BUSINESS STORYTELLING

DESIGN YOUR STORY. CREATE YOUR IMPACT.

You do incredible work. You are unmissable, connect to strategy, to customers, increase value, and more. Yet, the organisation is… only mildly interested. For all your plans and ambitions, you will only succeed by getting the organisation to rally behind you and claim a strong position. Learn to craft your story, create impact and be a leader.

Realising it isn't always about telling the truth

...will open up all sorts of possibilities.

I am not saying you should lie. I am saying that all the facts and numbers and scores should not blind you from your goal to create a successful initiative or programme. Your story should be clear and compelling. And that means it should not be unnecessarily weighed down or hazy because you want to add e-ve-ry single detail…

Successful initiatives create an inspiring and thus sustainable culture. One that is not reliant only on facts, but is driven by a belief in the bigger story and an appealing movement to join. 

Using the right story brings your initiative to life. It sets you apart from the bland  and boring rest. That’s your goal. Because to be succesful you plainly need to capture the audience’s attention and imagination. Showing them why it’s interesting to them, sparking interest with the insights or progress you’ve made. Drawing them in with an appealing aspiration. Giving them something they’ll remember and talk about. And that is doable. You just need to design it.

BUSINESS STORYTELLING IS ABOUT GETTING

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Of course you are unique. Even extraordinary. But it is hard to create the story what your team, your programme or initiative is all about. There is a good reason the number one question I get asked is ‘How do I make it work in the organisation?’ You need a hell of a story.

Storytelling is vital. And a skillset underestimated in business environments. Yet, it is crucial for success. To find your own compass, to rally people behind you, and to show your organisation your expertise and tangible success.

Luckily, we have loads and loads of expertise and experience what makes a good story. It is part of human nature. We are wired to recognise a story that resonates. From the very early days of tribal sharing we’ve been taught, scared, moved, thrilled by stories. The native American cannibalistic spirit Wendigo scares children not to venture in the woods in the dark. As do similar stories in Aztec, Inuit, Amazonian or Scandinavian cultures and more…

The examples of how to build a fantastic story that resonates and taps into audiences imagination are endless. From Charlie Chaplin to Scheherazade, the protagonist of 1,001 nights excelling in telling cliff-hanger stories to avoid being beheaded. To the lessons we can learn from Fortnite and Magnum Ice Cream with its pop-up stores. To Walt Disney’s invention of the MultiPlane Camera that revolutionised his animation and storytelling. To the Hero’s Journey that sets a mold for anything from the Old English epic poem Beowulf  to Luke Skywalker’s endeavours in Star Wars. And to the endless wisdom of Ron Swanson…..

We are all hard-wired to stories. Good stories get our attention. So how to use this in business?

Let’s dive in how we make decisions. Simply relaying facts and numbers doesn’t excite. Neuroscience imagery shows only two parts of the brain lit up. Tell a good story however… and no less than eight different areas spark. All of sudden touch, movement, scent, sound, colour, and shape are added to the audience listening to you. And that includes business audiences.

This rich, additional pallet means we experience stories as if they were ‘actually happening to us’. It means we’re invested in the ambition of the protagonist and the outcomes. In stories we are the protagonist. We understand and feel the decisions he or she makes… brave or foolish., and reflect if we would have made the same choices. Especially in horror movies this natural instinct of us is very well (ab)used. This is called ‘Mirroring’ or ‘Neural coupling’. And if you’re sceptical, think about why you cry while watching a movie, even though logic tells you that the story and characters are fictional.

Interestingly, we can only operate one mode at the time.

So you choose how you’d like your business audience to be the next time you need to present to the Board, appear at a Steering Committee, or make your case for your budget proposal:

Do you want to stimulate decision-making through a story where the audience makes choices emotionally (and, to varying degrees, unconsciously). And let their rational thinking justify their decision with supporting facts?

Or…. do you go on presenting data and numbers, because you only want to opt for rational appraisal? The audience is making decisions based on the sec data without any emotion, without any investment in the outcome, and without being swayed to overlook certain perhaps less convincing information you give them?

Hey, it’s your choice.

Don’t let me convince you.

I’m just telling a story.

Right?

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