We are visual people. As far back as pictures painted on cave walls to today’s Insta stories, we use images to connect with others and share ideas, record events, and more. But, how do we use visual storytelling at work and take advantage of the psychological connection of storytelling in business?
Visual Storytelling at Work
Storytelling can be at its most engaging and memorable when we evoke multiple senses. Visual storytelling is simply thinking beyond the words we use. Using multimedia elements to package these stories can help us connect with customers, clients, and employees through images, sound, and more.
For example, if our clients tends to be engineers, researchers or other analytical types, they might respond to text accompanied by visuals like graphs and charts to help illustrate the data behind the conclusions we make.
Contrast this with an audience of potential donors to a nonprofit organization. Visuals that will appeal to this group might be photos showing the people who are helped through the organization’s efforts. This group might also react positively to an infographic sharing compelling stats about the impact the organization has had over the last three years.
Customize Visual Elements
Tailoring our storytelling elements for our different audiences is important. Below are a just a few ideas of different ways to use multiple elements. Use this as a starting point to brainstorm different ways to help bring an organization, product, or project to life in a way that connects with the target audience.
- Text: Use words and copy to provide updates, explain ideas, organize thoughts, encourage action, and more.
- Photos: Use photos to show real customers, clients, and employees. Photos can also be helpful to illustrate “before” and “after” stories, or showcase different locations that are important to our communications.
- Drawings: Add simple line drawings as an effective way to show current processes or proposed changes to processes.
- Icons: Incorporate icons for different elements of our stories to help organize content, make it easier to follow, and potentially build familiarity over time if icons are used consistently over a series of communications.
- Charts, Graphs, and Tables: Visually show data to help people see trends or understand the information decisions are based on.
- Videos: Create a video to help share complex ideas. Formats could include: interviews with people connected to the company, product or service; stats with images to show impact over time; and more.
- Audio: Share podcasts or audio files so people can hear directly from customers or being at the company on different topics.
Build the Story
Depending on the project and budget, you can work with professionals to create these elements. Or, there are also several free resources to help you quickly build powerful images, often with templates to help guide non-designers. We share a few of our favorites in our Resources section.
Quality is more important than quantity. Focus your efforts on a few multimedia elements that will best connect with your audiences to meet your business goals. How will the pieces work together? Will you communicate everything together, or would it be better to spread it out over a few weeks or months? Can the visuals be used in multiple places, such as in an email as well as on a website?
Try different ways and see what works best for the project, audience and situation. Make changes along the way and incorporate learnings into future communications.
Take Action
Try to add one visual element into an upcoming project. Pick something simple to create and focus on what will help illustrate a key message so it is clearer for the audience.
Other Articles You Might Like
- The Art of Storytelling for Business and Beyond: The Human Mind Connection
- The Psychology of Storytelling in Business
- 3 Books to Become a Better Communicator in Business
- 4 Tips for Telling Your Brand Story on Social Media
- 10 Lessons Small Businesses Can Learn from Big Brands to Optimize Social Media Profiles
