Transcript
[00:00:06.280] - Imogen
Hello and welcome to Dear Comms, the coffee break podcast where we tackle your biggest corporate comms challenges. I'm Imogen ...
[00:00:12.940] - Amanda
and I'm Amanda. We're here to give you practical, no-nonsense advice so you can focus on the things that will really drive influence, engagement, and impact.
[00:00:24.450] - Imogen
So, Amanda, you may remember a couple of seasons ago now, um, we spoke to Rachel and we talked to her specifically about storytelling, and we had a number of people get in touch with us and ask us to, well, give some more information to expand our storytelling expertise. So here we are, storytelling.
[00:00:45.700] - Amanda
Yep, 5 short episodes to help you think differently about corporate storytelling, whether you're trying to get attention, drive alignment, or win hearts. Imogen?
[00:00:55.750] - Imogen
So we're going to take you through everything from where to start. We're going to look a little bit of science because, you know, communicators love a bit I do. And then we're— yeah, I know you do. And then we're going to talk about how do we sell it in.
[00:01:10.820] - Amanda
Yeah, we're scratching the surface, let's be honest. We're not writing a novel, but hopefully we'll give you actionable tips and things to think about.
[00:01:21.110] - Imogen
So, 5 episodes on storytelling. Let's start at the beginning. Let's talk about story structure. Actually, let's not talk about story structure, and I'll tell you why. It is So tempting when we're thinking about storytelling to kind of just jump straight into the doing, the fun, shiny bit.
[00:01:41.080] - Amanda
Absolutely. You hear from the business, we've got a campaign, we need a story, but no one's actually stopped to ask us at the right moment, is it the right audience, right message? So if you don't ask those questions, your story might look nice, but it won't actually do anything.
[00:01:57.180] - Imogen
Yeah, I think it's like all communications that we do. Really, you know, if we don't know who we're communicating with, if we don't know who we're telling the story to or why we're doing it, then what's the point?
[00:02:09.290] - Amanda
Here's one of my favorite analogies. It's like frosting a cake you haven't baked yet. You can make it look pretty, but it's really not gonna hold up under pressure. You've gotta ask, will this story change anything or is it just noise?
[00:02:23.410] - Imogen
So before you ask, you know, what's the story? You need to ask, why are we telling this story? You know, take a little bit of a beat, step back, look at that bigger picture because it's, it's actually going to save you time in the long run. You're not going to waste your time writing or creating something that isn't going to make a difference, that isn't going to change hearts and minds. And by being a little bit more deliberate, it's going to make for a much more effective campaign.
[00:02:54.600] - Amanda
Yeah, this, for me, this is where two big questions come in. Who is this for? And what do we want them to think, feel, or do differently? I guess that's your anchor, really, audience and objective. And if you're not clear on either, your story is just going to drift. You can't steer something if you don't know where you're going.
[00:03:14.960] - Imogen
Absolutely. And, you know, we always have to remember that different people need different stories. So factory floor and boardroom, two different places, two different people, two different sets sets of culture and values and approaches to everything. You could try and create an empathy map. Now, that sounds like consultant bullshit to me, but it's— I promise you it's not. So, it's a really simple exercise to try and understand, you know, what is in the head, the heart, the inbox of the people that you are talking to. Right now.
[00:03:55.860] - Amanda
Yeah, what are they worried about and what do they care about? And here's the trick, and what I learned from you, Imogen, write your story for one person, not factory staff. Write it for Sophie who works on the line. What is she hearing? What is she feeling? If Sophie wouldn't care about your story, then it's not a story yet. It might be content, but it's not communication.
[00:04:20.060] - Imogen
Storytelling has to be strategic. We can't just churn out stuff. We can't tell a story about everything that's going on. I think, as with all communications, we need to start thinking about, is it aligning with the business priorities? Does this story help us achieve what the business needs us to? Because if it doesn't, then you are just adding to the overwhelm and the noise that, you know, we complain about so much.
