Five Practices To Become A Better Storyteller

February 27, 2022

While it’s still great to see your story told and published in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and other media, businesses today can now tell their stories themselves as well. It’s a powerful way not only to reach the people who care about your company and brand but also to discover your identity and purpose. 

Storytelling has become a required skill at many companies in recent years. But there has been precious little training on how to do it. As a result, many companies stumble when they try to tell their own stories. Journalists work for years to sharpen their storytelling skills, and you can learn a lot about compelling storytelling from them. Here are five practices that inform their best work to help get you started and hone your storytelling ability: 

1. Remember: The Best Stories Are Simple. The specifics of good stories change, but the foundations of a story are timeless: good vs. evil, man vs. environment, man vs. man, and more. Look at the hit Disney+ series The Mandalorian. Take away the special effects and bells and whistles, and it’s about a man who has done bad things trying to protect his adopted son and help him find his path. The show works beautifully because that primal drive informs every scene. Your story should ultimately be simple, too. How will you change the world?  How can you improve someone’s daily life? What drives you? How are you a better company because of your struggles? If you can’t answer those questions, you can’t tell your story. 
2. Don’t Clutter Your Story. People who work at companies, particularly in technology and startups, learn a lot about their workplace and sector. They also know the terminology and mistakenly think it conveys expertise. When they tell their stories, they inevitably use too many buzzwords or feel compelled to interject every message from the latest branding deck into, for example, a blog. Don’t do this. Again, the best stories are simple, and the best companies can talk about what they do without resorting to tech-speak or inside acronyms and jargon. Speaking about your company in simple, straightforward language shows mastery far more than buzzwords ever will. Your prose should also be direct, concise, and uncluttered. 
3. Give Your Stories A Human Face. Stories are about people. Whenever possible, use people to talk about what you do. For example, a story about cutting-edge medical technology is much better if told by the researcher who worked for three years against the doubters to bring it to market. Feature the people who bring your technology or product to life – not just the technology or product. Q&A profiles are an excellent way to tell your story and showcase the people inside your company. 
4. Follow The Style Ground Rules. Try to follow style ground rules and keep your writing direct, polished, and full of verbs. Have an AP stylebook on hand and refer to it when vexed. Don’t write in your corporate style or jargon. Your stories will be taken more seriously from the get-go and stick with readers (or viewers) longer if they are clean, polished, and written in engaging prose or narrative.
5. Ask For Help. Don’t feel bad if you struggle with compelling storytelling. Like anything else, it is an acquired skill that takes years to hone with practice and discipline. Even journalists continue to train and work to become better storytellers. Reach out to companies that are good at shaping stories. The right partner can help do it all: determine your master narrative, tell your stories and then find a home to publish them. 

Are you looking to become a better storyteller? MGP can help you discover your stories, tell them better and then share them with the world. Get in touch at hello@wearemgp.com

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Five Practices To Become A Better Storyteller

February 27, 2022

While it’s still great to see your story told and published in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and other media, businesses today can now tell their stories themselves as well. It’s a powerful way not only to reach the people who care about your company and brand but also to discover your identity and purpose. 

Storytelling has become a required skill at many companies in recent years. But there has been precious little training on how to do it. As a result, many companies stumble when they try to tell their own stories. Journalists work for years to sharpen their storytelling skills, and you can learn a lot about compelling storytelling from them. Here are five practices that inform their best work to help get you started and hone your storytelling ability: 

1. Remember: The Best Stories Are Simple. The specifics of good stories change, but the foundations of a story are timeless: good vs. evil, man vs. environment, man vs. man, and more. Look at the hit Disney+ series The Mandalorian. Take away the special effects and bells and whistles, and it’s about a man who has done bad things trying to protect his adopted son and help him find his path. The show works beautifully because that primal drive informs every scene. Your story should ultimately be simple, too. How will you change the world?  How can you improve someone’s daily life? What drives you? How are you a better company because of your struggles? If you can’t answer those questions, you can’t tell your story. 
2. Don’t Clutter Your Story. People who work at companies, particularly in technology and startups, learn a lot about their workplace and sector. They also know the terminology and mistakenly think it conveys expertise. When they tell their stories, they inevitably use too many buzzwords or feel compelled to interject every message from the latest branding deck into, for example, a blog. Don’t do this. Again, the best stories are simple, and the best companies can talk about what they do without resorting to tech-speak or inside acronyms and jargon. Speaking about your company in simple, straightforward language shows mastery far more than buzzwords ever will. Your prose should also be direct, concise, and uncluttered. 
3. Give Your Stories A Human Face. Stories are about people. Whenever possible, use people to talk about what you do. For example, a story about cutting-edge medical technology is much better if told by the researcher who worked for three years against the doubters to bring it to market. Feature the people who bring your technology or product to life – not just the technology or product. Q&A profiles are an excellent way to tell your story and showcase the people inside your company. 
4. Follow The Style Ground Rules. Try to follow style ground rules and keep your writing direct, polished, and full of verbs. Have an AP stylebook on hand and refer to it when vexed. Don’t write in your corporate style or jargon. Your stories will be taken more seriously from the get-go and stick with readers (or viewers) longer if they are clean, polished, and written in engaging prose or narrative.
5. Ask For Help. Don’t feel bad if you struggle with compelling storytelling. Like anything else, it is an acquired skill that takes years to hone with practice and discipline. Even journalists continue to train and work to become better storytellers. Reach out to companies that are good at shaping stories. The right partner can help do it all: determine your master narrative, tell your stories and then find a home to publish them. 

Are you looking to become a better storyteller? MGP can help you discover your stories, tell them better and then share them with the world. Get in touch at hello@wearemgp.com