Storytelling: Your Brand in Practice

Tell me a fact and I’ll learn. Tell me a truth and I’ll believe.
But tell me a story and it will live in my heart forever.

Big brands have long understood the power of story to build loyal relationships with consumers.   Think about companies like Apple, Starbucks and Fed-Ex.  Most of us remember the character Tom Hanks played in “Cast Away”.  After surviving both a plane crash and years alone on a deserted island, he ultimately fulfilled his mission to deliver a single Fed-Ex package.  In the dramatic storytelling of this film, we’re left with an indelible impression of dedication and commitment, all attributes of a great brand.

The stories we tell, matter.  How we describe ourselves and our business leave a mark.  Not paying attention to our stories leaves a critical asset on the table.  The reason is simple.  As leaders, our stories have the potential to shape thinking, create context and meaning in the lives of others.  Just as the stories we tell ourselves have the power to influence our own path in life, a well-crafted story helps leaders galvanize the organization, driving both economic performance and cultural resonance.   This makes storytelling an indispensible leadership skill.

In order to heighten our storytelling abilities, we first must make conscious that which we likely take for granted.  Many of us share our stories in a rote manner, typical of logical recall and without attention to the story components, delivery and the emotional  impact on the listener.

STORY COMPONENTS

• Ensure your story is appropriate to the audience
• A short and easy to understand story is remembered
• Relevant to the business, theme or issue
• A good story is well structured with a clear beginning, a middle and an end
• A powerful story is authentic
• Conflict and resolution expose vulnerability and engages the listener
• A great story creates emotional and Intellectual connection

DELIVERY

• Pacing, tone and musicality in the voice help the listener “hear” you
• Conversational language keeps things real
• Connecting  before you speak grounds you
• Use your eyes, positive body language and facial expression  (only 15% of a listener perception is on words)
• Strong, active verbs work harder than adjectives
• Avoid buzz words and acronyms
• Commitment to content shows (and so does the reverse)
• Show your enthusiasm  – it’s contagious!

IMPACT

• A good story can deliver your brand essence
• Creates emotional connection while leaving an indelible mark on the rational mind
• Creates attraction –  to you, to the product, the service and the brand
• Demonstrates values, strengths and accomplishments
• Positions you as unique (v. as a commodity)
• Your well-told story likely to be remembered and repeated
• Gives you the power to frame experience
• Provides opportunity to inspire, instruct, gather allies and generate enthusiasm

By telling your story – you are choosing to enter an emotional conversation with those around you.   You are taking a stroll through their mind space, triggering their responses and imprinting key values, all while creating links with their own.  The more resonant the story, the more indelible the link.  This is why in “Castaway” we felt so satisfied seeing that Fed-Ex package leaning against the farmhouse door, a bit waterlogged and five years late, but delivered.    It is the power of that completed circle that delivers on the promise and relationship with a brand.   It’s quite simply, the best marketing that “money can’t buy”.