10 storytelling benefits to boost your professional life

Storytelling is great art!  It’s entertaining, can be used to educate, and more.  Are you gifted with the skill or perhaps desire to work on improving it?  Read my article to see how embracing it can help boost your professional life. 

On my self-improvement blog, I’m always sharing self-help ideas that I’ve found beneficial and can help my readers.

Importance

Storytelling is one wonderful way to not only bring across your message and ideas but at the same time create imagination.  The other person or group of persons can visualize, maybe even relate to it from experience, and put themselves in the character’s shoes and better understand.  It’s a great learning experience.

Here’s my list:

1. Creative writing

One popular example is creative writing.  It often takes the form of novels, biographies, short stories, and poems.  Bloggers can find it helpful, especially those who write fiction and stories.  Successful authors of many books have mastered it.

If you enjoy fantasy and narrative works, then embrace it as a hobby or even take it professionally.  Learning the skills is the first step, and practising to improve gradually is a journey full of self-improvement.  Have fun and grow personally.

2. Digital storytelling

While text-only is often seen as traditional, digital modes are very common.  From videos to social media, visioning the whole scenario is often more convenient than reading.   Popular platforms for publishing include YouTube, Instagram, and other social media channels.

I enjoy both reading and videos but have to admit that compared to my school days, I do read less and watch more.  However, blogging is my passion, and I also value a good paper book from time to time.  Keeping my devices away while I relish and revisit some old fiction books is a special time.

3. Podcasting

Audio through podcasts is convenient and time-saving.  If you’re the audible type, you may enjoy listening compared to other modes.  Did you listen to bedtime stories as a child?

I sometimes find it hard to concentrate if I’m doing other things while listening to a podcast episode.  Multitasking can be a mess and even stressful.  I can have soft, light music on, though.

4. Communications

Share ideas and experiences that others can relate to.  A work of imagination can support in illustration your points, and improve communication skills.  Messages can have a better impact when the receiver identifies with what’s being told.

On my self-improvement blog, I don’t write fiction.  However, to some extent, I illustrate my ideas to show what I mean.  Even though I share how-to articles, illustrations do go a long way.

5. Marketing

If you’re a business person, then you must agree with the benefits of storytelling.  How do you present your brand, what’s behind it, and what about your products or services?  Innovating and improvising to cater to your ideal clients, is of course a crucial part.

I studied in the field of Business Administration and after some years in the corporate world, moved to be my own boss.  I currently work with a company in sales/marketing and also blog here, at Tips from Sharvi.  Showing your prospects how they’ll benefit from your offer, is not a fake thing.  Being genuine will always bring the best long-term results.

6. Negotiation

Do you negotiate in your professional life?  If you’re not in sales or normally don’t meet clients or external stakeholders, then perhaps you don’t do much of it.  However, even in everyday life, you’ll sometimes see the benefits of such skills.  

7. Persuasion

From negotiating to using tact, convincing, persuading, and influencing, connecting with the other person/s to make them see what’s in it for them is key.  There needs to be a genuine mutual gain or a win-win situation.  In certain cases, only one party will gain while the other will have to lose.  Hopefully, everyone has an advantage, and to show that gracefully, illustrate it carefully.

8. Leadership

A leader has a vision, sets goals, and supports the team in progressing towards success.  Much of his or her responsibility involves keeping the team motivated.  Through examples and illustrations of success stories, athletes, as well as anyone else can learn to persevere and survive.  Giving up is not an option.  A true leader supports and encourages everyone.

9. Networking

Pre-lockdown period, physical networking events were a common thing.  Now, online events are primordial, more than ever.  If you remind yourself how you approached people at venues before, can you find the best ways you felt connected to certain people more than others?

In my case, I find that certain people were more interesting to talk to when we had things in common.  For example, at a presentation I attended, a lady was sitting next to me.  We started talking and realized that we had once volunteered at the same NGO (a common interest).  This is a real-life thing, but I relate it to storytelling because our conversation went on to include our activities in the process.

10. Presentations

During presentations, using great visuals and graphics is primordial.  Your slides should be minimalistic while you speak to communicate your ideas and points.  Once more, show the right things and talk to make a great connection.  

Conclusion

To sum up, storytelling has numerous benefits.  It can better support you in different scenarios, professionally.  Do you make use of it for the better, and would like to comment below?  If you find my article helpful, please share it for others to see.  Thank you!!

Featured photo credit: Photo by Karolina Grabowska on Pexels.com