The 5 storytelling stories for every organisation

1. The future lies in the history of the organisation

A few years ago, we were asked to write a corporate story about a family business. That company is successful now, but it wasn't always so in its 60-year history. In the first years of his business, the founder of the company stood on the edge of the financial abyss several times. Twice, he had to sell his machinery and start again. But he persevered. What a wonderful story this is. An inspiring story also for the current generation of employees. About belief in one's own abilities, about perseverance, hard work, literally blood, sweat and tears. There is bound to be a ready-made heroic story in the history of your company.

2. Employees' stories increase the credibility of the organisation

Take the people out of an organisation and it bleeds to death. Logical, because it is the people who bring organisations to life and give them colour. And who contribute to the success of the organisation. Many employees can and want to tell entertaining stories about this. About how they have grown with the organisation. About special customer contacts. About special events within the organisation. What is wrong with recording these stories? In fact, those stories make you human, sympathetic and credible as an organisation. There is no doubt that there are born storytellers in your organisation too.

3. No experience as powerful as that of a customer

Customers are the bread on the table. They keep the chimney smoking. That is why organisations do everything they can to turn customers into loyal customers. It is characteristic of loyal customers that, over the years, they have learned a lot about what happens within the organisation. This can result in wonderful anecdotes or stories. From the first customer, for example. Or from the most recent customer. What are their best or most memorable experiences with the organisation? What was the trigger to make that first purchase? And mind you, asking customers about this does not only provide beautiful experiences, it also provides the organisation with a lot of valuable management information. Perhaps it is a good idea to visit a number of your loyal customers in the coming weeks?

4. Today's success lies in yesterday's failure

In interviews we often hear people say: "You shouldn't write that down. Then, in the distant or recent past, something has not gone quite right in the company or with a project. We then explain that it is a shame to sweep this under the carpet. Because often, something that initially failed miserably ends up as the best or even most innovative solution. In that sense, there is no such thing as failure. Moreover, it says a lot about the perseverance of the organisation and the people who work there if they manage to turn a failure into a success. So take a look at how new products, services or projects came about in your organisation. Ten-to-one it was not without a struggle.

5. The sector as a steppingstone for your organisation

If the above tips still do not provide the desired inspiration for a fascinating and binding story, then the sector in which you work might offer some starting points. What can you tell about it? Which developments can you link up with in order to benefit from them?

Getting Started

Do you want to start storytelling right now? You can start by taking a look at our websites storytellingpeople.nl, storytellingpeople.com or corporatehistory.com.

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For more than 30 years Storytelling People has been recording corporate stories and bringing them to life with storytelling and community building.

Storytelling makes the abstract corporate story accessible in stories by and for people.

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