what's your story?
DESCRIPTION
Using organizational storytelling for greater reach and influenceTRANSCRIPT
What’s Your Story?
Defining and Communicatingyour unique tale
for greater influence and reach
Suzanne E. Henry May 2011
Once Upon A Time
Have you ever grown tired of hearing, Let me tell you a story?
A Long History
Modern storytellers are the descendants
of an immense and ancient community of
holy people, troubadours, bards, griots, cantadoras, cantors, traveling poets,
bums, hags and crazy people. ~ Clarissa Pinkola Estes
Why Use Storytelling?
Narratives:
• Get Attention• Are Remembered• Shape Beliefs• Change Minds
EFFECTIVE
Information when delivered in the form of a story
transfers itfrom short term memory
to long term memory
Especially when it evokes the most powerful emotions (love/affinity, fear, sadness, happiness)
Common Worries
• If I talk about myself, I’ll be labeled a narcissist or worse, a marketer
• I will sound too emotional or unprofessional• I can’t get my story into 5 sentences!• My story’s not that great• My story won’t sell
He/She who tells the best story wins
What is Organizational Storytelling?
• Not messaging• Not discourse• Not debate• Not exposition
Narrative that evokes emotion, connection, understanding and action
The Best Organizational Narratives
Take You on a Journey of Change
• Origin• Contain players:
hero, victim, villain• Contain a turning
point and resolution
• Make a human connection
• Uncommon self-expression
• Authenticity• Express a universal
truth• Give context to
complexities• Show a possibility
What is Your Story?
Two Stages
Define/discover
Deliver
Define/Discover
• Who are you?• What is it you are trying to accomplish?• What prayer do you answer?• What happened that launched you?• What dragons or villains have you slain?• What have you learned?• How was (or is) your issue being resolved?
Know Your Audience
What makes your audience act?
• Information: They are moved by data? Do they just not know?
• Insight: Are they just looking for what to do?
• Imagination: Are they seeking to make something new happen?
• Illumination: Are they seeking to be changed at a deep level?
From Transformational Speaking by Gail Larsen
The 5 Stages of a Hero’s Journey(Joseph Campbell)
• The “call”• Venturing into the unknown• The challenge• “Slaying the Dragon”• Homecoming/sharing the discovery & lessons
Delivering
• Identify your voice• Choose your language• Identify anecdotes and illustrations• Format • Choose channels
Your Voice
• What is the tone or voice of your organization?
• Who should give voice to your narrative?• Who else can tell your story in your voice?
Your Language
• Power words• Words to avoid• Positive vs. negative• Humor vs. straight
Anecdotes/Illustrations
• What has happened? (resolutions/events)• What could have happened? (narrow miss)• What will happen? (Armageddon)• What did you make happen? (hero)
Format
Engage their senses! Engage their emotions!
• Video• Audio• Illustrations/pictures• Narrative
Choose Channels
• Media• Blogging/social media• Advertising • Events • Web site • Speaking• Direct mail
From Story to Storyteller
Story library• Origin story – Why are you here, what happened?• Signature story – What is one anecdote that illustrates your
mission?• The participant story (i.e. donor) – What is the future we
can co-create? What is/was the call to action?
Signature statement
Exercise
• How did you start (origin)?• What was a signature moment?• Who has worked with you?
What is your key point from the above?
Why was Solomon recognized as the wisest man in the world? Because he knew more stories (proverbs) than anyone else.
Scratch the surface in a typical boardroom and we're all just cavemen with briefcases, hungry for a wise person to tell us stories.
~Alan Kay, Vice President Walt Disney
Additional Resources• Books:
– Story by Robert McKee– Transformational Speaking by Gail Larsen– The Leader’s Guide to Storytelling by Stephen Denning
• Blogs– http://tinyurl.com/FourLeafBlog– http://www.ishmaelscorner.com/
• LinkedIn Groups;– Organizational Storytelling - http://tinyurl.com/craftingyourstory– Storytelling for Business - http://tinyurl.com/storytellingforbusiness
Tell Me a Story!
Suzanne E. HenryFour Leaf Public Relations LLC+1 434-972-7278 - officewww.FourLeafPR.com
Twitter: @SuzanneHenryFacebook: www.Facebook.com/FourLeafPRLinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/suzannehenryBusiness Storytelling Blog: http://tinyurl.com/FourLeafBlog