[00:04:50.410] - Amanda
I mean, with clients, Imogen and I quite often support them by creating content pillars. I mean, these are the classic high-level content themes that tie your story back to business priorities. They give you focus and they give you clarity. Doesn't have to be sophisticated or complicated. You're not writing—
[00:05:11.170] - Imogen
Rarely is.
[00:05:11.970] - Amanda
No, you're not writing a brand book, but as you said, they just need to be linked to the strategy.
[00:05:17.260] - Imogen
Yeah. I mean, for most, honestly, for most companies, you could stick with 4. You could go people, products, performance, planet, partly because I love alliteration, but partly because actually those are catchalls which really encompass everything that your business should care about. It cares about its people, obviously, cares about the products that it makes or what it does, its performance, whether it's for shareholders or whether it's for key stakeholders. And then planet, I don't think we can get away from the fact that Not every company now needs to think about the way in which they're doing business and the impact that it's having on the world around us. So, you know, you could start that simply with those four. You can get more sophisticated, but those four are a really good starting point.
[00:06:04.570] - Amanda
They're a good catch-all, aren't they? And I think before you start anything, whether that's a blog, a video, a leadership script, hold it up against those content pillars. Does it reinforce your North Star, your purpose, or is it a one-off because something has asked you for something inspiring? I mean, storytelling isn't a patchwork, it's a pattern, and the more consistently you use it, the stronger the signal.
[00:06:29.700] - Imogen
Absolutely. And you know what, storytelling— and I think we'll talk about this later in this series— but storytelling, corporate storytelling, is not just, you know, puppies with sad eyes, or the underdog who wins the game and everyone loves them. When you are doing storytelling in a corporate setting, you have to A) connect with your audience and B) convince them about something.
[00:06:57.780] - Amanda
Let's be honest, not every story deserves telling. This is not about ticking a box or a feel-good line. It's about impact. We tell stories because we want people to think differently, feel something, or do something. And you know what? A great story travels. People quote it, they share it, they use it to explain things to others, and that's how you know it's working.
[00:07:21.600] - Imogen
[Speaker:KATIE_KIRKBRIDE] Yeah, when you've got people talking about it over lunch, then you know that you've probably got a story that's resonated with them. I guess the final tip I would have around this sort of preparation stage is to think about telling your story backwards. So reverse engineer a little bit. So what is the change that we want? What is it that we want that particular audience, Sophie or whoever it is, what do we want them to do, think, feel differently? Once we understand that, what is the story that is going to make us get there? So using that empathy map, what is it that is gonna convince Sophie to change Behavior, hearts, minds. So start backwards.
[00:08:06.580] - Amanda
Yeah, so here's something we ask all clients. Can you define your so what? What's the shift, emotional, behavioral, that you wanna see? Because if you can't name it, you won't hit it, you won't do it. And as Imogen said, the strongest stories are reverse engineered from the so what. What do we wanna change and what's the story that gets us there?
[00:08:27.640] - Imogen
And why should people care?
[00:08:29.650] - Amanda
As well.
[00:08:30.060] - Imogen
Yeah, that's what the 'so what' also stands for. It's like, so what? Why should I care about this story, about this change? We've got to answer that in anything we do. I think the best storytellers— and this seems counterintuitive when I think about it, when I say it— but the best storytellers are listening more than they're talking. You are not— well, you shouldn't be finding great stories sitting at a desk or on Teams calls. Great stories will start with curiosity, not content.
[00:09:03.480] - Amanda
Yeah, put your pen down, start with that. Next week, we're going to start looking at the nuts and bolts of storytelling. In the meantime, if you've got anything you'd like us to explore, drop us a note and let us know. And if you're in the sharing kind of mood, why not pass this episode on to somebody who might appreciate it?
[00:09:20.580] - Imogen
So until next time, See you soon.
[00:09:22.990] - Amanda
See ya!
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