Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
Years ago, I heard a speaker talk in regards to the 4 principles of telling great stories. They’re: 1) be truthful, 2) stay positive, 3) be succinct, and 4) show growth. I try to recollect them each time I’m telling a story.
Storytelling is an amazing technique to share experiences, convey information, and show values. As I used to be pondering of storytelling and these principles, it jogged my memory that we will use stories to interact employees. The principles of engagement are based upon truth, positivity, effectiveness, efficiency, and a desire to maneuver forward. So the 2 concepts are very much aligned.
The explanation I desired to mention storytelling and engagement today is because I recently got my hands on two books focused on stories. The primary one is known as “Unsung Heroes: The Untold Story of HR” by our friends Alex Alonso and Nancy Woolever on the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and “HR Like a Boss: Your Guide to Amazingly Awesome HR” by John Bernatovicz. Now you is perhaps saying, “Hey! I assumed we were talking about worker engagement. These sound like HR books.” Yes, they’re HR books. And HR professionals are employees. Sometimes we forget that we’d like engagement too.
I assumed each books do an amazing job of sharing stories to show the worth of storytelling. So I wanted to stipulate the five varieties of stories you should use to create engagement (with examples).
Stories in regards to the organization’s history. SHRM’s “Unsung Heroes” book is a celebration of the 75th Anniversary of the organization. One in all the sections within the book is devoted to insights from former SHRM leaders and board leaders. It was great to see their insights today against the backdrop of their history with the organization.
As human resources professionals, not only should we all know in regards to the history of our career, but we should always also know the history of the place we work. Years ago, I worked for an airline and one among the primary stories employees heard was in regards to the founder. He was the guy “who sold you the ticket, put your bags on the plane, after which flew the plane.” We told the story during recruiting fairs, in orientation, etc. The story not only gave you a history lesson nevertheless it told you something in regards to the company’s founding principles and values.
Stories explaining how decisions are made. Speaking of founding principles and values, I enjoyed the chapter in Bernatovicz’s “HR Like a Boss” titled “What do bosses care about?”. Yes, it talks about data, numbers, and profits. But it surely also talks about emotional intelligence. They should not mutually exclusive.
For instance, the identical airline I discussed above was looking to save lots of some serious expenses. So as an alternative of just cutting the budget, they went to employees and explained the situation. The organization created a suggestion contest that financially rewarded employees for developing ideas that either increased revenue or reduced expenses. The result positively impacted the organization within the hundreds of thousands and employees were a component of the answer.
Stories about employees delivering exceptional service. One in all the stories within the “Unsung Heroes” book is about an worker who gets right into a automotive accident. The HR department talks to the worker’s family about their advantages because the worker is incapacitated. They go the additional mile to be sure that the worker is concentrated on their recovery, not fighting with insurance firms. And when that worker was able to return to work, they created a job for them, which ultimately led to a position in human resources.
The ”worker” on this story … is me. I used to be so fortunate to work for an organization that had a unbelievable HR department that cared. Plenty of organizations say they’re worker centric but don’t show it when times are tough. This company did and I won’t forget it.
Stories about how employees interact with one another. Relationship constructing is a key competency for human resources professionals. This storytelling is essential since it helps us communicate information and sell our ideas. In “HR Like a Boss”, Bernatovicz spends a while talking about superficial relationship constructing and the necessity to do higher. I actually thought his tackle being “more quality and fewer quantity” was spot on.
Candidates and employees immediately notice relationships – each the great and never so good. As an illustration, a lot of the organizations I’ve worked for have used some type of collaborative hiring, where teams were formed to strategize and recruit. One in all the things I’ve learned is that individuals immediately sense if the recruiting team is actually a team. They will tell by the best way the team members interact and by the stories they share in regards to the organization.
Stories about what the longer term holds. I grew up in Orlando, Florida throughout the time that Walt Disney World was being built. There was a television show called “The Wonderful World of Disney” where Walt Disney himself would share with viewers a sneak peek into the development of Walt Disney World. I remember watching him explain EPCOT for the primary time. Organizations today have a robust technique to share their stories directly with consumers using mobile, social media, and video.
While none of us know exactly what the longer term looks like, we do have hopes, dreams, and expectations. There are several stories in “Unsung Heroes” from individuals who were following their passion and located it. There’s a chapter in “HR Like a Boss” about becoming a force of nature. The purpose is a lot of these stories tell candidates, employees, and even customers who we’re. They permit people to see what the corporate is de facto all about. They create a way of organizational “community.” And so they create engagement.
P.S. You possibly can pick up copies of “Unsung Heroes: The Untold Story of HR” by Alex Alonso and Nancy Woolever and “HR Like a Boss: Your Guide to Amazingly Awesome HR” by John Bernatovicz either on the SHRM Store website or via Amazon.
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