Who’s telling YOUR story?

I am indebted to my new-found friend, Brad Clark from Cincinnati (Ohio, USA), for drawing my attention to something that was sitting right in front of my nose.

We don’t need comms full of corporate jargon and spin. We need story tellers. Yes, story tellers.

In some of the posts that I publish in 2026, I will detail the difference between communication and engagement (it is a profound distinction, I promise). Story telling is a critical part of the engagement activity and one that should be celebrated and embraced by organisations everywhere.

Think about the last piece of corporate communication you received – maybe from a bank, an insurance company, your superannuation fund … even your local member of parliament. My guess is that after reading the document, you are no more engaged with the organisation than you were before. You probably have no real idea what message they were trying to convey. You are almost certainly feeling like their PR team has created that messaging rather than someone who knows what’s actually going on.

No, we don’t need more spin. We don’t need more jargon. We don’t need empty promises. We don’t need more clever slogans. We don’t need someone sitting in a corporate office pretending they know what it means for you.

We need story tellers. People who engage with their audience. People who tell it how it is – not how the executive team would like it to sound. People who are transparent.

That could be done using written stories. It could be done using podcasts and videos. It most certainly shouldn’t be done via a glossy brochure, full of the stuff that makes customers or colleagues ignore the message.

Ringing any bells?

Maybe you don’t have the skills and experience to tell stories. Maybe you can’t see the value of story telling over corporate comms. Maybe you genuinely believe that those old-fashioned glossy corporate comms are the best way to interact with your clients and colleagues.

If that sounds like you, we are here to help. Please reach out for a no-obligation chat about why story telling is fast becoming a critical piece of the change and transformation puzzle.