Why we love stories
Communicate authentically with storytelling
I recently watched the movie "Blind Side " on TV for what felt like the 100th time. A perfect example of successful storytelling. The sports drama tells the story of Michael Oher, a teenager with exceptional football talent who made it out of the ghetto and into the NFL with the help of a socially committed family. Why is this movie so successful that I, and I'm sure many others, continue to watch it years after it was first shown? Quite simply because we love stories about underdogs who have made it big!
Such stories touch us, because we want to be like them. The Cinderella stories - from rags to riches - from underdog to celebrated hero. Big defeats and big successes- that's Hollywood and always works in movies. But it also works in marketing and public relations.
Today we call this "storytelling" - the telling of stories. Good stories touch, inspire and sweep us away. It is no longer enough to simply communicate facts and objective arguments to sell a product or service. People associate a feeling with what they buy. Emotions are remembered and make the difference. And stories appeal directly to these emotions.
Simon Sinek, a British-American author and management consultant, speaks in his TED Talk, which has been viewed over 12 million times. TED Talk about the famous "Why":
"People don't buy what you do. They buy why you do it."
Sinek says this in his video about the "Golden Circle" and believes that companies like Apple or leaders like Martin Luther King are/were so successful because they answer the question "Why" or "What for" for their customers or supporters. In an entrepreneurial context, the "why" defines the purpose or higher meaning of an organization. And this always appeals to the emotional level in us humans. "What" a product or service can do and "how" it implements this only comes afterwards.
So if we want to communicate better than our competitors, we need to focus on the question "why" when it comes to "storytelling". What is your company's purpose? What sets you apart from everyone else? What makes you unique? And then communicate this, packaged in stories, both internally and externally. This is the only way to remain and communicate truly authentic.
Ideally, a really good story has a dramaturgy, a conflict, a hero, a goal and a solution. It is easy to understand and does not contain any complicated content. Good communication is not characterized by texts that are difficult to understand, but can use simple words and examples to build suspense and convey emotions.
Writing tips to arouse emotions with stories:
Write actively instead of passively
Simple and understandable wording
Working with images in your head and using examples
Incorporate comparisons and analogies
Avoid subordinate clauses and write short sentences
And last but not least: Think about how you would tell the story to someone face-to-face in a short conversation!