Recently, everywhere I go, people ask me how to tell a more effective story. Advocates, colleagues, and clients observe that the organizations that achieve policy goals, get transformative grants, or seize the market’s interest are the ones that 1) have the resources to disseminate their story, and 2) just tell the better story. I would argue that the real winners are the organizations that actually manage to tell a story at all.
What a great article by Eric Friedenwald-Fishman for Stanford Social Innovation Review.
I like that he immediately identifies that many organizations, when they think they are telling a story, actually are not. So so true.
I also like that he mentions that organizations who do manage to tell a story well, also spend the resources needed to disseminate it. Too many businesses forget this essential piece.
The 8 tips he shares that create a powerful story that moves people to action are solid. What is unique is his tip The Power of the People -- where he advocates "Amplifying the voices of the people most affected by an issue increases the story’s authenticity and relevance. Including quotes, testimonials, eyewitness accounts, and personal narrative makes the story more interesting." This point is often unrecognized in org story circles.
All in all, I like how Eric languages these tips -- many will be familiar to you, but hearing them in a new way always opens our minds to new insights or ideas.
In the end, the author asks how to put these tips to good use. He offers 4 questions to get us started that again, are different than what you typically read.
Enjoy this piece!
This review was written by Karen Dietz for her curated content on business storytelling at www.scoop.it/t/just-story-it
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