Want Employees To Remember Their Job Functions?

Ever had a friend that people naturally gravitate towards? No matter what the situation is, people in th room will naturally form a circle around this person and soak up everything they say. Chances are, that person was a great storyteller. A good friend of mine, Dave, is one such person in my life. I find myself talking less and really taking things in when he’s around. The guy just knows how to tell a story.

I read an article recently that reminded me just how powerful stories are and that got me thinking: Are we using stories to communicate with employees and job candidates, or do we just read them a list of job functions and expect them to get excited about 40+ hours a week from that?

Of course, you start with job functions, but that should be the foundation you build from – not the end. Why not surround that list of duties with a compelling story? Think of how much more powerful your job postings will be if a candidate can place them self as the hero of your story? Think of the motivation you can help conjure up when you tell an employee’s job functions within the story of your company’s success?

Even as I typed that last paragraph, I found myself typing with enthusiasm and even found myself leaning into my keyboard as if the passion of what I was thinking would transfer from my fingers to the keyboard to your screen. Simply thinking about telling a story caused expression to flow out.

Here’s the article I mentioned: http://blog.bufferapp.com/science-of-storytelling-why-telling-a-story-is-the-most-powerful-way-to-activate-our-brains

So what’s your company’s story and how can you make your employees the hero?