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4 Pitfalls of Storytelling and How to Avoid Them
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The Art of Telling Stories
Today, brand perceptions and relationships are increasingly difficult to maintain, due to constraints of limited budgets, a whole lot of options, and audiences who are distracted, disinterested and skeptical. Reciting endless facts and figures cannot hold the audience interest or ensure any recall, as an authentic story can.
A story intrigues us, gets us involved and makes our mind communicate silently with the storyteller. It can break through any distractions, change our perception, inspire us, and generate lasting memories.
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Facts Mean Nothing
The assumption that the audience will logically look at the facts and figures and make the right choice is fundamentally flawed. Audiences ignore most factual data, which even if repeated often, is forgotten or distorted.
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An Impactful Story
Even when brands know the value of communicating through stories, it is hard to create truly powerful narratives.
An impactful story usually involves empathetic and authentic people overcoming challenges, which can inspire, entertain and inform audiences.
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Presentation Matters
How a good story is presented to the audience matters.
Brands who don't take professional help in communicating stories end up with a confusing, badly edited and incoherent narrative that is a put-off.
Detailed stories with vivid examples can intrigue the audience, leading to successful communication.
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Mismanaged Programs
Mismanaged story platforms, disconnected programs and teams with conflicting guidelines can botch up a good story. If there are too many stories, the impact is diluted.
Having a signature story, which is integrated, coherent and authentic can make organizations avoid these four pitfalls and find success in their brand communication.
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SIMILAR ARTICLES & IDEAS:
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Storytelling is...
Why we tell stories
- Stories solidify abstract concepts and simplify complex messages;
- Stories bring people together: stories connect us through the way we feel and respond to them;
- Stories inspire and motivate, by tapping into people’s emotions and baring both the good and bad.
Good stories are …
- Entertaining. Good stories keep the reader engaged and interested in what’s coming next.
- Educational. Good stories spark curiosity and add to the reader’s knowledge bank.
- Universal. Good stories are relatable to all readers and tap into emotions and experiences that most people undergo.
- Organized. Good stories follow a succinct organization that helps convey the core message and helps readers absorb it.
- Memorable. Whether through inspiration, scandal, or humor, good stories stick in the reader’s mind.
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“When you share a personal, professional moment where you’ve changed in a positive way, you inspire people. That's..."
Matthew Luhn
Closing A Hiring Pitch
Bring the hiring pitch home with personal stories that show how people authentically live out your company’s mission. Pixar’s films often start from a real, personal story.
Your company’s big-picture mission might be inspiring, but it’s not necessarily personal. You can make it more personal by peppering your pitches with personal anecdotes about ways that you’ve changed.
Feeding Interest With The Promise Of Change
After you’ve hooked your audience/candidate, you need to catch their attention and get the story moving by animating it with change and transformation. In Pixar’s movies, that change isn’t just about reversals of fortune—they’re about personal transformation.
Great stories promise to change the life of the protagonist who we imagine ourselves to be, if not our own. In light of that, recruiters should focus on how candidates’ lives will change—not just their day-to-day tasks, but also how the new role will change the way they feel.
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Persuasion through storytelling
Stories are a very integral part of being persuasive.
Stories trump data when it comes to persuasion because stories are easier to understand and relate to.
What makes a story engaging
- Suspense and “cliffhangers” allow you to create an addictive narrative;
- Creating detailed imagery;
- Using literary techniques for turning simple stories into memorable works of art.
- Change made easier by providing an example.
Characteristics of persuasive stories
- Delivery: matters as much as the content.
- Imagery: the brain “lights up” in reacting to imagery, truly transporting the reader to the events being described.
- Realism: poeple need a “human” element in the story that is easy for them to imagine.
- Structure: people prefer stories that follow a logical manner.
- Context: significant impact on the persuasiveness of a story.
- Audience: determine who you don’t want reading your content along with who you do.