We all stories at work — to persuade bosses to support our projects, to explain to a direct report how she might improve her performance, or to inspire a colleague who is facing challenges.
Storytelling is an essential skill, but how can you tell a compelling story in a business environment? And more importantly, how can you improve your skills at telling stories that persuade?
“Every storytelling exercise should begin by asking: Who is my audience and what is the message I want to share with them? Each decision about your story should flow from those questions.”
Carolynn O’Hara
See below for an infographic on the five things you should consider when setting out to tell a great story in a business setting:
May the metaphors, alliterations, and all the other rhetorical devices be with you!
You know, a nervous dog mom who is super paranoid about the safety of her pet. But somehow, I can rival a helicopter mom jacked up on a double-shot vanilla soy latte after spin class when it comes to the welfare of my fur child.
We grew up with big dogs like golden retrievers, Great Pyrenees, yellow labs, and Newfoundlanders so I never really worried about them. They were huge and could protect our family and themselves when needed. So, when my partner and I decided to expand our family, I thought that we would get a big dog. My partner is an avid hunter and outdoors person and so, for our lifestyle, I thought we should go to the shelter and see if we could find a big mix-breed dog that was good with kids and liked to run and be outside. But my partner had another idea. He always wanted a little chihuahua, and so one Sunday morning when I got an alert that a chihuahua pup needed to be re-homed our family went from two to three.
Roo is perfect. She is a sweet, loving little soul with a bratty personality. She is an avid walker, likes her toys and her grandma, and hates to eat all the healthy and expensive food and treats I buy for her. At Christmas one year she ate an entire bowl of sour patch kids that I left on the coffee table and has rallied through a hunger strike for more than 2.5 days when the $20 tin of dog food I tried to feed her did not suit her pallet.
I have to admit, when I first got her, I was easygoing. I kept my cool when she leaped off the local pond dock into ice water during spring breakup and my partner and I had to go in a save her (she was 4 months old), and I did not freak out when I was cleaning the shower and she jumped into a bathtub of boiling hot water at 5 months. I just put her under cold water, called my mom, got in the car, and rushed her to the emergency vet with unbelievable calm.
My anxiety over this little dog’s safety all stems from a friendly vet visit when she was 6 months old. During this visit, the vet took me aside and said to me in a very stern voice,
“DO NOT EVER TAKE HER TO A DOG PARK. IF YOU TAKE THIS DOG TO A DOG PARK SHE WILL DIE. THE OTHER DOGS WILL KILL HER. IT HAPPENS ALL THE TIME WITH LITTLE DOGS. DO NOT DO IT”.
And so, I have NEVER taken little Roo to a dog park.
We drive past them every day, and they look like fun. We see the neighborhood dogs walking to the dog park through the front window every night too and they seem happy. I could never understand how they could be such little dog murder machines, but if the vet said it, it must be true, right? Poor Roo though, she just wants to go, have fun, and be included with her dog friends (or lack thereof because of me, her mean, scared mom).
So, this weekend I decided I wanted to give my fur child the opportunity to go to the dog park. This brave dog mom researched her heart out to be prepared and took Roo to the big dog park by the river for 37 minutes of incredible, horrifying fun.
During my research, I was surprised at how few websites discussed little dogs at dog parks. I was hoping to make this a how-to blog post with some trustworthy links for other dog mamas out there. I couldn’t help but wonder if I should buy anything special for our trip. Do I need a stick, a cattle prod, or should I just get some good-kicking boots in case I need to defend my baby? But there was no mention of these required tools.
There was really nothing out there that was super informative. Some websites talk about staying close to your dog (do not focus on your phone and lose sight they say), watching out for wildlife and do not take the dog somewhere with threats like birds and snakes, and, keeping the little dogs in the little dog area and the big dogs in the big dog area. Don’t EVER mix them they say. There was one blog that spoke quite profusely about how irritating and disrespectful it is to big dog owners when little dog owners pick their dogs up and walk past the big dogs.
We got to the river dog park, and there was no small dog area, just a big open space for all the dogs. I expected Roo to act like all other dogs on Instagram. You know, run around like crazy and have fun (something that I could video and put sound to and share for this assignment). But she didn’t, she never left my side, she stuck close and only ventured off a couple of meters from me. During our time down there, I only had one freak out. I looked up from my phone at one point and Roo was nowhere to be seen, but then I realized that she was just right behind me, walking less than 3 inches from my feet. I just couldn’t see her because I was taking pictures with my phone.
Her little face and mine were both full of worry during the trip, but I knew she felt wild and alive because she was finally at the dog park. I felt wild and alive! She sniffed every blade of grass and played for a couple of minutes on the rocks by the river. There were only a few other dogs at the dog park; a Rottweiler, a pit bull, shepherds, and a dumb doodle that would not stop jumping on me when I walked past holding Roo. His owners suggested I put her down so they could play. I graciously said, “No thank you” thinking that I didn’t want my baby trampled to death.
The dog park was stunning, a great place to bring Roo and let her play. It’s a special place with a beautiful landscape and is a wildlife sanctuary for rattlesnakes.
Roo and I both slept well last night. Probably from both the stress and excitement. I am proud of both of us though and I feel that if I can be this good of a dog mom to my little golden Roo, and not be a helicopter mom I do not understand why parents say it’s hard with human children.
Roo and I are going to visit another dog park in the town beside us next week. It apparently is right next to the “Birds of Prey” center which is a refuge for eagles, hawks, and falcons and should be lovely.
It happens to the best of us. We re-read our digital story and can feel something is missing. Or, worse yet, we have a momentary block about where to start. Sound familiar?
If so, you can refer to this infographic. Much like a recipe, missing a key storytelling ingredient can make the final product feel flat. And of course, adding too much of a good thing can make the creation inedible.
While reviewing it, I hope something stands out and gives you an “ah-ha” moment.
Let’s look a bit deeper…
For example, pre-defining how you add value for the reader can give you confidence that the reader will walk away remembering the lesson or emotion you offered. Adding suspense can be as simple as inserting imagery that suggests there could be something hidden, or playing with dramatic irony where the reader learns something that’s hidden from the character.
And where is this going to be read, anyway?
Sometimes writers can get so excited to share their message, they fail to consider how to alter the message for the medium. Could your visual be stronger for Instagram? Maybe you should change it to a video or GIF for Facebook? Did you polish the wording to appeal to your professional contacts on LinkedIn?
Keep writing, regardless if you feel stuck or unsatisfied with what you wrote. By reviewing what you’ve written with the ideas offered here, you will stir up some great creations.
EXSM 3989 - Digital Storytelling Class Blog 