TQT: Telling Stories

TQT: Telling Stories
Today's quick thought is about building a narrative.
 
I swiped the title from Tracy Chapman's 2000 album of the same name, and I think she has a song with that title as well.
 
But the idea came from a conversation I had this morning with someone at The Meeting House, a local coffee haunt I visit regularly. 
 
I noticed that my acquaintance was reading a book by Donald Miller, author of the best-seller Blue Like Jazz. My friend read another of MIller's books over the Christmas holiday and was telling me about it.
 
In it, Miller retells the process he went through of converting Blue Like Jazz into a movie script. The point of the book is that we all need to be able to tell our 'stories' - that is, those actions, events, decisions, triumphs, and failures that make up the substance of our lives. 
 
At one point, one of the producers/writers confronts Miller with the statement: 'We need to change this part - it's boring.' Miller digests this and realizes he's right, and so seeks to correct it by having more adventures.
 
I had heard this before in much of the literature about millennials - that they are attracted to 'stories' (the more favored term is 'narratives').
 
So here's how you can attract and retain more millennials in your business, and also market your business more effectively.
 
Tie what you do into the larger story of why you exist. Your company has an organizational history - highlight it! Why did your founder start the company? And don't say just to make money! What need were they addressing? What obstacles did they overcome? What triumphs and setbacks did they have along the way?
 
Here's another way to build a narrative: talk about how what you do or what you make ties into the larger world. If you are an electric company, you don't just provide electricity. You provide a service that helps harness energy for the important things in life: hospitals that care for the sick and dying, supermarkets that provide food and resources for your family, and lights and heat for your house.
 
Or maybe your company distributes steel. Now, your company is an integral part in providing roads for driving and transport, and buildings for offices and industry. Changing the world one beam at a time.
 
People will do things because they have to, but people will never give their all to something unless they think that what they are doing is important! That it actually matters - to themselves, to others, and to the wider community.
 
The truth is, your business wouldn't exist if it wasn't important. So spread the word.
 
We can help you craft a narrative that delivers results. Connect with us today!
 
And that's your Tuesday Quick Thought.