By Danielle Foley
Senior Communication Consultant
In the first two parts of this blog series, we shared how storytelling can help leaders create trust and inspire organizational goodwill. In this final installment, we share how storytelling can get us through a difficult time when we need to adapt quickly to rapidly changing norms.
For many of us, work routines we took for granted vanished overnight
—and suddenly we’ve all been asked to do things that are new and unfamiliar. An effective way to support your employees is by sharing personal stories of how we’re all challenged as we adapt to our new world.
Storytelling can help employees feel connected while adjusting to new ways of working (and living).
Stories make us feel better because they are relatable. They make us feel less alone. And whether it’s a touching story about an elderly Aunt or funny snippets about how pets are coping, stories can give us a silver lining. And right now, we all need a silver lining.
Many of your employees are happy to share their stories – you just need to ask. Get them talking about:
Working from home with kids. What works, what doesn’t. Amidst the frustrations there’s some fun that can be shared here.
Working remotely. How to improve your “makeshift” office; how to avoid working around the clock; or how pets are handling their new “coworkers” – everyone has something to share.
Managing stress and anxiety. Whether it’s meditation, cooking, or a walk around the block, a video compilation of these ideas can give us all inspiration.
Highlight the heroes. Your employees are doing amazing things for health care workers, their mail carrier, or their community. Sharing these kind gestures builds company pride.
Managing a remote team. Leading through a pandemic is new for everyone. Talking about the successes – and the failures – can help as managers lead teams in “business as unusual.”
We’ll wrap up our storytelling series with these key takeaways:
• Stories make us human, and can inspire and motivate.
• Remember, the goal is to make people feel something: an emotion like sad, stressed, happy, angry – not informed or educated.
• Don’t craft the story around what you want to say; craft it around what will inspire your employees.
• Think about creating a storytelling campaign and breaking up content into chunks, episodes, snackable content.
We do this all the time, so contact us if you need an extra set of hands communicating in good times or in bad times. We can help.
