How to use storytelling to engage stakeholders

??Boo!

Did that scare you??

If not, it’s probably because it lacked one of the most critical ingredients of the jumpscare: surprise! That’s right, whether we realize it or not, that spine-tingling feeling many of us experience while watching a scary movie or reading a ghost story can actually be boiled down to a handful of basic elements organized and executed in just the right way. It’s a truly potent potion of craft and creativity that can make an audience shriek in terror.?

Today, in honor of Halloween and the spooky tales we love to tell, we’re exploring the power of storytelling at work and in life. While we’ve previously discussed the importance of writing as a workplace skill, storytelling transcends words on the page and can be found in everything from spoken presentations to data visualizations and even video game design . That transferability makes it valuable too. According to a study on workplace skills by McKinsey & Company, high-income earners score notably higher on communication skills–including storytelling–than others.?

So, how can you start telling better stories in the workplace? It all starts with good bones.?

??Structuring an engaging story

Structure is one of the most important and overlooked elements of great storytelling. Structure refers to how a story is organized and presented to an audience, whether that be a single reader nestled in an armchair or a packed audience at a conference. Put another way, it’s the story’s skeleton that outlines its beginning, middle, and end.?

There are many ways to structure your story but one of the most popular (and useful in the workplace) is the three-act structure, which organizes a narrative into three distinct sections. You can use this structure to help tell your professional journey in a job interview, lay out your resume, or craft a team talk, among other things. Here’s what the three-act structure looks like:?

1. Set-up: The main character, their relationships, and the setting are established. Soon, they encounter an obstacle that challenges them in some way, known as “the inciting incident.”?
2. Confrontation: The protagonist attempts to resolve the conflict but is unsuccessful, usually due to a lack of skill and guidance. Eventually, the character learns new skills and gains allies, like a mentor , that grant them a new understanding of themselves and the problem.???
3. Resolution: The character uses their new skills and allies to overcome the initial conflict, leading to an overall change in their world.?

At its core, the three-act structure is all about encountering a problem, wrestling with it, and then overcoming it with the right combination of skills and help. There are a lot of ways that you can apply the three-act structure in the workplace, whether you’re giving a presentation, writing a brief, or designing a data visualization.?

For example, let’s say you’re preparing a slide deck at work about an initiative your team is undertaking. Considering the three-act structure, you might first discuss how things looked before the initiative, then describe the problems the initiative is trying to solve. Finally, you’d conclude your presentation by focusing on the solution you settled on and its overall outcomes.?

??Bite into storytelling courses

Storytelling is a skill just like anything else. Build your strength as a storyteller in the workplace by biting into one of these courses:

• To motivate and influence audiences, try McQuarie University’s Storytelling and influencing: Communicate with impact course.?

• For data-driven storytelling, explore Google Cloud’s The Power of Storytelling: How to Visualize Data in the Cloud course.?

• For digital communication, look into the University of Toronto’s Communication Strategies for a Virtual Age course. Plus, for more tips, check out Coursera’s podcast, Still at Work , which features an interview with course instructor Ivan Wanis Ruiz this week!

• Finally, for a deep dive into leadership, identity, and creativity, consider enrolling in the University of Colorado, Boulder’s Storying the Self for Leadership and Creativity Specialization

That’s all we’ve got for this issue. Before you head out to Trick or Treat, let us know some of your storytelling tips in the comments below! See you next week.?

Have a career question you’d like us to answer next? Share it below. And, as always, we welcome YOUR advice and experience in the comments.