Yesterday Leticia (AuthenticityPR’s Chief Storytelling Officer) and I presented a webinar titled, “Storytelling – Your New PR Superpower” for the Public Relations Society of America. About 240 attended. We’ll let you know when the on-demand version is available.
Here’s a portion of what we shared…
Every organization has stories waiting to be discovered. It’s your (or your communications professional’s) job to uncover these stories — a process often referred to as story mining or story finding.
Here are some of the stories to unearth in your organization:
- Founder’s or Origin Story – The foundation of any company’s narrative is its founder’s or origin story. What inspired the inception of the company? What was the initial concept or spark? The Converus Origin Story is a great example of how a mere question by two scientists, “Is it possible to detect deception from someone’s eyes” turned into the birth of a tech company and the eventual creation of a technology that’s now substantially disrupting the lie detection industry. Now, had one of these scientists also founded a tech company to launch this technology, then this would have been a founder’s story and not an origin story. The benefit of writing a founder’s or origin story is that they humanize the company by providing a compelling backstory that resonates with internal and external audiences — thus building deeper connections.
- Purpose Story – A purpose story explains why the company exists. It motivates and clarifies the core reason behind the organization’s operations. This type of story is great for job descriptions, especially when there are limited candidates. It can also help with employee morale by creating more unity around a company’s mission and vision, and ensuring a sense of belonging. In addition, it helps in winning the hearts and minds of stakeholders.
- Value Story – A value story addresses the gap between what customers need and what the company offers. It highlights the unique value proposition of your products or services, often serving as the basis for new product or service launches and how you help make customers the hero.
- Customer Story – Once you have customers using your product, you can start showcasing the success of your customers to illustrate the positive impact of your products or services. This could take the form of case studies, video testimonials, or written success stories that demonstrate real-world applications and benefits.
- Crisis Communications Story – When things go wrong (as they sometimes do), how a company responds can define its reputation. A crisis communications story should address what happened, how the company is making things right, and what steps are being taken to prevent future issues. Transparency and accountability are key here.
Beyond the Obvious: Finding MORE Hidden Stories
While the story types listed above provide a solid starting point, there are often other hidden narratives within an organization that can be just as impactful. Here are additional areas where you can mine for stories that will bolster your communications and connecting efforts:
- Employee Journeys: Highlight individual career paths, personal growth, and contributions within the company.
- Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Initiatives: Share stories about how your company is making a positive impact on the community or environment.
- Innovation Stories: Focus on the challenges overcome during the development of new products, services or processes.
- Partnership and Collaboration Stories: Showcase successful collaborations with other organizations, illustrating the benefits of teamwork and shared goals.
- Cultural Transformation Stories: Highlight significant changes within the company culture, such as efforts to make sure all employees are respected and treated equally, that have reshaped the organization.
Mining for these stories involves more than just knowing where to look — it requires a strategic approach to gathering, crafting and sharing narratives that align with your strategic business and communications goals.
We’d love to help you discover and create these stories to use as powerful tools for communication and engagement. Contact us for a complimentary story finding consultation.
Jeffery E. Pizzino, APR is a spin-free public relations pro who is passionate about telling the why of your story with clarity, impact and authenticity. He began his PR career in 1987 at Ketchum Public Relations in New York City but has spent the majority of his career as a solopreneur. He’s AuthenticityPR’s Chief Authentic Officer and also functions as the fractional CCO for technology startup Converus.
Jeff has an MBA in Management from Western International University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications — with an emphasis in PR — from Brigham Young University. He’s a native of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, but also holds an Italian citizenship. Jeff and his storyteller wife Leticia have four children and four grandchildren. In his extremely limited nonwork hours, he studies italiano, practices guitar, gardens, disc golfs, reads, listens to New Wave music, serves in his church, watches BYU football, and plays Dominion and Seven Wonders. Email Jeff.
