Stories make great communication, change and advocacy tools. In this deep-dive workshop, Kevin explores how stories serve important functions in everyday human life, a reality that internal communicators can harness as an advantage and competitive edge. From the role of stories in communication to the human brain’s response to compelling narrative, this workshop will illuminate the “why” and "how" behind humanity's love for stories. 

Gather Around: Tips to Composing a Memorable & Suspenseful Story

Since the beginning of time, storytelling has been the means by which humans have taught lessons, shared ideas, and preserved the uniqueness of culture.

In the workplace, storytelling remains vital to accomplishing these very same concepts. However, creating content that employees care to read remains a constant challenge for IC professionals at most organizations. Here are some useful tips to get more eyes, more engagement, and more enthusiasm around internal communications in your organization.

In the session, we’ll discuss the following:

• Curating stories that matter to employees
• Bringing an acceptable amount of mystery to storytelling
• Getting your message (story) to the masses

For more than a decade, the line between external and internal communication has become

increasingly narrow. Your organization’s culture is no longer an internal affair, it’s part of your

branding and your most valuable asset, your people, have an enormous influence on the

perception of your brand. In this session you will gain a better understanding of:

• The benefits of empowering employee influencers

• The value of leveraging PR from within your organization

• How to identify stories that have potential to go viral

Storytelling lies at the core of a successful Internal Communications Strategy. In today’s world of information overload, it is important to get creative to deliver messages effectively.

During this session, you’ll learn:

• Things to keep in mind when building an Internal Communications Strategy for your organization
• How to leverage the different channels of communication
• How to get creative with communication content & design

At SAS, our culture has always been an integral part of who we are as a company, connecting us to the curious nature that gave us our start and the spirit of innovation that moves us forward. Our people spend their day-to-day solving some of the world’s toughest problems, fueled by an unwavering commitment to our values and desire to make a difference. 

To highlight this curiosity and reinforce our company values, we passed our employees the mic to creatively tell (and re-tell) their stories from around the globe. 

In this session, you will:

• Learn how to use authentic employee storytelling to unite employees around your company values. 
• Hear tips for uncovering employee stories and techniques for developing compelling content. 
• Explore content marketing strategies to increase reach and engagement. 

In our new norm, it’s never been more important to truly connect with your employees in the rare opportunities when you assemble them all together—especially when you’re doing it virtually. If you’re not already using digital storytelling in your all-company and Town Hall meetings, you’re missing out on a prime opportunity to maximize the long-term impact of these meetings to inform and inspire your teams.

During this session, you’ll learn:

• How to harness the power of storytelling to give your meetings not just a powerful opening, but an inspirational finish that will last long after your meeting.
• Tips for aligning your storytelling with your business mission and key priorities.
• How to stoke employee passion long after your Town Hall.

In this session your will learn:

• Why your purpose should guide how you communicate.
• How the Alberta Cancer Foundation uses its purpose to inspire its team members to do their work, and its community!

This virtual session is designed for internal communications professionals who are responsible for writing effective messages and encouraging storytelling across departments, disciplines and channels in order to inspire knowledge sharing. The panel will address:

• What are the most critical elements of storytelling in internal comms?
• What role do villains play in internal comms storytelling?
• What is the best storytelling format for internal comms?
• How can internal communicators avoid information overload when storytelling?
• How do you synchronize storytelling within organizations that have multiple brands?
• How do you communicate sincerely in environments of change or negativity?
• How do you create a conversational voice when the company you work for may be strict about having professional voice and tone?
• How can you incorporate storytelling in face-to-face communications?