Author: Christian 'Boo' Boucousis
“No doubt about it, the best speakers are good storytellers. The best writers are good storytellers, the best leaders are good storytellers, and the best teachers and trainers and coaches are good storytellers for Storytelling In Business. It might even be argued that the best parents are good storytellers.” Evidently, storytelling is not confined to […]
“No doubt about it, the best speakers are good storytellers. The best writers are good storytellers, the best leaders are good storytellers, and the best teachers and trainers and coaches are good storytellers for Storytelling In Business.
It might even be argued that the best parents are good storytellers.” Evidently, storytelling is not confined to writers. Storytelling is an important and effective tool that every person should be investing time into developing.
As leaders, people naturally listen to us, whether it is out of obligation or genuine desire. But storytelling not only makes you more desirable to listen to, but it can help you get your message across more effectively and with enhanced clarity. When adults hear the word ‘storytelling’ they think of fairytales and children’s books.
The idea of storytellers often is equated with strictly fiction and being loose with the truth. But storytelling in the business world uses honesty and emotion to convey a powerful message and establish a genuine connection with those listening. Good storytelling is a key to influencing those we are trying to reach with our message.
Storytelling is a point of difference in business. Sure, facts and figures are great selling points, but how about a story that reaches the emotions of your employees and customers, and makes you a more personable business?
How about having a lasting impact that doesn’t rely on customers remembering percentages and numbers?
How about creating a lasting connection with customers who will return to your company because you weren’t afraid of telling a story?
Good storytelling does more than just recount the past, it brings connection, emotion, and loyalty.
So, instead of thinking of storytelling as fables and fairytales, think of it as a tool that you should be sharpening, no matter what industry or position you find yourself in! Relationships and connections are central to the life of business, and storytelling is a powerful means of getting these things.
Forget childish stories, businesses aren’t immune to the wonders that storytelling brings.
For me, it was the stories I read as a child about fighter pilots’ airborne jousting during WW1 and WW2, the camaraderie, and the challenge of 1v1 aerial combat. The romantic side of flying, specifically as a fighter pilot, built a connection that to this day, 40 years after my first aviation-related reading experience, endures and defines most of what I do. At the bar after a week in the Squadron, the stories of wins and losses were recounted.
This forged a deep connection as a team and sense of purpose that was well defined and reinforced each and every day. Through storytelling we pushed ourselves to the very edge of our capability, we wanted to be like those we admired most.
As a teenager, one of the most important stories I ever experienced was that of Maverick and Goose, through the movie Top Gun. I’m not going the lie, (SPOILER ALERT) the reality of the fighter pilot is quite different to the movie, not that I knew that at the time!
In the wake of the new Top Gun 2 movie’s release, from personal experience, I know there will be a new generation of fighter pilots that are inspired by the story. Inspired by the speed, the noise, the frenetic pace and the challenges of operating at the very edge of human performance.
Without those stories, I wouldn’t have encountered my deep love for aviation when I did. Those stories are still etched in my mind and they still continue to stir my passion for what I do. You too can share stories that do the same for others! It isn’t limited to movies and books, the power of storytelling is well within your reach! You might be thinking, what sets GOOD storytelling apart from storytelling? Well, let’s find out!
The first point of call is your audience and the purpose of your story. Who are you trying to reach? Who is your brand, product, or business designed for?
And once you know who you are telling your story to, you need to ask yourself why. Is it an introduction to who you are as a company?
Is it the story of a product and how it will shape the lives of those who buy it? Now to go beyond a simple this is who we are and why you should partake in the company.
In any good story, there is a protagonist and antagonists. There are things that stand in the way, and a hero who overcomes the obstacles. This is no exception for business stories. People everywhere are facing visible and invisible challenges every day, and the story of overcoming is sure to elicit empathy and emotion from those reading. Leaders, students, accountants, café owners, and every person under the sun understand obstacles, so why hide the most common piece of ground we all share?
The reality is this, businesses are not immune from challenges, and so hiding the stories of overcoming daily challenges makes customers feel that you aren’t telling the truth to some degree. You don’t have to own a business to know that there would be endless challenges that you face. Share them, in a powerful story of conquering what seemed impossible.
Get customers involved in the process by having a place for reviews. Reviews are people’s stories about their interactions with your company or your product, reviews convey powerful messages to those who read them (whether they’re good or not). Make the ways that you tell your stories diverse! Speak them, write them, design them, print them! There are so many ways to spread your story and influence far and wide, make use of them!
Business and storytelling really do go hand in hand! In a world of inauthenticity, facts, figures, and filters give your customers a really good story! One that evokes emotion and empathy, one that enhances influence, one that creates genuine connections.
Storytelling is a tool that you would be wise for sharpening! And in my personal opinion, rewatching Top Gun is a form of storytelling research…if you needed an excuse to watch it again! Be real and watch connection and loyalty flow throughout your business.
References
Indeed. (2021). Storytelling in business: Definition and how to draft a good story. Indeed.
Sah, A. (2018). Why storytelling is a powerful strategic business tool. Word Lift.
Schneider, E. (2021). How to use storytelling in business to build a captivated audience. CXL.
ARTICLE WRITTEN BY: Christian ‘Boo’ Boucousis
Contact Us at WeSpeak Global and follow us on Twitter
Author Profile
The articles, video and images embedded on these pages are from various speakers and talent.
These remain the property of its owner and are not affiliated with or endorsed by WeSpeak Global.
Power posing for success is a simple strategy that you can use to reduce anxiety, improve your ability to deal with stress, and boost your confidence. Besides, it takes less than two minutes and produces immediate results. Adopting a Wonder Woman’s pose might change your results or even your short and long-term success. Power Posing […]
What’s Your New Year’s Addiction? Here are 6 Simple Steps To Avoid Changing Who You Are and Instead, Changing Your Addictions. It happened for years. Too often I would come home from work, open the refrigerator, then the freezer. I’d sigh and think, “F*ck, I have no idea what to make for dinner.” Sometimes I’d […]
If you don’t prioritise your sleep, you are putting your health at risk. Good quality Sleep Weight Health is the diet pill we’ve all been looking for, the ultimate wrinkle cream and the secret to longevity. And guess what? — it’s free! When we think of our beds and our pillows, we often forget […]
What are Afformations as I invented The AFFORMATIONS® Method one morning in “The Shower That Changed Everything.” Afformations are positive and empowering questions you ask yourself. The goal is to change your beliefs about yourself by focusing on what is good and right about you instead of what is bad and wrong about you. This […]
I first met Julie Faupel during a week-long personal growth retreat and learnt how to get Closer to Your Customer. The retreat required a total digital detox and abstinence of any conversation related to career, work or business. Julie and I became fast friends and for me personally, the retreat experience was transformational. Fortunately, the […]
Push through the bad to get to good / Shifting spaces / Challenges of the Pacific / Don’t get run over / Injuries / Warnings / Water struggles & just Figuring it out then Man overboard-Captain! Over the last 12 days, I’ve traveled just over 400 Nautical miles SW. I’ve passed by the US […]
A sales slump is a time in which a sales pipeline loses its momentum, leads slow down, or stop coming in altogether, opportunities that are already in play begin to stagnate, and deals that we were sure to win we either lose to a competitor or to a lack of decision-making readiness from the customer. […]
Last week I got to spend five and a half hours of Beyond Strategy with one of the most influential strategic thinkers alive today, Gary Hamel. He has written five global best-selling books, published 17 papers in Harvard Business Review, and has taught at London Business School for 30 years. But most importantly, Gary has […]
Our Mission
© All rights reserved 2025. Created using VOXEL THEME
