Topic 1 The concept of storytelling.
“Storytelling is the interactive art of using words and actions to reveal the elements and images of a story while encouraging the listener’s imagination.” statement by the National Storytelling Network.
Storytelling is a competitive advantage and need to be used carefully. The reason of doing that is because stories can connect people emotionally and create brand loyalty. It can be interactive between a storyteller and one or more listeners and encourages the active imagination of them (listeners). It is important that the narrative has a beginning, middle, and an end.
In the business sector, there is the business storytelling, which is defined as the art of sharing the experiences behind the brand, employees, customers and advocates. It connects your business with your audience on an emotional level and lets you build strong bonds.
Below you can find a very interesting article by Harvard Business Review entitled “An Emotional Connection Matters More than Customer Satisfaction” by Alan Zorfas and Daniel Leemon. https://hbr.org/2016/08/an-emotional-connection-matters-more-than-customer-satisfaction
- Modern storytelling has been understood mainly from the point of view of telling stories to children. However, it is not just for them.
- Storytelling is a method that has been used by companies as a tool to attempt to reduce the gap between consumer and company or employee and company and create a bridge of connection and trust.
- It is in human nature to tell stories and describe them in order to bring important aspects of our lives in the eyes of others.
- “Stories are a fundamental part of human intelligence and imagination” (McLellan. 2006, p.17)
- “Effective storytelling is an interactive process and cannot be accomplished successfully without a strong ability to listen to the audience, and adjust the storytelling as the story performance evolves” (Denning, 2001
Five reasons to use storytelling
1.Storytelling is interactive
2.Storytelling uses words
3.Storytelling uses actions such as vocalization, physical movement and/or gesture
4.Storytelling presents a story
5.Storytelling encourages the active imagination of the listeners.
More than one story is a card game designed to build bridges between people of all ages, backgrounds and cultures. Individuals and organizations are working together to produce and spread More Than One Story to people around the world.
Visit the below website and play the game with your team!
- Brand storytelling is the act of using an emotion-evoking narrative to connect your brand with customers, with a focus on creating empathy by connecting what your brand stands for with the values you share with your customers.
- The key to telling powerful brand stories is developing emotional resonance with your audience.
- Great stories will get people to love your brand, feel for your brand, cry for your brand, and buy your brand.
- Every brand has a story.
- What’s yours?
1.Be authentic
2.Listen to your customers
3.Put the customer at the center of the story
A great example of storytelling in advertising is Ivory Soap. Ivory Soap launching the first national print ad telling their ‘It Floats’ story to the masses. The ad conveyed their message around the convenience of not losing your soap in a bathtub full of water. Its beauty was in its simplicity. A simple image with a single message. Marketers behind the Ivory Soap ad tapped into the frustration other soap products made consumers feel, and then provided Ivory Soap as the solution: A soap that floats.
