Can you picture an impactful moment in your life that was tied to the ocean?
From vacations, to educational interests, to childhood memories, many of us have connections to the ocean that hold significance in our lives - stories that have led us to career paths in the ocean industry. