According to Tenfold, 65 to 70% of the information conveyed by storytelling will be retained by the brain , compared to only 5 to 10% for a presentation based on raw information .
What is one of the goals of a company? That customers talk about it, buy its products and above all remember it. Storytelling or the art of telling stories is one of the solutions to achieve this.
Business storytelling as a connection to one’s humanity
Stories have been around since the dawn of time.
Well, at least since the first humans appeared oman whatsapp (I'm not convinced that dinosaurs told each other stories, but maybe).
Storytelling is one of the earliest channels of communication between human beings. It was the means used to transmit knowledge and talk about experiences.
In French, the word "histoire" has a pejorative connotation. This certainly explains why we use the English word.
If I say "story" to you, you will tend to associate it with a suspense novel, a science fiction film, a fable by La Fontaine or that friend who always exaggerates everything he experiences.
In English, the word "story" has a much broader meaning and also refers to a newspaper article. This is a far cry from the story you tell your child at bedtime!
Yet, telling a story serves above all to provide an explanation, create a context and give a purpose to what we do.
In reality, we are surrounded by stories all the time. Most exchanges between human beings take the form of a story.
And that's normal: we are much more receptive to stories than to statistical data.
Stories help people show empathy and retain information better .
Storytelling for business is the art of narrative communication.rnrnBeyond a speech focused on marketing strategy, storytelling uses the codes of tales but especially of everyday life, to highlight a company and create a link with its prospects.
Telling A story does not mean telling STORIES!
But when you start telling a story, you can quickly fall into an easy pitfall: lying.
And there, storytelling will have the opposite effect of what you are looking for when it gets out, because it will get out. Your brand image will suffer. You must not lie about yourself, about your past, your successes, your skills…
Customers are looking for more transparency from companies. They reject opacity and seek a more authentic and real-world contact with the brands they consume.
Storytelling is not about telling your prospects lies.
It's using your story to create a strong connection with your targets.
So, I see where you're going with this. "But my life isn't exciting / I haven't invented a revolutionary product / I don't interest people" (delete as appropriate).
It's quite the opposite!
People find themselves in everyday stories . They don't seek to listen to extraordinary stories that can only happen to extraordinary people. They like flaws, mistakes, missteps.
Let's take the example of comedians.
Have you ever wondered why you no longer laugh at a comedian you used to love?
Besides getting older (…), the comedian is also largely responsible (I won't name anyone but I'm thinking very hard about one of them…).
The more successful he is, the more out of touch with reality he is . And the more out of touch with reality he is, the less you find yourself in his jokes and the less you laugh.
The daily newspaper is a provider of very good stories.
So if you are like everyone else, it is a major asset for your business! You will know how to speak like everyone else and to everyone for honest and effective business communication.
Read also: What is copywriting?
Storytelling as a vector of emotion
Bring out the violins, the Proust madeleine, the evocation of smells and colors… All the artillery necessary to transport the reader into your world .
For example, I could write:
Yesterday morning, I walked around my neighborhood.
Or I could have written :
Yesterday morning I went out at dawn. I walked through the still deserted streets, passing the local bakery.
Without speaking strictly of color or smell, the reader can imagine the colors of dawn and deserted streets, then the smell of bread.
Smell plays a very important role in a story, long before sight. But of course, all senses can be used to immerse the reader in a story .
Coffee ice cream reminds me of my grandmother, the smell of hairspray evokes my dance performances, the song A Total Eclipse of My Heart by Bonnie Tyler takes me back to a specific memory from middle school…
And I'm sure it's the same for you. You definitely have songs, tastes, smells that transport you to a memory.
Every human being is endowed with empathy (apart from psychopathological ones , but they only represent 1 to 5% of the population, a big range I know!).
People will forget what you said, they will forget what you did, but they will never forget how you made them feel. Maya Angelou
A good story must touch the reader, your potential customer, it must appeal to their emotions to bring empathy.
So, your failures are assets to show that you are like everyone else, that you have flaws and that you fought to get where you are.
There is no point in pretending that everything is rosy and that all is well in the best of all possible worlds.
Nobody is perfect, everyone makes mistakes and showing this to your customers makes it part of your business story .
He will feel closer to your company and it will be easier to retain him.
As I update this article, I can't help but think of Kobe Bryant, who left us in a tragic helicopter accident. More than a basketball player, he was a living legend, the one who inspired a whole generation to play basketball.
