What’s the most important thing to remember with business storytelling?

I was asked this while leading a storytelling masterclass, and my answer is simple: Business storytelling does not always mean sharing stories about business.

Nothing could be more boring, or further from the truth.

The best stories in business happen when you take a personal story and link it to a business message.

The trouble is, people often default to the same tired examples.

Nobody wants another Steve Jobs story. Or Richard Branson, again, like forever. We’ve heard it. We’ve heard the version before that. And we know exactly where it is going before it starts.

A personal story does not come with that fatigue. It is fresh because it is yours. Your audience does not know where it is heading, what it means or how it will connect to the message. That is exactly why we keep listening.

I can hear you asking for an example right about now.

That is exactly what my story library is for.

A treasure trove, if I say so myself.