An Executive Voices Blog by Aimée Norman, Co-Founder of Liberi Consulting

Humans are natural storytellers, and stories have long been a way of sharing knowledge and passing it between generations. Today, we can harness their power to communicate our businesses memorably through our corporate story.

In fact, neuroscientific research suggests that communication via a story sparks an additional part of the brain than just information alone, so it’s much more compelling. It appeals to both logic and emotion, which is a proven sales technique.

Stories can also be easier to remember. I was lucky enough to attend a conference where the late, great educationalist Sir Ken Robinson spoke about what he called your ‘element’ (what makes you tick) and he did this by telling a story about the choreographer Gillian Lynne. It neatly encapsulated his message, and I still clearly remember it over 20 years later.

Some people may think that a corporate story is just a sales tool, but it is valuable in so many ways.

Like word of mouth, a compelling story can help your message travel. Think about how many conversations you have at conferences such as Licensing Expo or BLE. You want to be remembered, and you want your story to be shared beyond the executive you met, potentially reaching others in the decision-making chain. It’s a similarly desired outcome for panels or interviews—storytellers are relatable and are the ones people want to connect with afterwards.

And for companies seeking investment, the importance of telling a compelling corporate story cannot be overstated. Potential investors want to understand the journey and the opportunity ahead. Financial data is essential, but a clear narrative about a company’s origins, purpose, achievements, and ambitions can help investors understand the thinking behind the numbers and connect with its vision.

Often, we find that executives can enthusiastically share the story of their brand or product but then struggle to introduce the company without drifting into dry corporate jargon. The key to creating your corporate story is to understand that we make sense of unfamiliar ideas by relating them to things we already understand. When presented with something new, we naturally seek to understand how it relates to what we already know, seeking the deeper connection that a story can bring.

A benefit of doing this exercise with your corporate story is that it harnesses your key messages into a neat, engaging account of what makes you different. In a crowded, noisy market, that clarity can be a commercial advantage.

And it’s important to remember that your narrative will evolve in response to changes in the market. Businesses may be pivoting into new areas or have grown considerably beyond their original remit. Often, senior teams haven’t revisited how they describe the company, or different parts of the organisation tell different versions of its story. This can create inconsistencies in both internal and external positioning. Given both the challenges and opportunities that industry change brings, it’s more important than ever to be able to communicate with clarity and confidence.

So, what do you need to develop your corporate story? Start with an open mind and a clear understanding of your USP and corporate goals. You almost need to forget how you formally describe your business. Listeners may switch off if you sound like your website or corporate boilerplate, which serve different purposes. People often assume that weighty words sound more impressive, but pithy wins. The famous Roman orator Marcus Tullius Cicero is credited with the phrase: “Brevity is a great charm of eloquence.” The aim is to tell your best bits conversationally, clearly, and memorably.

It can also be beneficial to bring a third party in to help with the process. You may be too close to the day-to-day to see the broader perspective. An outsider can also bring together different views from across the business, finding the commonality and asking questions you may not have considered, informed by a wider industry view.

Additionally, the process of developing your corporate story is an important positioning exercise because it helps clarify the business’s vision and purpose—essentially, a reset or refresh that lays the foundation for the next stage. From there, companies can apply their story across their corporate communications to underpin everything from interviews and presentations to LinkedIn posts and marketing strategies.

If we were to give some advice, we’d suggest thinking about it as the story arc of a movie. Why you, and where did you start? What challenges did you overcome? What lessons did you learn, and who or what did you encounter along the way that helped to adjust your course? What does success look like for everyone involved?

Bring your audience along your journey and make your business the hero of its own story.

Liberi Consulting is a strategic corporate communications agency specialising in the licensing and entertainment industries. From strengthening corporate reputation and leadership communications to positioning businesses to attract investment, we help companies define their distinctive voice and memorably tell their story with confidence, impact, and influence.