Business Storytelling : How to Use Story to Make Your Messaging Stick

Storytelling is one of the most effective methods to make your message memorable. A well-told story hooks and holds your listeners’ attention, provides structure for your information and makes it far more likely that what you’re saying will stick.

And it’s no different when it comes to pitches, presentations and communication for your business. But storytelling is a skill that takes a bit of work and a lot of practice to master.

When should you use stories in your messaging? How do you know which ones to choose? What’s relevant, what illustrates your point and what should you leave out altogether?

What’s the best way to use stories in your business messaging?

Effective storytelling boils down to three key ingredients:

You need to tell:

• the right story

• in the right way

• at the right time. 

Let’s look at each of those in a bit more detail to discover some practical ways you can use storytelling to increase the impact of your messaging and communications. 

#1 - Are you telling the right story?

Not all stories are created equal. To make a connection and compel your listener to take action, your story needs to be relevant, pertinent, and engaging enough to grab and keep your audience’s attention.

So how do you choose the “right” story?

That can be the tricky bit! To help you, here are 5 different types of stories you can use to get your point across effectively:

Your Founder Story

Also known as your origin story, this is the back story of your business. What prompted you to start your business? What was the specific sequence of events that led you to that point? What made you realise there was a gap in the market for what you have to offer? Have a look at the story of the Collison brothers, founders of Stripe, for a super example of a founder story.  

A Customer Story

Sharing customer stories helps your listeners see things from your clients’ perspective and understand who you help, what you do for them and what results they can expect from working with you.

Rather than focusing on the practical steps in the process, focus on the emotions involved in your client story:

• How did your client feel before they worked with you?

• What were they struggling with or wanting to achieve?

• How were their lives and businesses transformed thanks to your work together?

If you’d like to learn more about using customer stories effectively in your messaging, take a look at this blog post on the subject.

A Story as a Lesson 

Stories make an excellent teaching tool for delivering a message or sharing a lesson. You might tell a cautionary tale to illustrate something you learned from a failure or setback. Or break down a complicated concept using a story to share practical examples. Your story creates a narrative that’s so much easier to engage with and remember than just straight facts or advice.

A Story with Data or Stats

Numbers and data can be challenging to explain and often make for a pretty dry and dull presentation or pitch when you only communicate the bare facts. But wrapping your stats into stories brings them to life, making it far more likely that your audience will draw meaning from the information you’re sharing.

Book Recommendation: Have a look at “Making Numbers Count,” by Chip Heath and Karla Starr, which describes a range of techniques to help translate numbers so they’re more accessible for your audience.  

The “Who I Am” Story

The “who I am” story is your opportunity to share some relevant information about yourself. You can talk about your values and how they apply to the way you do business. Or go into more detail on the mission and vision of your business and why that’s important to you. This type of story is especially useful for building trust and creating a connection with those listening.

#2 - Are you telling your story in the right way? 

Once you’ve hit on the right story, you need to think about how you’re going to tell it. For your story to stick, keep the “3 R’s” in mind:

1. Make it relevant

Does your story refer specifically to the point you want to make or the lesson you’re trying to teach? 

2. Make it relatable

Can your audience recognise themselves in the characters, situation and struggles that you’re sharing in the story? 

3. Make it remarkable

What makes your story stand out? Why will your audience remember it?

To read about the 3 R’s in more depth, take a look at my blog post - The Three R's of Storytelling - Use Them Wisely for a Powerful Presentation.

#3 - Are you telling your story at the right time?

The final point to consider is when to tell your story. What situation does it suit? Where does it fit into your marketing and messaging for maximum effect?

Do you have a story that highlights the work you do that you can sum up in a minute or so? Then you can use it in your elevator pitch. For a longer presentation, can you share a combination of your founder story and a client story that paints a comprehensive picture of who you are and what you do for your customers?

Don’t forget you can also use your business stories as part of your content marketing and social media strategy. I received a message recently from someone who’d attended a storytelling workshop I taught last year. He was thrilled to tell me that he’d used the techniques he learned from me to create a LinkedIn post that ended up with over three million views! See what I did there? That's a practical example of a client story in action.

Start building your bank of stories

Don’t rely on your memory to capture your business stories. Write a few bullet points into the Notes app on your phone, record yourself some voice notes or keep a paper notebook specifically for your stories - whatever simple system works best to build your story bank.

Remember that your stories don’t have to be particularly earth-shattering or amazing to have an impact. Sometimes, everyday occurrences and anecdotes are most effective because your listeners can easily identify with them. It could be something that happened to you on the way into the office, a particularly sticky problem you helped a client with, an insight sparked by a program you saw on TV last night, or a thought that occurred to you when you were walking the dog. All these nuggets of inspiration can form the basis of stories that stick.

A challenge, before you go…

To get your story bank started, take 15 minutes with a cuppa and some peace and quiet to jot down an idea for three different stories you can use as part of your presentations, pitches and business messaging.

That way, the next time you’re asked to speak on the spot or introduce your business, you’ve got a mini-collection of stories ready to go.

And if you’re stuck and need some further guidance on turning your stories into messaging that lands, click here to book your complimentary intro call to see how I can help.