How do you tell project stories to show results?

1 Why project stories matter

Project stories are more than just reports or presentations; they are strategic tools to influence, persuade, and inspire your audience. Through project stories, you can demonstrate your achievements and lessons learned, emphasize the challenges you faced and how you overcame them, connect your project to the larger objectives and goals, build trust and credibility with stakeholders and clients, motivate and recognize team members, and generate feedback and learning opportunities.

2 How to structure your project stories

A good project story should have a clear and logical structure that leads your audience through your project journey. Following the STAR method is a simple and effective framework to achieve this; it stands for Situation, Task, Action, and Result. Situation describes the context and background of your project, including the problem, opportunity, or goal you were addressing. Task explains the scope and objectives of your project, including the deliverables, timeline, and budget. Action outlines the main activities and steps taken to execute your project, such as the methods, tools, and resources used. Finally, Result highlights the outcomes and impacts of your project, including the benefits, achievements, and challenges faced.

3 How to make your project stories engaging

Creating a project story that engages with your audience requires more than just facts and figures. To make your story compelling, use clear and concise language that avoids jargon and technical terms. Incorporate stories, anecdotes, and examples to illustrate points and provide evidence. Visuals, such as charts, graphs, images, or videos, can also support data to make it easier to understand. Additionally, use emotions such as humor, surprise, or curiosity to capture attention and interest. Finally, use questions, challenges, or calls to action to invite your audience to participate and interact with your story.

4 How to tailor your project stories to your audience

Tailoring a project story to your audience is key to its success. To do so, you must first research and understand who your audience is, what they care about, and what they already know. You should also define the purpose of your project story, such as informing, persuading, or inspiring your audience. Once you have determined this, you can select the best format for delivering your project story, such as a written report, a slide deck, a video, or a podcast. Additionally, you should adjust the content of your project story to match your audience's level of expertise, interest, and attention span. This includes the level of detail, tone, style, and language used in the story.

5 How to practice and improve your project stories

A project story is not a static and final product, but rather a dynamic and evolving process that can be refined and improved over time. To practice and improve your project stories, you should seek feedback from peers, mentors, or coaches, review and reflect on your own stories, learn from other project leaders who tell effective stories, and experiment and test different approaches, formats, and styles for your stories. Asking for constructive and honest feedback can help identify your strengths and areas for improvement. Analyzing your stories can help identify what worked well, what didn't, and what you can do better next time. Taking note of other storytellers' techniques, tips, and best practices can give you ideas to try out. Testing different stories with different audiences can help you find out what resonates with them.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?