<- Return to Articles HOME Five Fast Tips for Managing through Story
Telling a story effectively is challenging. Crafting an effective and brief story is even more so. In fact, being brief is more work--and requires a lot of time! As the story goes, when Winston Churchill was asked by an
conference manager to fill in for a speaker who had canceled at the last minute, Churchill responded, "If you want me to speak for an hour, I can do it. If you want me to speak for 30 minutes, I don't have time to prepare for it."
Condensing a subject to its essential elements is also fun. So when one of the subscribers of Corporate Storytelling asked Evelyn to write a "Five Fast Tips" article for the newsletter he edits, she was delighted. Having started her career as a broadcast news writer, which requires telling every story in two to three lines, she welcomed the challenge.
Here are the five fast ways to manage through story, as featured in
Melcrum's Publishing's The Business Communicator:
1. Convey corporate values: Leaders need to continually remind people of the organization’s core values. By telling stories about employees “caught doing something right,” they underscore core values, give recognition to deserving employees, and celebrate individuals’ successes.
2. Build more effective teams: When a new team forms, have the members share stories of their experiences--in the organization, their careers or their personal lives. This builds connections and solidifies relationships, leading to better mutual support and, ultimately, improved customer service.
3. Help people cope with change: As a company goes through major change, such as a merger, acquisition, or reorganization, morale and productivity can dive. Managers who share their own “war stories” of successfully adapting to change will calm employees’ fears and increase workforce effectiveness and commitment.
4. Increase sales: Natural storytellers, salespeople often tell prospective customers about past successes to explain product or service benefits. Sales managers can help their people be more successful by sharing stories of exceptional customer service, rather than just raw sales figures, so salespeople can learn better “how it’s done”.
5. Attract and retain employees: Organizations that accurately convey their values and culture attract and retain employees who not only fit in easily but also become loyal supporters who stay with the company.
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