Storytelling Techniques – How To Approach It For Your Small Business!
I have loved storytelling since my childhood. I grew up with my grandmother and that should explain the why. I created the 5-part book series (The Storytelling Series for Small Businesses and Content Creators) from a research project I carried out in Verona about the presence of Africans in northern Italy.
Want to learn more? Start by downloading the first chapter of The Storytelling Series: Beginners’ Guide for Small Businesses & Content Creators by Obehi Ewanfoh.
The intention is to encourage small business owners and content creators to leverage the power of storytelling. All the books are available on Amazon so you can get a copy for yourself. Today we are talking about Storytelling Techniques and how to approach them in your small business.
What are Storytelling Techniques?
Storytelling is an essential part of communication. Stories can be used to engage, inform, and powerfully entertain people. Of course, we are not simply talking of story, story, story… We are looking at ways to make it more effective for our audience and our businesses. That is where Storytelling Techniques come into play.
Now, listen to this:
“It came to pass that our village was taken over by an insidious army. They were killing, maiming, and destroying our property. Women and children were fleeing our village and taking refuge in other places.
This was until all our able-bodied men gathered to map out a strategy. It took them weeks and months, but it eventually happened one night that as the enemies were rejoicing over the loot from our land, they were attacked from every corner of our village. Before the enemies could understand what was going on, our warriors took over their camps and drove them away from our village. Once again, our land was free.”
This is a Storytelling Technique you can use in your business and be sure that you will get results. It basically means, starting from normal to the miss normal and back to normal. It’s the circle of life.
Storytelling Techniques involve the correct use of words, visuals, and sound to evoke emotion and create a connection between the storyteller and their audience. Sure, different types of storytelling techniques can be used in different situations such as in marketing campaigns, presentations, or even just everyday conversations.
And by understanding how these techniques work, you can become a better storyteller and able to create stories that can captivate your audience. Of course, it all needs to start with who your audience is,
- Who are you speaking to,
- Do you know them,
- What do they like?
- Where do they hang out?
- And what challenges are they facing?
To learn more about each of these questions, I will advise you to check out Aclasses.org. There, we have dozens of articles on these topics.
Book reading – How To Tell Your Personal Story
The following is from (How To Tell Your Personal Story: The Essential Guide To Memorable Storytelling). That is book three of The Storytelling Series for Small Businesses and Content Creators. We are in chapter 1 of the book. And what I want to talk about is why writing your personal story is important for your small business. That is another storytelling technique to leverage in your small business. It works almost all the time.
Now, here are 5 important personal story techniques in business:
- Building connection with customers: Sharing personal stories can help build a connection with customers by creating a sense of shared experience or relatability. Customers are more likely to trust and engage with businesses that feel authentic and human.
- Creating brand identity: Personal stories can help create a brand identity that sets a business apart from competitors. By sharing unique experiences or perspectives, businesses can differentiate themselves and create a stronger emotional connection with customers.
- Demonstrating expertise: Sharing personal stories can also demonstrate expertise and knowledge in a particular area. By sharing experiences or insights, businesses can establish themselves as experts and build credibility with customers.
- Engaging customers: Personal stories can be a powerful way to engage customers and keep them interested in a business’s products or services. By sharing stories that are entertaining, inspiring, or educational, businesses can create a more engaging and memorable experience for customers.
- Inspiring action: Personal stories can also be a powerful tool for inspiring action or creating change. By sharing stories of personal growth or overcoming challenges, businesses can inspire customers to take action or make positive changes in their own lives. This can create a sense of purpose and mission for the business, beyond just making a profit.
As you will learn when you engage in writing and sharing your story, the process is a transformative and empowering experience. Not only will it help you understand and connect with yourself, but it will also help you connect with others, build community, and leave a legacy.
I hope those points can be helpful to you in your business and for whatever you want to leverage the power of storytelling.
Now, let’s consider what I call “storytelling mastery”. We are in Mastering Storytelling Skills – How To Build Your Influence Through Stories. This is book 4 of The Storytelling Series for Small Businesses and Content Creators. By Storytelling Mastery, I am referring to the ability to craft and deliver compelling narratives that captivate and engage an audience.
It involves using storytelling techniques to convey a message or idea effectively, whether in a personal or professional setting.
A skilled storyteller can harness the power of language, pacing, and emotional tone to create a story that resonates with their audience and inspires action or change.
You might say that you don’t know how to get started or what to do first. Well, you don’t need to worry. That is why these 5-part book series exist, to teach the basics of storytelling and how to master the craft.
I understand that developing strong storytelling skills requires consistent effort and deliberate practice, just like any other habit. By focusing on specific habits, we can cultivate a storytelling style that is engaging, memorable, and effective.
- Firstly, a good habit to adopt is to actively seek out opportunities to tell stories, whether it be in social settings or professional environments. By sharing personal stories or experiences, we can develop a natural storytelling ability and gain valuable feedback from our audience.
- Another key habit is to listen attentively to other storytellers, whether it be in person or through the media. By analyzing the structure, pacing, and delivery of other stories, we can learn valuable techniques and adapt them to our storytelling style.
- A third habit to develop is to regularly practice our storytelling skills, whether it be through writing, speaking, or improvisation. By consistently practicing and refining our storytelling abilities, we can build confidence and become more comfortable with telling stories in a variety of settings.
- Lastly, a crucial habit to adopt is to be authentic and genuine in our storytelling. By sharing personal experiences and emotions, we can connect with our audience on a deeper level and create a more memorable and impactful story.
By focusing on developing strong storytelling habits such as seeking out opportunities, listening attentively, practicing regularly, and being authentic, we can cultivate a storytelling style that is engaging, memorable, and effective.
With consistent effort and deliberate practice, we can become masterful storytellers and convey our messages in a way that resonates with our audience.
Want to learn more? Start by downloading the first chapter of The Storytelling Series: Beginners’ Guide for Small Businesses & Content Creators by Obehi Ewanfoh.
