How to tell an impactful employee story

Powerful stories will transform your communications – deepening your connection with your customers, employees, shareholders and the community.

And when you’re telling an employee story, it’s doubly powerful as it can resonate internally as well as shine a light on your company culture to outsiders.

So how do you tell an impactful story from within?

1. Be purposeful

Each story you tell should link to your ‘why’. In the early stages of your business, this could be communicating your purpose, mission, vision or values. Giving these an employee voice can turn words on your website into meaningful and inspirational stories.   

2. Find the story behind the story

Got a new product or a key fact you want to share? Great. So do a million other brands. You’ll have more impact if you’re highlighting the human story and personal journey behind the innovation.

2 (and a half)... Follow that story

As an extension of #2, some of the best stories come from unexpected conversations or by asking that one extra question at the end of an interview. Not all stories will stick to the script you had in mind, so be open when researching and generating your stories and you may be surprised by how differently they turn out.

3. Be authentic

It can be tempting to over-script an employee story, be too directive, or remove sections you don’t like. But doing so will damage its authenticity – and in turn damage the trust and credibility you’re trying to build.

Watch this video story of William Wong, a deaf employee who shared his successes – as well as his challenges – working for a large organisation. His honesty and raw emotion told more of a story than any DEI statistic on a page could have done.

4. Think format and channel

How do your employees consume content? Which channels are popular with your customers? Don’t produce a 1,000-word article if they watch YouTube shorts. You have the licence to be creative – so use it.

5. Test and learn

As a brand owner, you can give yourself permission to try new things. Not everything will work. But by measuring engagement and gathering feedback, you can refine your storytelling over time and improve its impact.

Remember: Your best stories will come from within, if you ensure they’re purposeful and authentic.

Need support? As a Storytelling Coach, I’m here to help you craft employee stories that really resonate. Email charley@greaterheightscommunications.com to start writing your story.