"Hi! My name is Tuna. My family loves me very much, but they have moved to a new home where cats are not allowed. I need a new home with a family to love me. Will that be you?"
Veterinary clinics and pet supply stores often display animals who need a home. Having animals available for adoption at these places is not unusual. I have seen thousands of animals for adoption and I always want to take all of them home.
But I have only succumbed to this form of adoption temptation once: when I met my cat, Tuna.
Storytelling Influences
You already read Tuna's story. It's short. It's simple. It was printed in black ink on an ordinary piece of A4 paper and taped to the crate in which he sat, looking rather bored and ordinary.
Tuna's story is the reason I adopted him.
Tuna's family and the staff in the veterinary clinic made the incredibly shrewd decision to tell his story instead of merely popping a fat, ordinary, grey moggie in a crate and hoping for the best.
They created an emotional connection and a sense of engagement with potential adoptive families. It was effective for getting Tuna adopted, and is effective for any other outcome you'd like to achieve.
How Storytelling Makes a Big Impact
You (probably) do not have a cat who needs rehoming. But you likely have other things in your life that you would like to achieve.
Storytelling is a way to increase your influence, get people emotionally connected, and create more opportunities for success.
What can storytelling do for you?
Stories create engagement. Stories capture attention and engage audiences more effectively than plain facts and figures. This makes your message far more memorable.
Stories create connection. Storytelling builds emotional connections with customers, employees, and stakeholders, fostering trust and loyalty.
Stories simplify your message. Complex ideas and concepts can be conveyed in an easily understandable way through stories. This is why fairy tales exist! They makes your ideas and information more accessible.
Stories tell people who you are. Stories convey your values, culture, and mission, helping to build a strong and relatable brand and identity.
Stories persuade. Well-crafted stories can influence and persuade, helping to convince stakeholders, sell products, or drive change within the organisation. Stories get cats adopted.
Stories set you apart. Your unique and compelling stories can set you apart from others - this is incredibly useful when applying for jobs, competing for contracts, and any other context in which you want to stand out.
Stories help with problem solving. Stories can illustrate problems and solutions in a relatable context, increasing understanding and addressing challenges. Stories get people out of their left brain and into their creative right brain to think about new possibilities.
Stories inspire and motivate. Stories can inspire and motivate by connecting a goal or outcome to a larger purpose.
Stories make you memorable. People are more likely to remember information presented in a story, leading to better recall of key messages (or cats).
Stories build relationships. Sharing stories can build credibility and demonstrate the impact of your mahi, services, vision.
How to Create Stories that Achieve Outcomes
Ready to start crafting your own tales? Or a story to showcase your tīma or organisation?
Define your message. Clearly and simply state what you would like to achieve. Mention your mission, values, and vision. Make sure your story reflects what you stand for and your goals.
Be yourself. Use your life experiences, successes, and challenges. Tell us how you got to where you are today. Authentic stories resonate more and build trust.
Highlight strengths and success. Feature stories of your kaimahi that showcase their contributions, growth, and achievements. This makes the story of your team relatable and personal.
Show your impact. Demonstrate how your products or services make a difference in the lives of customers or the community. Connecting your mahi to a larger purpose increases buy-in.
Write your story together. If you're creating a story as a team or organisation, get kaimahi to share their own stories and experiences. This fosters a sense of ownership and involvement in the journey.
Be consistent. Ensure your story is consistently communicated. Consistency helps reinforce the message and build emotional engagement.
Use photos and videos. Use videos, images, and other visual elements to bring the story to life. Visual storytelling is more engaging and memorable.
Tell everyone about your achievements. Celebrate achievements and milestones with stories that reflect the mahi and dedication of you or your tīma. This creates a sense of shared success.
Focus on values. Emphasise your core values and how they guide actions and decisions. Stories that reflect values help people align with your message.
Create a call to action. End your story with a call to action that inspires people to contribute to the next chapter of your journey. Tuna's ended with a question, asking prospective adoptive families if they would be willing to love him. I vividly recall answering the question out loud, as though Tuna himself was asking me to love him. Talk about a powerful call to action - he came home with me that very day.
By creating and sharing your story, you communicate more effectively, build stronger relationships, and drive engagement and loyalty.
Stories are what get fat, boring, grey cats adopted.