Storytelling for internal comms: 6 tips to engage employees

Stories make us human. We tell them every day. For thousands of years, humans have relied on stories to communicate and connect. 

Research shows that chemicals like oxytocin – which is associated with empathy – are released in the brain when we’re told a story. And anyone working in internal communications will probably tell you that storytelling is an effective way to engage employees and build a sense of community within an organization.

These days, engaging employees is more important than ever. According to our research, people are disconnected, and company cultures are suffering. 

With many offices continuing to work in a hybrid and remote model, how can you foster a unified and inclusive culture? Having the right employee communications software in place is critical.

It’s obvious to say that storytelling can help keep people engaged, but how? Here are a few tips we’ve learned from talking to many of our customers working in internal communications.

Top 6 storytelling tips for internal communications

1. Make your stories relevant to your audience. That means answering this question: What’s in it for me? If there’s nothing in it for the reader, your message will fall flat. Or just plain ignored. You decide. Looking at your the analytics of your employee comms solution should give you a sense of things like collaboration and teamwork, and help you decide where to focus your internal communications.

2. Be honest and authentic. You know that person who likes to give you the spin? The silver lining when there really isn’t one? Don’t be that person. Be authentic and trustworthy. That means not being afraid to tackle the difficult topics in your organization. If there are issues, your organization should be prepared to fix them. Take steps to repair a toxic workplace.

3. Give thanks and be positive. Share stories that make employees feel good when they’ve gone above and beyond, worked hard, or are celebrating a milestone. Employee wellbeing is top of mind for every organization these days. Boost morale and put positive stories out there. The right employee communication software will have features that make it easy to recognize employees and for coworkers to praise each other.

4. Get personal. If you have a personal story you can share that will help build a connection with your audience, do it, because it’s important in getting your message across. The pandemic gave us a window into the home lives of work colleagues. Kids and pets walked in on video calls. Sharing personal stories – and inviting others to do the same – can help bring humanity to your communications. Sadly, 23% of employees struggle with feeling a sense of camaraderie with coworkers. Internal communications can play a part in building that camaraderie.

5. Consider your tone. If your communication feels like a corporate snooze fest, guess what? You’ll lose your audience. Of course, check the tone of your communications to make sure you’re speaking to your employees in a way that’s appropriate. We have several customers in financial services – an industry that’s typically more ‘traditional’ in terms of their culture and communications – and they come to us looking to help them improve their internal communications and build stronger communities.

6. Bring your stories to life. A picture says a thousand words, right? Tell your stories visually with videos and images. Built-in AI tools can help make this easier. 20% of employees today struggle to feel connected and engaged with their work. Communicate with them in ways that will get their attention and help boost that engagement with your content.

Want to learn more?

Check out this video with internal comms expert Joanna Parsons on how Appspace AI can help improve your internal comms game.

And to see what Appspace can do for your internal communications, book a demo today.