As both actor and coach, the concept and the reality of Storytelling is close to my heart. How we use story and make sense of story is ever more crucial in organisations.
Something I have noticed over the past few years is an increasing incidence of people using the word Storytelling both within and to represent their work and, as language continually evolves, I find myself wondering what exactly it is that they mean – because the word has come to be used in so many ways. As a result of this I have come to the conclusion that there are some distinct categories that sit beneath the umbrella term “Storytelling” and which beg individual demarcation. Now, I recognise the terms below are my own definitions, however in the spirit of clarity I think they are worth sharing.
For example: Marketing departments will use the term Storytelling in the creation of their marketing plans and advertising schemes. I can see why this has caught on – it’s an imaginative, dare I say romantic, turn of phrase. But is Storytelling the right word here? In this case the term is being employed as a shorthand for a thematic congruence in your messaging, be that Strategic, Brand identity, Purpose narrative, etc.
These thematic through-lines naturally also appear in the written material produced by, and on the lips of, Comms departments. Alongside this they also seem to make frequent use of the term Storytelling to signify both their internal and external facing communications. I’d suggest here, what they’re actually describing is something far more akin to reportage. Yes, there is the communicating of “stories” but these take the form of articles, exposés, editorials that concern or describe the work of the organization or report on the current “state of play.” (David M. Boje, Storytelling Organisations, also suggests marking the distinction between these narratives and stories – however, I find the separation of narratives and stories problematic since people use the two terms synonymously).
In Appreciative Inquiry exercises, and frequently in facilitated workshops we encourage the telling of stories (In your groups share your stories of best practice, where have you seen/experienced X being done really well? Etc.) This is vital, powerful work. Is it Storytelling? In this case, I would offer that a more appropriate title for communicating these types of short-story/vignettes is less, Storytelling than story sharing.
In his book, Storytelling in Organisations, Yiannis Gabriel describes (among other examples) Storytelling within departments – especially informal interpersonal communications (the “water cooler” conversations). He designates these as organizational “Folklore”. I agree, it’s a notable difference. Given the descriptions offered and the mode in which information is being related it would seem that this too is more of a sharing than a telling and indeed has more in common with daily (organizational) gossip than Storytelling. Which is in no way to diminish the importance of such Folkore, as he explains, this use of story is one root of an organization’s culture.
Over the years, I have worked with Theatre Directors who have employed the term storytelling when describing the work of bringing script to stage and which was revealed (after some enquiring questions from the cast) to actually mean the overarching shape of the play’s narrative, Stanislavski would no doubt be quick to point out, in the theatre we talk about Objectives, goals, actions, obstacles and Super Objectives for characters’ development and narrative arcs for story progression.
And I think it’s certainly worth noting there has evolved a problem with the term itself: Storytelling. And this goes to the heart of the issue. The word is a noun. Which renders it inert. That appropriation of the word to denote thematic consistency in messaging or reportage, sharing vignettes, organizational folklore or narrative arcs has reduced the word itself to a descriptor which is confusing at best or at worst, contrived – we know what they mean when they talk about storytelling but it feels… abstract. Removed.
To me Story telling is far more akin to a verb – literally, the active telling (relating, speaking) of stories. And this through both verbal and non-verbal modes. Storytelling – by which I mean, the actual telling of stories – is a dynamic, performative exercise used to illustrate, engage, persuade, recruit and inspire an audience.
And that’s what I mean when I talk about storytelling. How we, as human beings, use story – whether that be company narrative, fairy-tale, myth, pop-culture reference or our own, lived experience – to ignite the minds of our listeners with rich, imaginative dialogue, brimming with rhetoric, loaded with meaning, and stuffed with metaphor – the language of change. It is the persuasive, compelling storytelling of Aristotle; that seeks to move us, to teach us, to pull back the veil and reveal its manifold secrets to us.
With so many different uses of the same word it is becoming increasingly important to decode within which particular manner the word is being used. And, as always, that will be a matter of context – who is using the word and why? Because if, once we’ve gathered who is doing the using, the meaning still remains unclear, it is undoubtedly worth asking: What do you mean by Storytelling here? And then… Is there, perhaps, a better word or phrase that might be more appropriate?
