In Gallup\u2019s State of the Global Workplace: 2022 Report<\/a>, employee stress was at an all-time high. You know that\u2019s not good. You\u2019ve also surely seen calls to improve employee engagement<\/a> to maximize people\u2019s potential and help them to feel more connected at work. Yet the hard part is engaging your employees. Storytelling for employee engagement is one strategy. This article shares how to make it work for you.<\/p>\n We\u2019ve written already about the value of storytelling<\/a> for employee engagement. It has a beneficial impact because<\/a> it:<\/p>\n All of those are obviously positive benefits for your employee engagement efforts<\/a>. Yet in order for it to work, you need to do storytelling well. Next, we\u2019ll share tips to improve your use of storytelling in communicating with your teams.<\/p>\n Remember the tortoise and the hare? One reason we tell and retell that story is because it has a clear message: \u201cslow and steady wins the race.\u201d You want your story to have that kind of simple, straightforward takeaway.<\/p>\n That is harder than it sounds. You\u2019ll need to really think about what you want your overall message to be. Try and get that down to five to seven words. Then, go back and think about a story you can tell to communicate that message. The story should be in service of the message; not the other way around<\/p>\n Focus your story so that all the details you share are relevant to the message. You are not writing a novel. You don\u2019t want to keep your listeners standing up at a meeting for a three-hour marathon tale.<\/p>\n When shaping your story, it can help to think of \u201cIRS.”<\/a>\u00a0No, not the tax collectors. This is an easy-to-remember story format to guide your writing. Make sure your story has an:<\/p>\n Know that words matter<\/a>. If you aren\u2019t using the right words to convey your message, you might not captivate your audience in the same way. In a Content Marketing Institute discussion of word choice, SPROUT Content co-founder Debbie Williams<\/a> discussed a video called \u201cThe Power of Words,<\/a>” which went viral in 2011.<\/p>\n She writes, \u201cIt shows a blind, homeless man sitting on a city street collecting change. Initially he held up a sign that simply said, \u2018I\u2019m blind, please help.\u2019 The video shows most people just glancing and walking by. The turning point comes when a woman stopped and rewrote his sign to say, \u2018It\u2019s a beautiful day and I can\u2019t see it.\u2019\u201d The new words make it so that the passerby can relate and sympathize with the man.<\/p>\n Humans respond to emotions<\/a> more than facts and figures. So, you\u2019re going to need to be willing to \u201cgo there.\u201d You may have to get personal and be vulnerable to tell a story that has a real impact on your audience.<\/p>\n \u201cStories resonate with an audience when they take people on an emotional journey,\u201d said Dr. Alexis Carreiro of The Pitch Prof<\/a>. \u201cPick key moments and add specific details to help your audience feel what you want them to. Good storytellers make you think, but great storytellers make you feel.\u201d<\/p>\n One way to do this is to appeal to all the senses. Give vivid descriptions of the sound, feel, smell, or taste of the things you are describing. Don\u2019t just focus on sight. This helps your listener form a picture in their mind\u2019s eye, which hooks them into the story. Plus, it will help them to better retain the information.<\/p>\n You can also involve listeners by incorporating them into the story. Who doesn\u2019t want to be the hero of the story they are hearing or reading? Using \u201cwe\u201d and \u201cus\u201d<\/a> helps connect listeners to what you are saying.<\/p>\n In using storytelling to connect with employees, you want to not only plan carefully, but also practice in advance. Writing in an article suggesting storytelling can help train utility field workers, safety manager Bill Spencer<\/a> notes, \u201cIt doesn\u2019t have to be scripted (in fact, it\u2019s probably better if it isn\u2019t), but be sure you have at least practiced it once or twice before delivering it.\u201d<\/p>\n Practicing it beforehand helps you gain confidence in the story you\u2019re telling. It will also help you deliver the message more naturally.<\/p>\n Where you can, add visuals to your storytelling. This can help you:<\/p>\n The Harvard Business Review<\/a> tells us that \u201cgreat storytelling connects employees to their work.\u201d Now, you have some of the tools needed to tell a great story and create that all-important connection. If you want to learn more about engaging your employees<\/a> and improving EX, contact Sogolytics<\/a> today!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Storytelling has been around since the dawn of time. From cave paintings and mythology to folklore and gossip, we\u2019re surrounded by stories that tell us who we are, what we should care about, and what we should fear. Stories help us to grow as people.\u00a0So why can\u2019t storytelling help us to support employee growth, too? In Gallup\u2019s State of the Global Workplace: 2022 Report, employee stress was at an all-time high. You know that\u2019s not good. You\u2019ve also surely seen calls to improve employee engagement to maximize people\u2019s potential and help them to feel more connected at work. Yet the hard part is engaging your employees. Storytelling for employee engagement is one strategy. This article shares how to make it work for you. We\u2019ve written already about the value of storytelling for employee engagement. It has a beneficial impact because it: Triggers emotion Personalizes the message Enhances recollection Connects employees Builds brand All of those are obviously positive benefits for your employee engagement efforts. Yet in order for it to work, you need to do storytelling well. Next, we\u2019ll share tips to improve your use of storytelling in communicating with your teams. 1. Focus Your Message Remember the tortoise and the hare? One reason we tell and retell that story is because it has a clear message: \u201cslow and steady wins the race.\u201d You want your story to have that kind of simple, straightforward takeaway. That is harder than it sounds. You\u2019ll need to really think about what you want […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":41,"featured_media":5041,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,156],"tags":[198,164,473,887,817],"yoast_head":"\n![\"storytelling\"](\"https:\/\/www.sogolytics.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/GettyImages-1321497809-1024x683.jpg\")
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1. Focus Your Message<\/h2>\n
2. Be Concise<\/h2>\n
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3. Choose Your Words Carefully<\/h2>\n
4. Make the Story Emotional<\/h2>\n
5. Involve Your Listener<\/h2>\n
6. Practice in Advance<\/h2>\n
7. Incorporate Visuals<\/h2>\n
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