Storytelling and Inclusion

There are few things more gripping than a great story.

Storytelling is part of our make-up, helping to entertain, educate and inspire us.

In business, storytelling is an intrinsic part of our working lives.

We like to hear stories and share them because they give us hope and motivate us.

They also influence our everyday workplace culture.

So why and how does storytelling have such an influence in inclusion?

An organisation’s culture is a culmination of all the stories we hear and share at work every day.

Imagine a story being told in the office about a colleague who was so excited to be hired that they sent a thank you email to the CEO, and received a delightful email in response.

Storytelling is highly emotional creating either a positive or negative reaction.

The messages they communicate can make or break organisational culture.

There's no magic formula when it comes to creating a truly diverse and inclusive organisation. It's about doing a wide range of things in unison. But if there's one theme that runs through everything we do, its storytelling.

True inclusion means encouraging, hearing and responding to everyone’s story. People want to feel included. They need a sense of acceptance and belonging because of who they are, rather than who the organisation thinks they should be.

Everybody has an inclusion story – even those you might not expect!