How can you use storytelling to prevent employee burnout?

We need to be mindful here: Storytelling is an emotionally-powered approach to moving an audience, but should not be viewed as a substitute for preventative burnout measures, check-ins, community-building practices or tangible support systems. All are needed, and ideally they should be working together. The actions we take to help, helps us tell our stories with MUCH greater effect and resonance.

O storytelling é uma ferramenta poderosíssima para engajar os colaboradores e fortalecer o senso de pertencimento. Escolha os temas com base nas necessidades e interesses percebidos dentro da organiza??o. Utilize narrativas reais, baseadas nos depoimentos de colaboradores, para gerar identifica??o imediata. Adicione uma pitada generosa de emo??o às narrativas, utilizando os valores da empresa sempre que possível. Procure envolver seus colaboradores, citando detalhes que possam ser de interesse da maioria ou situa??es/problemas pelos quais outras pessoas também possam estar passando, de forma a prender a aten??o e incentivar a discuss?o. Utilize canais de comunica??o variados, para atender a todos os níveis da organiza??o.

Your employees will often relate to the storytelling techniques you use to share experiences of your other employees. That means storytelling can be extremely powerful in role modeling and communicating good behaviours to avoid burnout. If there are high levels of stress and burnout within your business, using real life examples of how employees have overcome burnout is helpful. Of course, it's best to avoid burnout altogether, so sharing stories of how your employees look after themselves to avoid stress and burnout will help others to model the same behaviours. This in turn will help you create a culture where burnout is avoided altogether.

The best way to communicate your messages is by understanding which channels and formats will have the most impact on your audience. You can tell these stories in many ways from case study style features in your newsletter to video interviews on your intranet or fireside chats at your live events. You can also repurpose the same content across different channels to ensure maximum reach and impact. Whatever format and channel you use, make sure the message is authentic.

If you are using a digital workspace, and you should be, you can use the space to encourage your employees to share their stories. It can be particularly effective to encourage your employees to share within private channels spaces, then get their permission to share the stories, more publicly, especially if those stories are likely to resonate more broadly. More sensitive stories can be shared within your employee resource groups.

Storytelling can be a great motivator and exemplify values, but if there are underlying issues such as poor job design, poor pay, poor working environment, then storytelling may actually make issues worse. Ask your members and employees what the issues are and honestly try to implement them.

When trying to elicit storytelling from your employees, don’t forget a call to action. Otherwise, it may not be clear that you are encouraging the participation of your employees.