Story Counts…
In our virtual world, everyone is striving to create an effective screen presence. As rational beings, we tend to approach this in a very tactical manner. Making lists, looking for most relevant research and squeezing in as much content as we can in the little time available. Most of the instances, we fail to inspire and create the desired influence.
The key is storytelling. Even without realizing, we all tell and listen to stories. Some are interesting, some are boring, some arouse emotions, some are fake, some are relatable. A good story is the one that drives the impact that we wish to create. A good story is audience-specific, contextual and action-oriented. Here are few instances where effective storytelling becomes your go-to tool to achieve your goal.
Firstly, let us look at strategy implementation. While implementing a new strategic initiative, most executives are overly focused on actions that need to be accomplished in a certain timeframe. Let’s consider a launch of a new product. Most organizations directly jump to assigning sales targets and as a result, a salesperson goes on pitching the product to numerous customers and resellers. A lot of actions! Yet, no satisfactory results.
Stories are missing here. Mindful executives narrate the need for the new product, the gap it aims to fill, why this is the right time to sell it, how it will enhance customer loyalty, how a salesperson will become a savior by solving clients’ and resellers’ challenges and what actions teams can take to be successful in maximizing sales. This approach induces an enthusiasm in sales teams as they now know what is in it for themselves, clients and resellers by selling the new product. It encompasses all the three ingredients of good storytelling- audience-specific, context-driven and action-oriented.
Secondly, consider interviews of famous personalities. You will realize that these are filled with stories. Stories of despair, will, courage and grit. These anecdotes instill hope in us and inspire us to stay strong even in the worst times. In fact, job interviewers also seek to know you better through your stories by asking situation-based questions. Furthermore, storytelling is the reason why we love TED talks. Almost every speaker starts with a story of an obstacle they faced and how they overcame that. And then, they elaborate how their approach of overcoming the adversity has the potential to change the world.
Good stories are inspirational and action driven. In these trying times, the world is in dire need of motivation. #HerStory is Lean In Energy’s flagship event series that celebrates stories of courage and spirit of female leaders in the energy industry. Since its launch in January 2021, #HerStory has told stories of numerous industry leaders that are making our world a better place to live in and creating #modelsofopportunities.
This article is inspired by Kim A. Page’s powerful session on Storytelling as a part of her ‘Right Kind of Loud Online’ course. Kim A. Page’s book “The Right Kind of Loud: Finding Your Communication Voice” is part of the curriculum at several business schools.
