We’ve been working with organisations such as the Royal Air Force to help them introduce storytelling, using the very best storytellers they have: their own people.
The best storytelling in communications becomes, in our opinion, quickly diluted if the telling isn’t done by real people, in a style that suits them. If people really want to know what it’s like to;
- work somewhere different (see Lauren is helping people get all the training need for parachute jumps [via Instagram])
- experience something amazing (Marcus is flying with the Red Arrows [via Instagram])
- achieve a special goal (Josephine joined a luge team [via Instagram])
…they need to hear about it first hand. That’s what makes well-told stories so special.
Social media gives big organisations the opportunity for staff to tell a story about their work over weeks, months and years. To build audiences who can follow the highs and sometimes the lows of their working life. The normalities and the exceptions. This is going to be really important in helping people form a considered view of the organisations they’re interested in, and perhaps, make decisions about their future careers.
Raw storytelling won’t always be comfortable for managers and senior folk, but hopefully it stays true to the basic expectations of any employee conduct. Less-than-perfect footage, occasional typos and an imperfect blend of personal and work are the stock-in-trade of a really great storyteller on Instagram or Twitter.
I’m really excited by the potential of real, credible storytellers to represent their work online. You should be too.
