All of us can remember our favorite childhood stories. Even the greatest moments in history are filled with compelling stories.

Stories inspire, engage, trigger emotion and drive action. So what’s the secret behind effective storytelling for your organization? John Trybus, APR, deputy director of the Center for Social Impact Communication at Georgetown University, and featured speaker at the PRSA Maryland Chapter’s 2015 Chesapeake Conference, offers five tips for better storytelling:

• Successful organizational stories are composed of five essential building blocks: character, trajectory, authenticity, action-oriented and a hook.
• Profile a single, compelling “character” that your organization works with who is relatable to the audience and can relay specific details and experiences; your organization should only play a supporting role.
• Banish jargon. No one wants to hear your organization’s acronyms.
• Before producing a story, spend enough time planning. Let the ultimate purpose for the story drive choices for how it will be produced, shared and evaluated.
• Build a culture of storytelling within your organization by creating a story corp of employees that includes a member of leadership.

Submitted by Mark Hoeflich