help you connect with your clients in a more meaningful way. Story can describe what matters most to the audience and can do so in a clear and authentic way. Most people want to talk about things that they hold dearly – they do not want to be sold something. Story can work well for this, as it can establish the context as well as the content for an engagement. During the design process, my firm uses story to describe what the end-product will feel like, and most importantly, what that building or plan will do to realize the client’s goals and aspirations. Our clients appreciate the story as it helps them connect and describe further what they are trying to accomplish. Story engages both their rational and emotional intelligence.

So take a chance – write or tell a story in your daily work. Make it memorable. Make it engaging. Describe alternate scenarios. Differentiate your company through use of one of the oldest and most effective forms of communication.

Until next time…

Craig