3 Ways to Share Impact Stories
they're perhaps the best way to illustrate why what you do matters
“We need to do more with impact stories!” one of the people in a Zoom square adamantly declared.
I listened in on a meeting in place of one of my team members.
“That’s how we tell our story,” the person continued. “We share impact stories.”
I don’t disagree with this statement at all; I do, however, doubt that we all define impact stories the same way.
The goal of impact storytelling is to communicate what is, not what you hope will happen. Impact stories illustrate what you help your people achieve and who you help them become.
There are four types of impact stories, and those that center on the people you serve — your customers or beneficiaries — are the ones most people are referring to when they say “impact stories.”
These stories walk through the person's (or company's if you're B2B) transformation journey. That’s what humanizes your impact and grounds it in reality.
Let’s assume for a moment that you have some of these stories written down or otherwise recorded in a way that allows you to share them.
Now what?
Here are 3 ways to use these stories:
1. At the beginning of a meeting
Okay, not every single meeting you hold but sharing one or two of these stories at the beginning of town halls or routine update meetings helps to keep you focused on what matters.
2. In places your team can find them
Put links to these stories in documentation, in Slack, on posters — anywhere that makes coming across them almost inevitable. They serve as a motivating reminder of why you're doing what you're doing.
3. As the way you share your value
You can list features and services all day long, but what your prospective customers want to know is how you're going to improve their life. While your story answers that question, impact stories communicate it best because they tell the story of one real person. We not only more easily understand these stories but can identify with them.
How do you use your impact stories?
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