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Overview
Storytelling is one of the oldest forms of communication, and it’s still very powerful today. In fact, storytelling was a key way to pass down valuable information in pre-historic times. And that hasn’t changed much over time; it’s still an effective tool for imparting knowledge and changing behavior. Today, many businesses are using stories to motivate their customers’ behaviors. In this article you’ll learn how to use stories effectively in your own life and career by learning why some speakers fail at delivering a good story, why one injured runner didn’t give up on his dream of finishing the race, and how you can tell a story that appeals just as well to men as women.
Big Idea #1: Storytelling is an important aspect of any successful business.
Question: Why are soap operas so popular?
People love stories. Whether it’s a soap opera, a page-turner or the drama of real life, we become completely engrossed in good stories. As such, many businesses have profited from storytelling: Nike, Microsoft, FedEx and Costco all employ storytellers.
Corporate storytellers are people who help companies communicate their message to customers and employees. Before the printing press, information was passed down orally in the form of stories.
Storytelling offers some advantages over other forms of communication.
First, anyone can tell and learn from a story. A good story is captivating and memorable. It’s easier to remember facts when they’re part of a story rather than isolated pieces of information.
Stories can appeal to every type of learner.
Learning occurs in three ways: 40% of people learn visually, 40% learn audibly and 20% learn kinesthetically. Stories appeal to all three types of learners because they have imagery that appeals to visual learners, vocabulary that appeals to auditory learners and emotions and feelings that appeal to kinetic learners.
As you can see, stories are a great way to impart knowledge. Businesses have used them for years and continue to do so, as they’re able to convey complex ideas in ways that stick with people. Here’s how businesses use storytelling:
Big Idea #2: Capturing customer stories can greatly improve your customer service.
Have you ever had a bad customer service experience? If so, did you leave a review about it to help others avoid the same situation in the future? A lot of people do that. It’s important for companies to learn from these reviews and make changes accordingly. For example, Ray Brook was visiting Portland, Oregon for two busy days filled with meetings:
A man who lives in a different city than Portland needed to rent a car. When he got to the counter, he was told that his driver’s license had expired just days before and therefore they could not give him a car.
He was in trouble because he had to attend a meeting and he didn’t have his license. He went to the DMV and got it renewed, but then discovered that National Car Rental employees were willing to drive him around for free!
Brook was astonished with the level of service he received from National and wrote a letter to the CEO commending their actions. The CEO started telling Brookâs story during speeches, inspiring his employees to provide better service for customers.
A good customer service story is useless if no one knows about it. As a leader, you can capture a great opportunity to learn by making sure that customers have the ability to share their stories with others.
For instance, you could create a story box on your website that asks customers to share their experiences with your brand. You could also send self-addressed envelopes for them to submit these stories or even just look at customer review sites where they can write about their experiences.
