{"id":101384,"date":"2023-05-01T16:37:00","date_gmt":"2023-05-01T20:37:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=101384"},"modified":"2023-05-08T14:07:13","modified_gmt":"2023-05-08T18:07:13","slug":"corporate-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/corporate-story\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Your Company Needs a Corporate Story & How to Craft One"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Do you talk about your company’s timeline, only to have people tune out? How well do people know the journey that your organization is on?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In his book Unleash the Power of Storytelling<\/a><\/em>, Rob Biesenbach contends that you can make any message much more compelling by simply telling a story. He shares his practical template for a narrative that explains your company’s history, mission, and values in an engaging way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read on to learn the importance of a corporate story and how to create one for your organization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Your Corporate Story<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When you need to talk about your company and the work you do, a great story plays a crucial role in holding your audience\u2019s interest<\/strong>. Biesenbach explains that businesses, nonprofits, and other organizations need an \u201corigin story\u201d that presents their history and purpose and humanizes the people behind the scenes. A corporate story is more compelling and memorable than a dry corporate timeline, which typically just lists dates and milestones without a narrative arc to connect them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: Not everyone thinks that a company\u2019s origin story is the important one to tell. Writer John Hagel III thinks that a story is too self-contained<\/a> because it has an ending. He suggests that in a corporate context, narratives should be about the customer, not the company, and advocates for creating a narrative<\/a> where the resolution is dependent on the listener\u2019s actions\u2014which can create a compelling call to action.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you\u2019re telling a corporate story, you need to tailor the story to what the company can do for the audience<\/strong>. Like any good story, this kind of story<\/a> needs a relatable character and a clear theme. Biesenbach notes you should pick just one value proposition<\/a> to focus on rather than trying to address everything the company does. Many company origin stories follow a familiar pattern, which you can adapt: <\/p>\n\n\n\n