The Objective Of Storytelling In Project Management

It’s not about telling a story but delivering the right message. How can project managers efficiently leverage the power of storytelling?

Almost 18 years ago, Steve Jobs revolutionized the phone – by surprise-launching the first-ever iPhone. It was during the Macworld convention in San Francisco in 2007 that Jobs was set to announce three new products, preceded by a robust media build-up.

The presentation resonated with the audience so strongly, that the Apple CEO has been titled a “master showman” until today. He starts by convincing the audience why they should listen to him and how it matters to them. There was suspense, anticipation, and lingering before the big reveal.

Storytelling – the deeply ingrained kernel of marketing.

Was it a phone? An iPod? An internet communications device? What was it going to be? It was all bunched in masterful storytelling. Jobs then breaks his usual pattern and reveals that the list he mentions doesn’t entail three different models but one new product.

Why is this day still rooted in the audience’s minds? The power of storytelling, especially when harnessed during interactions puts the audience in a delirium. And with Apple establishing itself as one of the most prominent tech giants, this moment has transcended time.

Since the dawn of time, storytelling can influence behaviors and attitudes – it persuades and convinces its audiences. Apple knew their new product would transform the market forever, but it was all in Jobs’ hands to intrigue their buyers – it was a well-evaluated marketing technique.

Today’s market is plagued with a never-diminishing thirst for content, even during the momentary flicks of content fatigue. However, have we ever analyzed how much of the published content actually receives engagement? According to a report, prospective clients spend an average of 8.5 minutes viewing stationary content, such as blogs, whitepapers, and eBooks.

There is content-centered noise rampant across the market, how do brands usually attempt to stand out? By harnessing their inherent uniqueness.

Storytelling helps weave this into a structure that can be leveraged to build an emotional connection.

Doesn’t a business reorganization or project planning require convincing the decision-makers and stakeholders?

HBR states that most high-level executives lack the act of communication, let alone instilling any sort of inspiration. Corporate jargon or intellectual rhetoric is significant but cannot always drive a conversation. What does impact the heart then? – integrating an intellectual idea with emotions.

And this is where storytelling becomes the crux of business activities.

But it’s not as simple as telling something. There have to be specific ingredients churned into the content and the implementation:

1. Make it memorable and compelling
2. Instill emotional power
3. Entails detailed insight
4. Not too much information
5. Good use of imagination

The final product should align with the conventional principles of good storytelling – Freytag’s Pyramid.

Through the purview of project management,

• Exposition: Introduces the main elements – project definition
• Inciting Incident: The conflict – the business challenges it’s addressing
• Rising Action: The “wrong” decision – potential conflicts the project may face
• Climax: the key message or the project vision
• Falling Action: Aftermath – what’s in store for the stakeholders and business-wide benefits?
• Resolution or Denouement: the conclusion – how will the project impact the business’ growth curve?

Business or not, there’s something unique regarding storytelling itself. Kendall Haven brings this to the readers’ attention in his book Super Simple Storytelling (2000) – storytelling is uniquely human.

When complex and ambiguous ideas are threaded into a story, the context helps unknot them into the form of natural fiber – in much simpler words, these complicated ideas become comprehensible.

This characteristic of storytelling is an integral component of effective communication, meanwhile, the latter is what a successful project is entirely based on.

Project management requires storytelling to wheel through.

Project creation to execution necessitates different levels of expertise and perspectives from the decision-makers. Various input helps the project’s effectiveness and elevates the probability of a project’s success. But bridging the communication gaps could be a bugger – storytelling might help rebuild this divide.

When the project manager has a specific vision and direction to curate a project, how does a stakeholder realize and instill their belief in it?

Storytelling isn’t just for the kids and spans beyond fiction. At the nucleus, it’s about making someone believe in what you have to say, and in the case of stakeholders, making them accept what’s in it for them. It has to personally communicate the “why” to them and evoke the right emotions.

Communicating with an audience is in itself an art of storytelling.

What about the technical aspects of storytelling?

There are specific ways that storytelling is leveraged, but does it work well for all forms of content?

Project management involves such diverse and in-depth branches – from project planning to execution and performance measuring – that it’s easy to get distracted. But storytelling grabs the listeners’ attention.

However, there are different phases to project management. It doesn’t merely include a presentation or a simple meeting. When the goal is to gain funding and recognizable positive reactions, the components to keep in mind are ample.

The project manager needs to consider the different possibilities (responses and conflict scenarios), the space where the communication is held, verbal and non-verbal messages, and the intended meaning as opposed to the perceived meaning, etc.

Furthermore, according to PMI,

“Only 7% of our communication is verbal—the content of our communication. Thirty-eight percent is conveyed through the quality of voice—tone, volume, speed, and pitch. Fifty-five percent is through posture, movements, gestures, facial expressions, breathing, and skin-color changes.”

This is where storytelling becomes a saving grace for businesses, especially in project management.

