Digital Brand Marketing

"You know that feeling, when you can’t wait to get home to tell your significant other about the crazy thing that just happened at work? The second you walk through the door, even before you kick off your pinchy-toe shoes, you’re saying, “You’re not going to believe this . . .” as you launch into the story, complete with revealing hand gestures, passion, and well timed pauses that effortlessly build to the riveting climax."

There’s no denying it, storytelling can seem challenging. But I’ve taken the stance that storytelling can be demystified and that anyone can do it.

Read the full article to find five tips for creating a culture of storytelling at your organization:

1. Communicate to all staff members what kind of stories you are looking for

2. Hold a staff meeting to openly discuss what storytelling is, why it matters and why all staff members play a vital role in it

3. Make time at your staff meetings to tell stories.

4. Schedule an ongoing time to casually meet with staff from programs to talk about updates from their work and utilize it as a time to probe into any interesting stories they might have.

5. Start your own story bank for future reference.

Here are the best articles from across the web that I can find on using stories and storytelling in business.

I've chosen them because they actually make a contribution to our knowledge and wisdom about stories, show us how to apply stories to growing our businesses, or give valuable how-to tips.

I weed out all the junk. And besides, who needs another post in why storytelling is important?? Where's the beef?? We want the meat!

I've written reviews of each article to share what I like best, what you can get from reading the article, or what may be missing in the article.

How To Find A Topic: Click on the Filter tab above, and type in a keyword. All the articles with that keyword will appear.

I may occassionally review an article that I think is problematic as a way to educate us all, although most I will simply pass over.  If you wonder if I've seen an article that is not included here, send me a message and I'll respond.

After doing biz story work for over a decade (and with a PhD in Folklore) I hope you find many great insights and tips here. Many thanks for visiting and enjoy the articles!

And I hope you will also visit my website for more tips and tools, & take the free Story IQ assessment so you can see how well developed your storytelling skills and knowledge is: http://www.proprofs.com/quiz-school/story.php?title=storytelling-skills-ni-part- 

Every so often, a traditionally non-business word finds its way into the business world, fueled by an admirable desire to find new ways to think about old challenges. “Storytelling” has become one of those words.

What a nicely written article pointing to several truisms in business storytelling. Some you are familiar with (storytelling is a pull, not a push technology). I like the ones that I don't read much about:
1. Storytelling is a selfless, empowering act
2. Storytelling looks to the future

As the author Bill Baker (from Marketing Profs) says, "Successful storytelling respects the past and appreciates the present, but it also looks boldly into the future, moving people past “what is” to “what if?” Done well, storytelling helps people collectively imagine a vision of the future that is achievable and worth achieving, helping them to understand not only what they’re working on but also what they’re working toward." Yes!

And, "As you consider using storytelling strategically to give meaning to your brand communications or employee-engagement efforts, don’t do so simply because it is “the next big thing.” Do it because, if you truly listen and you are willing to be generous, authentic, emotional, and collectively creative— it works. As one senior client recently said, “This is a bit frightening. I feel vulnerable; but at the same time, because I’m being myself, I feel more confident.” If your organization is ready for that journey, there’s a great story ahead."

Love it. This is a quick post that is rich in insights & examples (ignore its clunky layout). Enjoy!

This review was written by Karen Dietz for her curated content on business storytelling at www.scoop.it/t/just-story-it ;