Reflection – Storytelling

Challenge

I am a Channel Manager of a top 3 bank here in the Philippines and my first task on the job was to create a webinar for payroll customers to onboard them in our internet banking platform. Looking at previous webinars, the company used a linear approach in which they just provided the step-by-step process on signing up and on how to use the different features of the platform. Even though highly educational, I found the webinar a run-of-the-mill and somewhat

monotonous.

Selection

In one of the online boot camps I attended, it was described that to sell your ideas or products, story telling gets the highest level of engagement from the audience as it provides a more casual and conversational tone. True enough, as with every story, there’s always a conflict and resolution that keeps the audience up in their seats and leaves a lasting impression.

Application

Since I was tasked to create a webinar at the height of quarantine here in the country, I used the storytelling technique instead of the linear approach of how-to’s in order to convey an authentic message that will capture the hearts of the audience. I anchored the emotional aspect the audience experienced at those times, juxtaposing it with the benefit of using the online platform. The conflict started when I identified that most of the audience are working from home and tend to perceive that they had more ‘free’ time with their hands but in reality, they tend to do more work than ever. People do more chores, help their kids in their online classes, and end up doing more things, leaving them more stressful than ever. This is where I pivot and provided that the benefit of going online leads to being more efficient in their tasks and making more meaningful tasks for a day. Instead of the normal webinar on how-to sign-up in the online platform, I instead focus on the benefit that internet banking will provide in the daily lives of the audience. Instead of teaching them what are the steps on how to pay their bills or to send money to another person, I instead quantify the amount of time they can save in doing these things online instead of visiting the bank’s branches.

Insight & Approach

Using the storytelling tool in conveying the importance of going online and using our online platform gave us positive feedback and created a bigger impact from the audience. It indeed created a higher level of engagement as the audience asked more questions than before and they tended to enroll or sign-up immediately as they saw the importance of using it on a personal level rather than just a tool to make their lives easier.

Indeed, storytelling tools will be used by us moving forward. However, one thing to note is that certain stories work only on certain audiences. It is not a one-size-fits-all. One story can work well to senior managers but will not work for junior managers or rank and file since their emotional needs are different from each other. As a design thinker, it is best to prepare to iterate a story to tailor-fit to the specific need of the audience.

