Secrets of compelling business storytelling

Stories are the ultimate tool in corporate communications and PR; they illustrate and simplify complex ideas, align employees to common goals, and reveal how we think and feel in challenging situations. They are the fastest way to achieve results, because they bring clarity and conviction into conversations and help storytellers engage employees in new directions or toward different strategies.

This requires three important elements:

A point

This is about having a good answer when the reader asks, “So what?” or “What does this have to do with me?”  Leave out irrelevant details that can make a story ramble and become disjointed.

Structure

Be purposeful in how you organize a story. Equally as much as the storyline itself, think through the flow to create a clear sense of direction – starting at the beginning, building to a climax or an “aha” moment, and bringing it to a relatable conclusion.

Emotional interest

Make the audience feel like part of the experience. Focus on what you want the audience to relate to and enliven it with supporting details. It’s okay to embellish the narrative for interest as long as you don’t stray from the main point.

Capture direct quotes sourced through on-the-record interviews. The best quotable remarks are descriptions and explanations that stir feelings, emotions. Intersperse them to enhance and amplify your straight-forward factual narrative.

Structure is the science of stories; it leads to the art of creating interest and transferring emotion. It’s a tough formula that takes a while to master, but it’s the key to leveraging the power of corporate communication and PR storytelling that all companies need to ensure that information and ideas spread throughout all levels of their organizations.

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