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Once upon a time, there was a very brave knight.
After learning his beloved princess had fallen into the wrought-iron grip of a dastardly dragon, he brought together the finest warriors in the land to bring her home. Initially eager to join his journey, each warrior gladly offered their sword and shield in pursuit of the honorable mission.
But as with any daring rescue, there were twists in the tale. Evil beasts to surmount. Rickety bridges to cross. Perplexing mazes to navigate. The knight, more famous for his feats of daring than his words of wisdom, attempted to lead from the front.
But throughout the tumultuous journey, his band of brothers became confused. What was the plan to outwit their foes? Where were they going next? What role would each play in the quest?
Without clear direction, one by one the party of warriors dropped in numbers, succumbing to the dangers of their journey. By the time the knight came to face the dragon, he turned to face his band of support. Where had they all gone? Had he truly been left to fight on his own?
Fighting alone, the brave knight was unable to slay the dragon, caughty in the fiery flame of its breath. He failed in his mission, leaving his princess to face her ill-fated future alone.
Crude fairytale aside, this story may be a familar experience for many organizations and teams. Employees, just like the troupe of warriors, lack informative and inspiring communication from their managers and leaders. And when that happens, even the best laid HR policies, change management programs, or princess rescue missions can fall flat.
What role does storytelling have in employee engagement?
Effective storytelling can help employers inform, engage, and mobilize their employees. Just as marketers have turned to this principle to attract and compel customers, so too can HR and leadership development professionals in their efforts to support managers and leaders trying to inspire their teams.
"To me, storytelling is what brings things to life for people," suggests Michelle Jewell, Global Head of Leadership Development at Thoughtworks. "Particularly when driving changes in an organization, bringing people along on that journey is key to employee engagement."
Indeed, as Jewell explains, storytelling can help revive often stale corporate communications, allowing employees to learn the ‘so what' —what a new practice, directive, or strategy means for them. “Using storytelling can help people find empathy and understanding, it can help them connect to a new process, policy or tool; it humanizes what can sometimes feel like corporate change or mandates,” she adds.
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Bryan Vermes, Director of Employee Experience and Communication at Mimecast, also believes storytelling must be a key pillar of employee engagement and communication.
“That’s because there’s no more powerful form of promotion than the voice of your employees,” Vermes asserts. “By its very nature, it’s authentic. That’s why it’s important to empower them to tell their own stories, especially when it relates to the programs you’ve invested in.”
At Mimecast, for example, Vermes, takes time to consider who the connectors and influencers are within his company, and how they could deliver powerful stories to bring workers onside. “Once you understand who those employees are, you can partner with them to champion key programs or changes,” he notes.
How can storytelling be applied?
Storytelling has applications across the employee experience, from driving communication campaigns during change management programs, to influencing other stakeholders as to why a particular decision, idea, or concept is a good or bad idea. Handy then, when trying to persuade employees to complete their mandatory training or provide a peer-to-peer review.
As managers battle to engage their teams and keep them motivated throughout change and tough circumstances, being skilled in the art of storytelling can bring workers into the journey and help them understand the “why” behind their work and new company policies or strategies.
“It can even be a good development tool,” Jewell adds. “Use storytelling as a way to articulate goals or craft visions for the future, or as a tool to reinforce learning.”
Moreover, it can also be used to give all employees – not just managers and leaders – the chance to share their voices.
Vermes notes that at Mimecast, the company uses internal employee articles and blogs to allow employees to voice their own perspectives. “This doesn’t necessarily mean it’s tied to a specific initiative we’re rolling out, but it sets a standard where information-sharing is owned by everyone in our organization,” he adds.
By developing managers and leaders capable of storytelling, HR teams can create a culture that supports employee-led communication, with workers feeling free and confident to add their voice and relate it back to the organization and its goals.
How to turn your managers and leaders into skilled storytellers
Storytelling is a capability that can be taught. HR and leadership development teams should first set expectations with managers and leaders that it is an important string to their bow, and could offer a completely new perspective on how they communicate with their team.
“Ensure folks are given clear and direct feedback on their skills around storytelling, Jewell explains. “It is important the managers and leaders know that this is expected of them and also have a good understanding of their own skills in this space.”
Whether through internal experts or external organizations and coaches, offer practical training that gives managers the chance to practically learn the fundamental principles that they can implement immediately before learning about more advanced techniques over time.
Vermes proposes HR should partner with the marketing function, which naturally shares a similar interest in storytelling. “Work together to build and share a consistent narrative on your organization,” he recommends. “The questions you tackle can be simple, such as “What would an employee say if they were asked what their company does?”
Great business leaders are nearly always high-practiced storytellers. And if you can create a leadership base across your company skilled in this art? Well, you may find your workforce lives happily ever after...
