🇨🇦Confused about what storytelling is?

How not to overthink it but tap into people’s emotions

Does storytelling seem like something unattainable to you (unless you had a massive budget)? Do you think too much emphasis is put on it? Do you think it’s just not applicable to more mundane communications? Many people know that a storytelling approach can make communications more engaging. However, here at Usher & Spur, we’ve noticed a lack of certainty about what it actually is and how to go about it, to the point where we’re never sure in advance if we and our clients are on the same page.

Other than the obvious “Storytelling is telling a story” (🙄), in recent times, we’ve seen storytelling strategy defined as:

👎 A structured narrative with a beginning, middle and end, and characters, a conflict and a resolution (😱 Aren’t you exhausted already?)

👎 A hero’s journey, where we show the world just what our company/products/services can do (🤔 But isn’t that a sales pitch?)

👎 The different ideas around which we are communicating (😳 But isn’t that messaging?)

It seems there’s a lot of confusion. But what if we’re overthinking it?

What constitutes a story?

At its most simple, a (good) story is a narrative that draws us in, that makes us feel like we’re there, that enables us to identify with, to an extent, at least to cheer on, the hero.

I’ve seen some wonderful examples of storytelling from brands, where the customer is the hero (and the product the faithful sidekick), but there’s no journey per se, no conflict or resolution, just a slice of life. (As a European, it’s my favourite kind of story!) I offer as an example the ‘Livin’ the Land’ series of videos by BRP brand Can-Am Off-Road. My life couldn’t be further from a ranch in the rural US, but I’m there! I’m riding that side-by-side vehicle. I’m tossing feed in the back. I’m enjoying the great outdoors with these passionate people.

In B2B marketing, the same sort of story would show a slice of the customer’s life, such as this one we wrote for the International Air Transport Association that gives you a candid look into an inefficient revenue accounting process. Written from the point of view of one person, the one with the problem, such stories can add a human touch, helping people identify, and not just with the problem.

In this case, we’re feeling the manager’s frustration, tinged with a little shame and determination to solve the problem. We’re sensing that the success of her team is important to her. Once we’ve read about the solution, we can totally imagine how engaging the training instructor was, and we can feel the manager’s relief at attaining the results she hoped for. We can even imagine the stress level of the entire team going down!

As we can see, the key to a good story is its humanity. Unfortunately, we’ve seen a lot of attempts that clearly show that humanness is still not yet understood. Do any of these sound familiar?

👎 A monologue about the organization (background, history, accomplishments, values) without any apparent connection to the audience and its concerns?

👎 A liberal sprinkling of company values and brand attributes, word-for-word as defined in the brand book?

👎 An inappropriately familiar tone, based on the idea that being more human is the same as sounding chummy (like those email marketing messages that begin, “Hey, Maria!“)?

In our personal lives, we know instinctively that starting a conversation by talking at length about ourselves isn’t a great way to get closer to someone. We know instinctively that the best way to show someone that we value them is not just through words but through actions. And, even more so, by showing we understand what they value.

Yet, we get hung up about it when we’re talking on behalf of an organization. And it seems to become exponentially more difficult as soon as we’re outside of the realm of sales and marketing.

How do we tell human stories that aren’t for or about customers?

Funnily enough though, most corporate communications or employee communications are also slices of (corporate) life. We would never suggest, however, that you make a web series to tell the story of Q2 sales, your new health and safety policy, or your end-of-year results. But we are saying that we can rethink how we approach such communications.  

How can we build a bridge between the perspective of the organization and that of the concerned audience? How can we appeal to human beings’ emotions? How can we make the audience the hero and the company the faithful sidekick?

💡 What if your Q2 sales presentation showed the company and its sales team as defenders backing up your front-line partners, such as dealers, VARs*, integrators, and even your customers? What if it celebrated their successes and highlighted their struggles, as they juggle economic and logistical difficulties, and try to solve problems?

🤔 Giving people food for feelings as well as thought, about what’s behind the figures.

📉 Instead of justifying performance and minimizing efforts.

➡️ Decision-makers might feel their understanding is more complete. They might feel more inclined to extend budget to promising initiatives, and less inclined to blame because they realize the extent of the teamwork involved.

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💡 What if that new policy announcement showed the company as the pit crew to employee health and safety drivers, who have spoken up for changes?

🤗 Supporting them to ensure the workplace is safe and enjoyable for everyone.

👮🏻Instead of laying down the law about OHS**, with rules to follow.

➡️ Employees might feel empowered not infantilized. They might feel the company cares. And they might feel they belong.

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💡 What if that annual report showed the company in the supporting role of maximizer of an investor’s wealth?

🎨 Painting a picture of the strategy, focus and leadership that advances their interests, both financial (growth) and moral (sustainability, DEI***).

📊 Instead of dumping data and facts and letting them interpret it themselves.

➡️ Investors might feel reassured that they’ve made a good investment. And they might feel that the company has their best interests at heart.

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In short: Storytelling is more about engaging people through their emotions than some formal structure about journeys, heroes, conflicts and resolutions. By crafting presentations, announcements and reports empathetically, we can make employees and investors feel positive about our company, its brand and its products or services, just like marketing does with customers. Is your team able to implement a storytelling approach?

*VAR = value-added reseller

** OHS = occupational health and safety

*** DEI = diversity, equity and inclusion