Unlocking the power of strategic storytelling
Seven Word Summary: The best brands tell the best stories.
When you hear the words “storytelling”, you may typically picture people sitting round the campfire swapping yarns.
It sounds folksy, even fun perhaps, but not something that you might associate with life in a modern organisation.
While it’s true that humans have been telling each other stories for as long as they’ve walked the earth, the ancient art of storytelling does have considerable relevance to Australian businesses in the 2020s.
It wasn’t by chance that Steve Jobs once said: “The most powerful person in the world is the storyteller”.
Done well, storytelling is a way to transform (for example) boring data into memorable messages by engaging human emotions – in other words, to bring it alive for your stakeholders.
While statistics, facts and figures inform the mind, stories connect with an audience on a much deeper and more personal level. Research shows that we are likely to remember factual information way more when it is delivered in narrative form, making storytelling an essential tool for clear, persuasive, and memorable communication.
How does this translate to your organisation?
In a nutshell, it’s a question of finding the story or stories that need telling, and then developing them utilising narrative techniques that will inspire audiences and achieve maximum impact.
Storytelling is a way for a leader to frame business challenges as exciting quests, helping team members grasp the deeper meaning and bringing them along on the journey.
It’s an unbeatable way to connect authentically with your employees, stakeholders, or the public, ultimately inspiring action across sectors.
The best brands tell the best stories, and organisations which draw on storytelling capture attention, getting audiences fully invested in their products, services, projects and initiatives.
Stories create emotion, emotion creates connection and connection builds trust. Your story is your competitive advantage: it’s how you stand out, inspire action and ultimately create influence
Seven Patterns is at the forefront of crafting, capturing, and communicating memorable stories to the stakeholders that matter most, across Australia.
If you’re ready to develop and tell your story, and unlock the value of storytelling in your organisation’s communications, speak to us today.
About the Author
David Ikin is a highly experienced corporate communications professional with significant experience across the mining, technology, defence and financial services sectors.
Over the course of a career spanning more than 30 years, David’s work has been split between consulting and in-house roles. His most recent project involved leading the communication function for a major technology program within one of the largest global mining companies.
David’s passion is for helping companies communicate more effectively with their stakeholders: investors, customers, employees, the media and the broader community.
Ready to continue the conversation?
Let’s talk — hello@sevenpatterns.com