C1 - Internal use

Storytelling in a big company

Challenge   I am working in a big corporation. Although its size, there are plenty room for innovations and for  projects, which can go far behind the standard processes. Individuality and engagement is more than  welcome. But it is always necessary to persuade right people and to create cooperation across  departments. Especially if you are at starting position just few months after finishing university. The  company is in FMCG market, so there is big pressure for looking for improvements. But speaking  about persuading the people and creating right cooperation, story telling is necessary.

Selection   The storytelling is a very useful tool, where someone needs to persuade other people to support his  ideas. It is also the way how to make people listen. According to the video, speaker has usually only  20% listeners attention. Storytelling is the way how to get more. How to create the energy, the  passion into the story and how to get people involved and engaged to help me with my idea. Also  storytelling can be only the ordinary way how to hand over the information or the story in very  attractive way. Storytelling is also following every brand, which has to have some story for giving  added value to the customer.

Story, or the way of speaking has to be designated to the audience. The story has to be tailor made.  The architecture of the story has to be clear and simple. It must be easy to follow and not to get lost.  Every brick has to be followed by the proper brick to step by step build the house. We should take  also the strongest information to create the story around. And make some question unanswered.

Story telling in design thinking has very useful mission. It is tell the people that there is some problem  and then show them that we have solution.

Application   In my company there was problem with hiring university students for internships and to develop  them for the full time position. Most of them left the company after internship. So it was wasting  time and money. Also the company had very negative reputation. According to many people, who  had some friends at the position interns had to work overtimes and the salary was poor.  Also interns  were only support for managers, there was no mentoring and after internship, interns were not able  to work independently at full time positions. There had to be something done. I took the challenge  and during my internship I wanted to change it.

I set up the meeting with HR manager and gave her fair feedback to the internship. I build the story,  which included stories that I heard before about the company, my experience as an intern and I  showed the solution. Also I put accent into consequences, which the manager already knew. I  basically helped him to find the solution for long lasting problem with hiring talents and also made  my internship more attractive and useful.

Insights   My approach helped me to think more about the message that has to be send. Very useful is not to  just help to solve my problem but also to solve the key stakeholder problem. To help him to shine.  Than he is very helpful and fast in acting. This stakeholder fully attracted by the story than goes to up  through the hierarchy and getting another key stakeholders, so the idea is very quickly supported by  all key persons (the management).

C1 - Internal use

Approach  I wouldn’t do anything differently next time. I made sure that other interns would have similar  feedback to help to achieve bigger pressure to the HR management. In few months the change came  100% same as I suggested.

