You don’t need another hashtag to convince you that your company should be investing in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). And we aren’t just talking about socially conscious logos or carefully worded email blasts about new policies. DEI has become so much more than that.
Over the last several years, DEI has quickly moved from a feel-good HR initiative to a top business priority for companies that want to attract—and maintain—employees and new customers. A diverse talent pool, equitable opportunities, and inclusive language are now baseline expectations, and the onus is on organizations to bake them into the fabric of their company culture.
For many, that’s a pretty tall order, and if you’re like most L&D leaders, you’re looking for ways to extend DEI beyond checkboxes and optics and ingrain it into your everyday business.
So, how can you integrate equality and diversity into the workplace every day?
Storytelling. To make a real DEI impact, organizations can start by changing the conversation from the inside out. Put simply: You need to foster a culture that allows everyone to feel seen and heard, and one great way to do that is through skilled business communications training like storytelling.
How Storytelling Can Boost Your DEI efforts
Research1 shows that while the vast majority of employees say their organizations have prioritized diversity and inclusion, one in five can’t point to anyone within the organization who backs this up with action. So, while many organizations are engaging in DEI conversations, it’s still not cutting it for today’s socially conscious employees.
This means L&D leaders need to be intentional about how they facilitate their DEI initiatives, and even more so, how they get everyone speaking the same language.
Storytelling helps accomplish this and more. With the right training, employees can learn how to better communicate with each other and with clients by crafting compelling visual narratives that connect with the listener and empower the presenter.
Let’s break it down:
- Storytelling establishes empathy. One of the fundamental principles of storytelling training is putting yourself in your audience’s shoes. This approach teaches employees to be more thoughtful, compassionate, and sensitive to the needs of their listener, whether that’s a prospective client or fellow team member. From creating a visually appealing slide deck to pitching internal ideas, business storytelling teaches teams how to put their audience first by calling out the challenges they face and then offering a resolution that benefits everyone.
- Storytelling encourages visual mindfulness. If a picture is worth a thousand words, the visuals you select to tell your story matter. Be mindful to ensure your visuals are diverse and inclusive of different cultures, ages, and abilities (just to name a few!). And what about those PowerPoint decks or Google slides we all create? Has anyone stopped to think about those with color blindness? These simple measures are so often overlooked. Storytelling enables us to be the change agent. It encourages teams to craft a narrative with characters and visuals that will resonate with their audience.
- Storytelling gives everyone a voice. Storytelling skills can be scaled across the entire organization, giving everyone a seat at the table and the ability to effectively share their ideas, no matter their role or seniority. Additionally, employees feel valued when you invest in their skills and support their professional growth.
- Storytelling promotes team building and unity. By following a consistent communication framework like storytelling, the entire organization will be on the same page, speaking the same language, and reaching for the same goals. Say hello to reduced cycles and more productive meetings because your team built the narrative right the first time! What’s more unifying than that?
Upskill and Empower Your Team
The best part about storytelling training is that it gives teams equal access to a new set of skills they can apply to different aspects of their job. This helps build employee confidence and morale, improves cross-functional communication, and benefits the organization as a whole.
In our foundational storytelling workshop, Crafting Strategic Visual Stories, teams learn how to turn data, insights, and recommendations into compelling, audience-centric business stories. Whether you’re an account manager putting together a quarterly business review or a sales lead crafting a product customer pitch, the same skills can be applied and adapted. Essentially, everyone wins.
DEI = Meaningful and Open Dialogue
If your equality and inclusion efforts are limited to a DEI statement on your website or annual DEI training, you may need to rethink your strategy.
At the center of the DEI movement is the human experience, which is also the very heart of storytelling. By leveraging the power of story in business, you are giving your employees an effective way to share their experiences and their ideas, and, in turn, building a culture that values compassion, creativity, good communication, and most of all, mutual respect.
The truth is, actions will always speak louder than words, but that’s only when the words don’t measure up. With storytelling training, you can make your team’s words count and drive meaningful change, all at the same time.
References:
1Eagle Hill Consulting, Want to improve the employee experience? Tighten the gap between action and impact in diversity and inclusion