Examples will get attention but Stories will get you affinity.
Samantha ( not her real name ) is a young researcher at a high-profile agency dealing with National threats.
I was curious about her role at the agency, so I asked her how she goes about doing research. She quickly responded that her sources are open sources like newspapers, articles, and magazines. Anything that is available to a common man is what she uses, the only difference being she reads those articles all day at work and gets paid to report the findings in specific domains like South East Asian Politics. Her research helps the leadership team make decisions and take action on any anticipated National threats.
After this brief exchange, I asked Samantha and three of her colleagues to list ways their work could be enhanced. Together, in one breath they all said – if we can get access to articles that are currently blocked by the paywall we could work so much better. I said, “ OK then let us build a story to influence your bosses to give you the funds to get access to articles that you believe can make your work better.”
I gave Samantha a few tips on how to build communication with her boss and this is what she came up with
“Last week we were tasked with researching a certain topic and writing a report, we then came across the paywall. We requested a university intern who used to work with us to use his/ her university access to download the article for us which was a cumbersome process. Please allocate funds for us to get access to download articles that are blocked by paywalls.”
Now this is a good example and may get your boss’s attention but to make a desired change happen you need affinity more than attention. Something that sticks. That stickiness is in a story.
And this is how Samantha communicated when she transitioned her example into a story
Book Update
If you are not new here you would know that my upcoming boom Strategic Storytelling published by The Hachette Book Group is launching in May this year. We are planning a few events leading up to the book launch. Please sign up here if you would like to be the first to know.
"I attended your story telling course some time back. And I've enjoyed keeping up my knowledge with your blog. You may not have realised however, that the Whole of Government is implementing Internet Seperation. Hence I'm not able to access the links to read your articles. Could I suggest including a QR code in your emails so that I can use my mobile to scan it and gain immediate access to the article? It would be most helpful"