What You Can Learn From Story Hour

Remember when you were in kindergarten and it was time to roll out your mats and the teacher would read you a story? Or maybe before you got tucked into bed a parent, sibling, or sitter read to you?

We grew up on stories

These were the life lessons, the promises, dreams, fantasies, and fun that filled our little heads. I hear grown ups from time to time reference a child’s story to make a point. Children’s stories are universal. We all heard them and we all remember what they meant. Stories are a part of us. Stories are what nurture our culture, carry on our moral code, deliver us to a better place and offer us an escape.

I am suggesting a story hour in your company

Are you thinking, ‘Hmmm, she finally lost her mind’? Well you might be right -but believe it or not, this could be the right thing for your business. It is the emotional connection that buyers have that motivates them. Story telling is one of the best ways to connect with customers and prospects and blogs are a great way to share those stories.

So order in the milk and cookies for a company story hour – mats are optional. Get staff from every department involved. Open the discussion for anyone to share a story about their job, a customer, or colleague interaction, or a personal revelation they had on the job. I would suggest that you preface story hour with a basic rule: it is not a complaint session but a time to share something learned, an experience that speaks to what the company means to them, or a positive experience with a customer. Maybe even when something went wrong and how they turned things around so that the outcome was great.

Capture these stories

Capture them on video or audio, and transcribe them. Then share the story hour on your YouTube channel, your website, and blog. What great material this will make!

Beyond the great material, you might be surprised at some of the added benefits. You might be surprised what you learn about your company and your employees. And the positive and enlightening stories are viral and contagious. I do believe that this would do wonders for employee morale as much as it would for prospects and clients alike.