General Motors mined and pitched the stories of its employees to relay the theme of the “New GM.” But it’s not easy to get employees to open up and tell their stories, says Elizabeth Doty, president of organizational learning consultancy Worklore. Here are some tips from Doty on effectively collecting stories from the inside:
1 . Don’t ask for stories—ask for experiences. A story has a feeling of being crafted or performed. Learn about an experience, which can then be crafted into a story.
2. Don’t corner the employee. “In every organization there is some gap in information and if the information actually works,” says Doty. “Don’t corner employees into having them say the ‘official’ story when it’s not the real story.”
3. Give employees a chance to edit. They need to feel like they have some control over their stories and what gets published.
“Storytelling is powerful for a brand because it’s about something that’s happening in practice,” says Doty. “And it’s powerful for employees to know that the brand is making a real commitment to getting the word out.”
PR News Subscribers can read more about GM's story-mining and media relations efforts to bring credibility to its four remaining brads in the case study: "Hyperactive Story Mining and Aggressive Media Relations Drive General Motors’ Brand Resurgence."