Define the story worth telling

For a narrative to improve reputation, it should tell stories in three areas:

• What we do well
• What competitors don’t do as well
• What our audiences care about

To find answers and put the narrative in motion:

• Identify which stakeholders to involve at each stage of the narrative development process.
• Invite colleagues with the skills and authority to manage the narrative process from start to finish.
• Invite leaders to describe their vision, strategy, and priorities. Ask for specific stories, examples and proof points.

Distil three or four main stories. The more focused the narrative, the more likely audiences will associate a brand with these ideas.

To identify three or four core storylines:

• Quickly craft possible narrative directions
• Choose a subset to test.
• T...