S2E3: Business of Storytelling with Anjali Sharma, Managing Director, Narrative
Mar 29, 2021
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Anjali Sharma, Managing Director of Narrative, is a business communications specialist who empowers corporate professionals to harness the power of storytelling. In this discussion, she shares her journey from corporate work to storytelling mastery. Anjali emphasizes that stories are essential currencies in a cluttered content landscape. She also outlines her guiding principles for effective narratives, explores how to measure the impact of stories, and reveals the inspiring figures whose storytelling influences her work.
Corporate storytelling merges journalism and marketing to convey factual narratives that engage audiences and drive business outcomes effectively.
Emotional elements integrated into stories create relatable narratives that resonate with audiences, inspiring action and facilitating organizational change.
Deep dives
The Role of Corporate Storytelling
Corporate storytelling merges the principles of journalism and marketing to convey compelling narratives that drive business outcomes. Unlike conventional storytelling, which may focus on creative elements like plots and characters, corporate storytelling emphasizes discovering and presenting factual stories with a marketing lens. This approach aims to engage audiences by aligning their interests with the organizational goals, making it crucial for professionals to recognize the difference between mere messaging and impactful storytelling. By framing narratives that resonate with the audience's emotions and experiences, corporate storytellers effectively influence decision-making and drive change.
Finding the Core Story
The process of crafting a compelling corporate narrative begins with identifying the core story relevant to the organization’s objectives. A successful storyteller acts as a corporate journalist, unearthing the real concerns and feelings of employees rather than relying solely on stakeholder briefings. For instance, when addressing a workforce's apprehensions about implementing artificial intelligence, it's vital to uncover their genuine challenges rather than simply presenting the company’s strategic goals. This involves not only listening and observing but also empathizing with the staff's experiences, which allows for a more relatable and effective narrative to be constructed.
The Emotional Component of Stories
Integrating emotional elements into corporate storytelling is essential for capturing audience engagement and inspiring action. While maintaining a balance between rational arguments and emotional appeals, effective stories often include personal experiences that elicit empathy and connection. By illustrating real-life scenarios, such as challenges faced by employees during technological transitions, storytellers can create relatable narratives that resonate widely. This emotional journey helps to drive the message home, making it more likely that listeners will want to embrace the changes proposed by the organization.
Measuring the Impact of Stories
Evaluating the effectiveness of corporate stories is vital to understanding their impact on audience behavior and engagement. Results must be quantifiable, with specific actions expected from those who hear the story, enabling organizations to measure success and drive future strategies. For example, after delivering a compelling narrative about a new AI initiative, a company might track employee registration for training sessions as a metric of engagement. This focus on concrete results not only highlights the value of storytelling but also helps organizations refine their approach to ensure stories catalyze the desired reactions and outcomes.
In a content noisy world, stories will be the currencies that will be valued the most. In this episode, Saurabh is joined by Anjali Sharma, a business communications specialist and a business storyteller. Anjali helps corporate professionals become storytellers to drive business outcomes and their personal success. Anjali is currently the Managing Director of Narrative: The Business of Stories. She works with private and government organizations to determine what their individual and unique business challenges are and by incorporating Story Skills, she crafts individualized solutions to help solve those challenges.
[01:08] How did you get into corporate storytelling?
[05:20] How do you look at the business of corporate storytelling?
[08:29] How does the process of storytelling work?
[16:25] What are your guiding principles for crafting a good story?
[29:58] What kind of narratives you prefer for building business stories?
[34:02] Can the impact of stories be measured?
[36:33] Who or which story do you look up to for inspiration?
Listen to the podcast to discover untold stories and unfiltered content from marketers, researchers, technologists, and artists to share, inspire and reflect on their journeys and plan for the future. Follow Anjali Sharma on LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/in/anjali-sharma.
Talk to Saurabh, Chief Operating Officer at Asia's leading insights business, on LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/in/saurabhsardana, on Twitter @saurabh_sardana, and on FB/Instagram @sardana.saurabh. Please send in your feedback at saurabhsardana@gmail.com.
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