Here's how you can leverage storytelling to engage employees in your small business.

Storytelling Magic: Engaging Your Team! Using storytelling to engage your team is like herding cats in a circus! Here's your tightrope guide: Relatable Tales: Share stories that connect with your team's experiences. Make them feel seen! Values and Vision: Weave your company's values and goals into your stories. Inspire and motivate! Hero's Journey: Create a narrative arc where your team is the hero. Celebrate their achievements! Emotional Connection: Evoke laughter, tears, or inspiration. Let your team feel something! Call to Action: Inspire your team to take action. Make your stories a catalyst for change! Remember, a great story is a shared experience that can unite and inspire!

People will forget your PowerPoint, even if it is beautifully alliterated and illustrated but tell a story, one that speaks to their humanity, one that reveals your own struggles and triumphs, tell it well and tell it earnest, and they will not forget that. Humans are storytellers. We love them. We need them. We find ourselves - and sometimes our way - in them.

Start with a formulaic story for your business. For example: We do [describe your service] for [describe your ideal client], so that they [pain point removed / goal achieved]. Then practice. Say this with three diffferent specific events in mind. Detail out each [part]. Find what causes you to feel passion. Say it in a way that feels like announcing a recent win to the team.

In my experience, storytelling is a powerful tool to engage employees in your small business. It's not just about recounting events—it's about creating a narrative that reflects your company's values and vision. One thing I've found helpful is sharing the foundational stories that shaped your business, like the challenges faced, the milestones achieved, and the lessons learned. This approach not only humanizes you as a leader but also helps employees connect with the company's journey. When they see themselves as part of this larger narrative, it fosters a deeper sense of belonging and commitment to the business.

Having a compelling story that also instructs or guides is extremely valuable in conveying your values and the values of your business. Include the following: 1. What happened in detail; 2. How you felt, were feeling (be vulnerable); 3. How you dealt with the challenge; 4. What you learned; 5. How it helped shape you, the business.

Small businesses have more people on the sales team than HR actually counts. Sharing the vision for your small business and creating stories around how you accomplish goals will get employees on the same page. People remember stories - not bullets on a deck. Talk about how you overcome obstacles to achieve success. Inspire your team with stories; it makes the mission easy to embody and share with others. When your team can share your vision with story-selling, now, you've got an extended team of advocates out in the marketplace.

Vision casting is all about painting a vivid picture of where your business is headed and how your team plays a crucial role in getting there. By weaving your long-term goals into a compelling narrative, you can inspire your employees to see themselves as key players in this journey. One thing I've found helpful is using relatable scenarios and vivid imagery to illustrate the future you're working towards. When your team can clearly see how their contributions help shape this vision, it not only motivates them but also aligns their daily efforts with the bigger picture. This approach fosters a shared sense of purpose and drives collective progress.

When I started my business, the only vision I had was to make money and grow rich. Along the way, I lost valuable employees due to my poor management, I almost went bankrupt due to bad decisions. In this, people helped me and I came out of these challenges with a Vision of building a business that contributes to people's lives. I would share this story with new staff, clients, contacts....anyone. It allowed them to see not only what my vision was but why it became my vision and that they could participate in this vision.

Share your key values through stories to engage your small business employees. Values driving your business are a heart that beats within it; stories depict the heart of the business—for instance, integrity, teamwork, or innovation—concretizing and setting those values within a context for your team. This can motivate employees to take up the principles and live them out in their daily activities, facilitating a closer connection to the mission of the business and a more cohesive and motivated team.

The values that drive your business are its heartbeat, and storytelling is a powerful way to instill these values in your team. By crafting stories that exemplify integrity, teamwork, innovation, or any core value your business upholds, you bring these principles to life. One thing I've found helpful is sharing real examples where these values made a difference in your business's journey. When employees see these values in action through relatable stories, they become more tangible and inspiring. This not only encourages your team to embody these values in their daily work but also strengthens the culture and unity within your business.

I let people know my values were founded on the lessons from my Father: 1. Family is everything; 2. Give 100% in your job; 3. Take pride in your work no matter how small the task; 4. Loyalty: Never abandon friends and family; 5. Be your word. Sharing values with others gives them a deep look at you.

Celebrating milestone moments through storytelling is a powerful way to recognize achievements and reinforce a sense of progress and shared success. When your business hits a target or overcomes a significant challenge, take the time to share that story with your team. Highlight the individual or team contributions that made a difference, showing how each person played a role in the victory. This not only builds morale but also motivates everyone to strive for the next chapter in your company’s journey. By framing these milestones as key moments in your collective story, you strengthen the bond between your team and the company’s mission.

It is important to share and celebrate milestones. While it is easy to convey successes, sharing challenges or failures is more important. Tell" 1. What the event was; 2. Why you had this failure (be vulnerable); 3. Take responsibility for the failure; 4. How you overcame the challenge; 5. What you learned from it. People admire those who share these experiences and how they dealt with them.

Early in my career, I felt I had to be perfect. I would never think of sharing personal stories, especially one where I made a mistake or failed. When I almost went bankrupt, people came out of no where to help me. It left a deep impression as they shared their stories of failure and how they understood. It changed my life. I began to share myself, my faults, failures but also how I overcame them, with the help of others.

Personal stories can help motivate a struggling employee , sharing a true experience and how you personally managed it can help an employee know they are not alone on their h journey , a story is not advice it’s support .

In my experience, sharing personal stories related to work supports a potential situation or occurrence that was not favourable, and sharing it happens to other supports them, knowing there is a solution and we grow by experience and solutions in our lives, personal or professionally. Story sharing helps with morale, and boosts confidence in several aspects for employees to make the best decision possible in that moment.

Storytelling in your business should be an ongoing dialogue, not just a one-time event. Continuously sharing stories that align with business developments, industry trends, or relevant events helps keep your team connected and engaged. One thing I’ve found helpful is to regularly update your team with narratives that reflect the evolving landscape of your business. Encourage your employees to contribute their own perspectives, making them active participants in the story. This continuous dialogue not only keeps the story of your business fresh and engaging but also ensures that your team remains invested in its success.

Regular sharing with employees allows them to feel part of the team in your business, not just a paid employee. The idea is with the continuous conversational stories, the team learns from past events, and get a full understanding of what happened that has worked and not worked in the past. We want to feel like we are doing our best and keep the understanding that we all have to make decisions at times we are not 100% comfortable with, but you make it the best way possible in that moment. That also needs to be respected and conveyed in the story.