Stories are a powerful method of communicating and connecting with those you know. They can bring you close to the friends and family you share the story with. They have a way of taking you to another place and joining in on the experience another person went through. Storytelling is something we start practicing at a young age with our family and friends… figuring out the best way to deliver that moving story.
Storytelling is also powerful when it comes to talking with those interested in your organization and its mission. Stories on your website can help show them a bigger picture of how your organization runs and how they can get involved to help make a difference too. They are also beneficial when it comes to talking with current and potential donors in email messages.
To begin understanding what is needed for creating a great story, it helps to look at the three components that encourage a reader to act: the character, conflict and resolution.
The character of your story should be those you serve. This character does not have to be a real person you have helped, though it absolutely can be. For some organizations that cannot share a direct story of those they serve, there is still a way to tell their story… and that’s by creating a character that embodies those you most commonly serve.
The conflict lays out the problem your character is experiencing and must find a way to overcome. It looks at the challenges they are experiencing and how they feel about them. Readers want to be drawn into the story and why it’s being told.
The resolution tells readers about how your organization works to address the conflict of the character. This is where you can tell about what you do to fix the conflict and how the character feels after they received help from your organization.
Now that we have had a chance to look at the components of the overall story design, let’s look at the elements that get a reader engaged and motivated to help make a difference.
Entertaining
The story should pull the reader into the experience. For your organization, that can look like talking about a different character in each story and how they are were before and after getting your help with their conflict. When you engage the readers with your story, they are likely to stay around to find out what happens next.
Educational
Stories need to also have an element of learning. Education in your story can come in the form of telling how many others, like your character, are dealing with the same conflict. It can also come in the form of telling how the reader can make a difference by helping in the resolution of another character’s story. By helping the reader learn something, you increase the chances of them remembering and telling others.
Relatable
The story needs to have a universal element in it. By that I mean the reader needs to have a way to connect with the story on an emotional level. Whether they have personally gone through the same experience, they know someone that went through it, or maybe only connect on a small element inside the story… a powerful story happens when the reader can relate to the experience being told.
Organized
Quality storytelling has a solid direction It is taking. If your story starts to wonder around and take a long time to get to the point, then the reader is likely to get distracted or lose interest in what you tell them. By keeping your story focused on the end goal, it helps keep on track with your purpose.
Memorable
Think about the stories that you remember the best… what are some of the different things that helped you remember them? They likely had some humor, inspiration… maybe scandal in the story. Those same elements can be used in your stories about your character, whether you use one or several of those elements together.
In Conclusion
Whether you are telling a story to a close friend or something that has shown interest in your organization’s mission, storytelling is a powerful way to deliver a message. Though there are many different, it’s best to remember the key to it all is the emotions created. By remembering to entwine the right emotions for your character, it’s conflict and your resolution, you are a big step closer to a powerful story that people will remember and share with others.
