the board as this will encourage them and give the impetus for even greater support of leadership strategies and requests . Suppliers and Partners need to have stories specially crafted for them as this will also act as a morale and confidence booster for them to do more . Potential Investors need to hear stories of hope and winning . They need to hear stories that make emotional connections that resonate with them . Numbers are important but a time comes when people make decisions based on how the story made them feel . The right story said the right way has the potential to woo investors .
Stories for the media must also be deliberately structured and crafted . Many people believe what they hear , watch or read in the media and so the media cannot be left alone to write what they want to write . There must be strategic ways to ‘ leak ’ good new to the media . This will cover all dimensions of media from mainstream to social media . This way , organizations are firmly in charge of the narrative that the public is getting and in so doing will eliminate or dramatically reduce gossip , rumors and grapevine channels . These channels thrive when official channels are silent .
Many multinationals have found themselves in the sad space of being giants at home and not being able to convert that elsewhere . This is due to the fact that they have not comprehended the concept of harmonization and localization . Harmonization is the consistency of the brand delivery globally while localization is tailor making stories and interactions that will make the emotional connections with the locals . This cannot be left to chance and when done right , it will dramatically boost the fortunes of the brand internationally .
The customers need to hear their own stories . What good stories of a positive outlook will do to customers is that it will give hope and goodwill . Once there is hope and goodwill , the customers will become more understanding and this comes in very handy when things are not going the way we expect them to go . If there is an incident where things did not go as planned , people will become more understanding because they have been told the right stories .
The side effects of this deliberate and calculated story telling policy is that people love to talk so we need to give them what to talk about . The process should be so deliberate that there are times when we have had certain stories put in the reserve tank . What does this mean ? Just like
people , companies have their off days when things went south . At this point , dive into the reserve bank and release some stories to counter the effect of the down days while working on the roots to fix the problem . This strategy goes a very long way in having some level of control over shaping perceptions about the organization .
Finally , go through the story telling checklist and make sure your story does the following :
Elicits Emotion : A story that evokes strong emotions , such as joy , sadness , fear , or hope , is more likely to be remembered . People are often drawn to stories that make them feel something , and emotions can help to create a connection between the storyteller and the audience .
Secondly , a story that involves some form of conflict or challenge can be more engaging and memorable . This conflict can come in many forms , such as a personal struggle , a challenge to overcome , or an external threat . A story that features a relatable and compelling character can be more memorable . The audience may feel a stronger connection to a story if they can identify with the protagonist or feel invested in their journey .
A story that is clear and easy to understand can be more memorable . Complex or confusing stories may be harder to remember , while stories with a clear beginning , middle , and end may be easier to follow and remember .
A story that includes a surprising or unexpected twist can be more memorable .
People are often intrigued by stories that take unexpected turns or challenge their expectations . A story that is relevant to the audience ’ s lives or experiences can be more memorable . If the audience can see themselves in the story or relate to its themes , they may be more likely to remember it .
In a world that is saturated with different brands all screaming for attention , the ability to tell your own story and to tell it well is going to be a major determinant for brands that want to stand out . If you are not telling your story the right way , you will disappear from the consciousness of people . For this reason , I believe strongly that organizations will soon need to have Chief Storytelling Officers .
Besides this , telling the right stories internally will shape the culture of an organization and save the millions spent on hiring consultants to help them change their culture . A powerful internal story telling drive backed by substance will do more to change a culture than the worlds best consultant will ever do .
After all , the stories about women eating chicken gizzards and whistling at night did not require an consultants to transcend generations and cross oceans .
Dr . Wale Akinyemi is the founder and Chief Visionary Officer of the Street University . You can commune with him on this or related matters via email at : Wale @ thestreetuniversity . com .