How to Tell Stories in Your Business

Storytelling is a term plenty of business leaders use—but are they actually prepared to tell stories? Finding the right stories in your company is one of the biggest challenges. In this episode, we’ll discuss what business storytelling looks like and where you can begin.

Why is storytelling worth it for businesses?

• Stories are far more captivating than data or information
• They create an emotionally-charged experience that people remember
• Effective businesses invite their audience to imagine themselves as part of the story

What are the 4 things that every story has?

• Context: setting and platform
• Character: the perspective of the audience
• Conflict: a problem that drives the narrative forward
• Change: transformation because of the conflict

Where is the first place to start with business storytelling?

• You’ve got to start listening to tell the stories of your audience
• If you have people, then you have stories to tell
• But you must earn their trust in order to hear their story
• Always be ready to capture a story by writing down notes or capturing images
• Share these stories with your team in a Story Library and have a set team of people who help you out

What’s a good example of business storytelling?

• Humans of New York blew up when they started adding stories to their photos
• The lesson is that you can listen either actively or passively for organizational stories

What are some storytelling resources?

• Building a StoryBrand by Donald Miller
• Story or Die by Lisa Cron
• Story of Business podcast
• The Story Cycle by Robert Carnes