Where does it all begin…
Growing up, we have all been exposed to stories. They have been utilised for years for everything from entertainment to lots of other purposes. As humans, it’s in our nature to be curious, especially when it comes to things that create a participatory and immersive experience. So if you’re not incorporating the tool of storytelling into your event, you’re missing an opportunity! It’s time to learn about the power of storytelling!
“That’s what we storytellers do. We restore order with imagination.” – Walt Disney
But, how exactly does storytelling affect your event?
In simple terms, your story is the essence of your event. With it, you can entertain, inspire and educate your audience. When done correctly, you can also create an emotional connection with them, which will eventually transform your event from being ordinary into an extraordinary happening. Through the emotional connection you have created, your organisation and the event itself will increase not only your brand awareness, but your credibility as well.
An augmented brand image sure does increase trust and cooperation, but storytelling is also a great way to define your brand mission and culture, this is particularly important as it gives you the opportunity to build the desired brand persona.
Storytelling often requires creativity to help guests escape into a world of their choosing, but it also is a great tool to inspire action.
For example, if you create a story around the topic of personal ambitions, naturally, they will feel more inclined to follow their own goals and dreams.
How to master the power of storytelling
Before you start to plan your story, there are several questions you should ask yourself: what is the nature of your event, the ideal outcome? What wider issues or values are important to you as an organisation? Who is your audience? What are your continued mission and future ambitions? What is your event’s persona?
By identifying the answers to these questions, you are essentially creating a list of things to take into account and incorporate into the story plan.
To catch success, your story should contain at least one segment your audience can relate to and identify with, this is fairly important to create the emotional connection mentioned previously. You could incorporate certain struggles, as tension is what keeps people involved and interested!
An example of this could be talking about the struggles your company faced during the pandemic but how they developed their resilience to survive.
You NEED a hero
When there’s a struggle, there has to be a hero involved. This could be an ordinary person achieving something inspiring, or even your attendees – the most effective stories will cast your attendees as heroes. And finally but most importantly, the call to action. There’s no point in inspiring people and letting the opportunity pass, you should encourage your audience to take action – such as asking them to complete a task, then posting it to their social media with your organisation tagged to the post. As an event creator, use this to your advantage.
To summarise,
storytelling is present in every aspect of our lives, and could be utilised at greater extent for events to deliver messages and create special connections. So what’s keeping you, express your story to the world – Use the power of storytelling!
Do you need our help to make your next event unforgettable? Why not check out our services page to see how we can tell your story and create your own legacy! Or, head over to our Pinterest page, and see our storyboards from previous events!
PS. WE NOW HAVE AN E-BOOK ALL ABOUT ‘THE POWER OF STORYTELLING AND HOW TO MASTER IT’ RIGHT HERE!