Frequently asked questions

The Corporate Story receives many requests for widely varying information - hopefully you'll find the answers to your questions here - if not please contact us.

What is The Corporate Story Ltd?
Is this service only for major corporations?
Why is corporate storytelling so important?
What is special about story in a corporate context?
What types of corporate story exist?
Is The Corporate Story's approach simply about developing new stories?
Is The Corporate Story focused entirely on corporate storytelling?
Are these services only for groups, or can individuals benefit from them too?
In what types of situation can The Corporate Story's services be of use?
Is this approach purely top-down or does it take into account the views of key stakeholders?

What is The Corporate Story Ltd?
The Corporate Story is a PR consultancy. We help organisations articulate what they stand for. And we help them communicate this to their key stakeholders – internal and external.
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Is this service only for major corporations?
The Corporate Story’s clients include major corporations, but every organisation has its communal or corporate story to tell. This applies as much to start-up companies as to public-sector and not-for-profit organisations.
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Why is corporate storytelling so important?
Stories are a hugely efficient way of constructing meaning, creating relationships and defining purpose. It is no coincidence that jokes, parables and fairy-tales tend to have the same deep structures and that these structures have a perennial power to fascinate. To get your ‘story’ across, there is no better way than actually telling a story.
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What is special about story in a corporate context?
Any large organisation will be full of stories – some official, some unofficial, some positive and some negative. A company’s annual report is an attempt to tell the story of its financial year in a transparent and accountable manner. Its press releases, Intranet and notice boards and many other vehicles all contribute to the corporate story. But the most important feature of a corporate story is that it is likely to be remembered – even long after the key names, facts and figures have been forgotten. The stories of an organisation’s past successes and failures can continue for decades to shape its future.
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What types of corporate story exist?
There are a number of broad categories of story which are of especial significance in a corporate context. These include:

• Myths of origin – The stories about how an organisation came into being, its founding fathers, its principles, its first struggles and triumphs. Many of the values of an organisation will be derived – consciously or unconsciously – from these myths of origin.
• Corporate prophecies – The predictions made about an organisation’s future, which often reference stories from the past or stories about other organisations. Frequently a gap exists between the prophecies of senior management and those of observers, whether inside or outside the organisation. When this gap is too large, a crisis of credibility ensues. This can be extremely damaging.
• War stories – The stories told about the heroes of an organisation, past and present. These characteristically feature individuals confronting a dilemma. How they resolve that dilemma provides a pattern for the rest of the organisation. War stories are frequently referenced during times of crisis to help people establish priorities and make decisions. They are also often used when inducting new recruits.
• Archived narratives – The stories that a company has collected, presented and stored in order to track its history and explain its development. The instability that has characterised corporate life in the past quarter-century has rendered much of this information inaccessible, as companies have changed names and organisational structure and corporate archives have been split up or closed down. Companies wishing to communicate their track record – in safety, for instance, or in equal opportunities policy – need to be able to access and leverage the key stories from the past.
• Gossip and rumour – Don’t say I told you so, but this is the most powerful means of communication in any organisation … An understanding of the rumour mill is essential to the development of any communication strategy. It may be used, it may be deliberately ignored, but it should always be taken into account.
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Is The Corporate Story's approach simply about developing new stories?
Story-telling has many functions in corporate life. It can help communicate a new strategy or introduce a new management team. It can also help articulate an organisation’s brand. Some of the most powerful stories in an organisation’s life are the stories of how that organisation came into being. In the context of large companies, these stories can be decades old and handed down from generation to generation. Understanding the new stories in the context of the old is key to an effective communication strategy.
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Is The Corporate Story focused entirely on corporate storytelling?
The power of story is crucial to effective communication, whether in the classroom, the marketplace or the boardroom. For this reason we look at client organisations through the lens of story. In developing corporate narrative, we use a range of techniques, including:

• Research
  • Audience segmentation
  • Quantitative analysis
  • Qualitative analysis
  • Benchmarking
    
• Communication strategy development
  • Message development
  • Facilitated brainstorms, workshops and away-days
  • Communication planning and evaluation
  • Communication mentoring and training
    
• Narrative development
  • Story research
  • Writing and editing
  • Archive development
    
• Story delivery
  • Speechwriting
  • Presentation development
  • Presentation training and rehearsal

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Are these services only for groups, or can individuals benefit from them too?
The Corporate Story’s approach is scaleable – i.e. it can be applied on a small scale or a large scale equally. Thus the basic steps of research, strategy development, narrative development and narrative delivery can be used to support either an individual, a team, a division or an entire organisation.
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In what types of situation can The Corporate Story's services be of use?
Whenever an organisation needs to explain itself, the services of The Corporate Story may be of help. This applies both to internal communications (for example, an employee road show) and to external communications (for instance, a press conference). Developing a story that is arresting, credible and persuasive and delivering that story to an engaged audience is the key to all good communication. Further situations in which The Corporate Story can help include the appointment of new management, the communication of a new strategy, the rebranding of an organisation, or the introduction of new products, processes and policies.
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Is this approach purely top-down or does it take into account the views of key stakeholders?
All good communication is based on dialogue. The best speakers create the impression in the minds of their listeners that they are addressing each individually. Thus the views, expectations and requirements of key stakeholder groups should always be taken into account when developing any form of communication. Story can be used to identify and compare the attitudes of diverse groups. Through asking people to tell their version of an organisation’s story it is possible to map out a company’s positioning in great detail. This mapping of the status quo is the first requirement of any new positioning.

If you have further questions, please email them to:

jonathan.steffen@corporatestory.co.uk

We will be delighted to answer them.

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