Storytelling tips

Storytelling in a modern context focuses on the question of to what extent you are able to have your employees, clients and other stakeholders believe in a beckoning vision of your company's future? How can you connect them to this? How can you activate them for this? Storytelling is universal, but not every story is the same. On this page we provide some smart tips about the corporate story and storytelling.

Organisation story

Storytelling is essential for human life. Telling stories - the ordering of events in our work and life - is the main way people give meaning to their existence, pass on knowledge, learn behaviour and understand their past and future. Our daily life offers us all the opportunity to be storytellers. Storytelling is the inspiring force behind presenting ourselves and the story of the organisation.

People are looking for an emotional connection. Successful companies are companies with a story. A story that is credible and, at the same time, so inspiring, appealing and recognisable that people are keen to identify with it. A good story brings together and connects a varied group of people, allows people to see things differently, inspires/touches, links the past with the present, outlines a path to the future and is also relevant for the outside world.

Brand story

Touching people not in their head, but in their heart. That is what makes a strong brand. That presupposes an identification which goes beyond just the quality of a product or service. Employees and clients want to be touched emotionally. Not on the basis of a ‘marketing strategy or analysis of target groups’, but a confidence-building, positive brand story. Make them participants in your story, a power source of emotions and the fire will start to burn.

The capacity to stand out helps in a competitive market. Your personality makes you special. A good brand story is the connection between how your client sees, experiences and publicises your brand. It is told via a richness of impressions, ideas and dreams which have been combined in the brand over the course of time.

Identity stories

Core values tell people what your organisation stands for. It gives your employees something to emulate and something for your clients to trust. Core values which you jointly support provide the foundation for future growth. Choosing a limited number of core values helps you stay focused and what you stand for remains clear for employees and stakeholders.

When the core values of your organisation have been determined is when the most important work begins, namely bringing the values to life. Values are, in themselves, words which everyone can interpret in his or her own way. Placing the values in the story gives them direction and meaning.

Personal story

The most powerful story is the personal story. Who else is better equipped to narrate your experiences than you yourself! A personal story always focuses on the context in which and for whom it is told. For example, a birthday party is a completely different setting from a conference. Ideally you, the storyteller, are able to switch easily during your story: from national to emotional, from factual to perception, from abstract to personal and vice versa.

The power of the personal story is: credibility. It creates trust and establishes a connection between you and your listener(s). A personal story conveys who you are and what you find important. The power of a personal, authentic story is that people trust you. Because they trust you, they are also prepared to trust your company more.

You can tell a story in three ways: with facts, values, or by saying something about who you are. With ‘facts’ you create less contact and trust. The best way to connect people is with ‘value stories’ or ‘personal stories’ and the best story is the story that touches people and that they want to share. A good story not only intrigues people but also connects them. Storytelling helps connect people - from client to business contact and from family to stakeholder - more strongly to the story of the company and the brand than can be done using standard marketing. We can all build up trust and be a storyteller. How do you get started?

Storytelling tips on how to start

The storytelling top tip

Storytelling scans are a quick and inexpensive way to gain clarity and direction. Request a scan today so that you too can create clarity for the future of your story.

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.

Storytelling scans are a quick and inexpensive way to gain clarity and direction. Request a scan today so that you too can create clarity for the future of your story.

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