Applications of storytelling in project management

“You need to know how many and what kind of stories would generate momentum and demonstrate progress,” says a Forbes article on the power of storytelling.

This applies to different stages of project management as well.

1. Mapping project definition and vision

In the first part, defining the project is crucial. Project managers have to outline their attributions, challenges, and objectives. These elements will provide a base for a story – the project vision.

Beyond the technicalities, this instills a human aspect to the project, helping connect the vision between the primary and the additional stakeholders. It’s a crucial tool to address any challenges that might materialize while developing the story, even before the project has begun.

Because this initial stage includes persuasion and selling the vision effectively to acquire buy-in from stakeholders.

What’s better than leveraging dopamine production storytelling imbibes within us?

It’s not merely a fluke.

This has been proven through neuroscience research. It syncs the storyteller’s brain with the listener’s, which is called neural coupling. Through this connection, the listener feels they are present in the story themselves – bridging the boundary between imagination and reality.

So, storytelling calms the wandering mind, demanding attention. This is why it’s the right time to communicate the key message or a call to action. By outlining this at the right time in the story, its effect is emphasized and significantly boosted.

2. Building effective relationships

Second, to implement the vision as it is – from the beginning – different teams should mark the common objectives and streamline their paths. By effectively coming together, they can bring different perspectives and negotiate smoothly to negate conflicts.

Because project management is not only about working on a task together – its crux is embedded in the need to cooperate and build relationships. And this is foreseen by project managers.

Storytelling enhances their capabilities – inciting personalization into the entire process and simplifying any complexities. Hence, it depends on the process – how it affects the relationship between the managers and other involved parties.

Does it boost the strength? How does it affect the project? What is the purpose of the story?

If the story is meticulously planned and implemented, it can foster trust and connection between the two parties. Through this, project managers can establish a long-lasting relationship that works successfully for future projects. The personas that have created the bond will transform from a tactical or formal one to become fruitful and lasting.

Once this has been determined, it’s simpler to clarify any ambiguities, resolve conflicts, fulfill resolutions, and deter vagueness.

3. The project’s message?

The integral component of communication or storytelling is the same – a key message. Before the project is deemed successful or a story is communicated, curating the message is the primary step. This becomes the third vital aspect.

In project management, what does it comprise? The project’s purpose, intended action, and the call to action. It should maintain its originality, emotional appeal, catchiness, and memorable aspect.

Significantly, the message is the crucial facet of the storytelling process, but one that aligns with the business value and mission statement.

There’s a specific reaction or emotion every message hopes to evoke. Good storytelling keeps the listeners engaged and emotionally speaks to them.

So, it’s not easy to develop a message that equally resonates with everyone. To some extent, storytelling offers a multi-purpose approach. Its different corners acknowledge the varied viewpoints and help deliver it in several ways. In project management, it can help convince, inform, and inspire by adding authenticity.

If the message is personal or familiar, it can spark recognition in the stakeholders meanwhile, fresh stories can provide a unique angle. Stories work both ways. It significantly depends on the audience and how the message is delivered.

4. Are your listeners hearing what you want them to?

This urges the need to ask – how well do you know the audience involved in the project? As the project manager, one should map the different characteristics that result in the variable ways the parties take in the message.

The next phase is understanding who your listeners are.

People don’t merely act on reason – their actions include a bunch of thinking and decision-making that isn’t decipherable by everyone. The decisions also depend on specific social and cultural cues, which vary from person to person. It’s crucial to underline which traits, backgrounds, requirements, and interests might influence whether a stakeholder shows inherent intent in a project.

It’s never quite known what speaks to an individual. But the challenging task is this – fanning out a single message to different stakeholders. Does the curated vision convey the same message to all of them?

Hence, studying your audience beforehand for engaging storytelling is significant. It’ll establish attributes and growth direction that they are interested in. When their own stories are mirrored to them, they will evoke similar emotions and experiences, leading them to connect with the project vision.

An organization’s vision is a story in itself.

As a project manager, one has to leverage what the company is to build what it could be. This is the story they wish to weave through successful projects. Where do executives envision the company will be headed? This answer is best delivered through a great story.

But why?

Haven’t we learned from fiction that there is a huge gap between fantasy and reality? But business storytelling is different. It illustrates the data and the struggles of real life to maximize the impact rather than embracing a lie.

Storytelling aspects dwell in the complex data and emerge victorious – with meaning and purpose in hand. No immaterial data is presented to the audience. Instead, the teller journeys through the process of acquiring the said data, analyzing and then drawing conclusions from it.

This ascertains them – what matters.

Project managers hope to leverage these storytelling capabilities to build relationships and ensure profitability for the long run. Effectively interacting through storytelling will ensure differences between stakeholders are settled, foster more project approvals, sustain the proposal, and streamline the projects.

Because, after all, the bigger picture remains the priority – facilitating business growth and consistent success.