Adopt these guiding principles to help you bring your content to life in a way that is memorable and impactful.
Years ago, I was running a storytelling session with a group of finance leaders. There was one participant, Mei*, who was hesitant to create a story. She had the tough job of getting a sales team to migrate to a new process for identifying risk. It involved new admin tasks, including tracking expenses differently, and there was already resistance. I remember her dismay as she put her head in her hands and said “this presentation is so dry, it’s so technical, and no one wants to hear it. There is just no story for that”.
I asked some questions about the goal of the new process, and about the sales team. She described them as hard working, and liking to do things in their own way when it came to money. “Just like my grandfather” she said.
Aha!
A few more questions and she launched into the most delightful story about her grandfather, an elderly man who for many years kept his money under his mattress. It got too bulky and one day his wife insisted he take it to the bank. So, he packed it into a yellow shopping bag, got into their little white Corolla, and off he went. On route to the bank he saw a friend, and pulled over to say hello. In that moment, an opportunistic thief snatched the yellow bag out of the front seat of the car. Money gone!
I was astounded. This had actually happened in her family, and it was the perfect story! When she told it in the workshop as a cautionary tale about slip-shod methods, it was stunning. The room erupted in applause and laughter and her colleagues said ‘you have to use this!’.
I’ll never forget how she came to life telling the story. And how relevant it was. It became evident to me that if you’re clear on purpose, and consider your audience, the story tends to emerge.
We are all storytellers.
It’s how have we’ve passed on information since the beginning of time. We sometimes forget this in formal pitches, presentations, and business contexts – especially with technical content.
Stories help us retain information. Our imaginations fire; our brains release neurochemicals, and we connect with each other. It’s how humans have evolved to receive information and learn lessons.
There’s many storytelling structures that you can use, and each serves a different purpose. One that is often successful is the hero’s journey. You know it – we meet hero, grow to like hero. Hero goes off on quest. Hero faces conundrums and dangers. Hero succeeds. Roll credits.
When using this at work, there are several principles to adhere to. Here’s four of them:
1. Make your hero likeable.
Character is key! There’s a handful of plots that are recycled over and over (hello, Netflix) so it’s usually the characters that keep us engaged. The hero needs to be someone the audience cares about and wants to succeed. Don’t just say ‘there was a customer’, give us a sense of who they are.
Mei painted such a wonderful picture of her grandfather. A small man, speaking fast and loud. She described his obsession with money, and how much he loved holding it. She told us how hard he had worked as a migrant to earn it. She described his stubbornness, and how much he adored his wife and family. He was flawed, but we were rooting for him.
2. Include some innocuous detail.
‘At the start of her story, Mei mentioned her grandparents’ standing in the community, how they were loved. She told us a bit about her grandfather’s old white car and how he had to drive with the windows down in hot weather. This detail seemed irrelevant at first but was critical once he was on his journey to the bank. A perfect set-up.
We can shy away from detail in a business setting, but it’s so important as it engages the listener’s imagination and helps the story, and the embedded messages, be memorable.
3. Link the resolution to your call to action.
This is especially important when you are using your story to deliver an insight, demonstrate your expertise, or ask for behaviour change. You might recall that in my opening story, I linked the fact that my participant had been successful in the workshop, to my insight around purpose being so important when thinking of stories.
The resolution in Mei’s story? A passer-by bravely chased down the thief and retrieved the bag full of cash. A close call for her grandfather, and from that moment, the money went to the bank monthly, as opposed to every 17 years!
4. Start with Purpose.
When Mei got to the heart of the new process, it was all about helping the bankers protect the money they had earned. That made her think of her grandfather.
Consider the purpose of the presentation and who you are trying to reach. What’s important to them? What pressures are they under? How will your content benefit them? The next time you are staring at a spreadsheet, thinking ‘this is too dull for a story’, remember Mei and her grandfather. The bulging mattress. The old Corolla and the bag of money. Challenge yourself to think how is this information going to help my audience. You might find that a story emerges that is… on the money! (sorry, couldn’t help myself).
*names and some details have been changed
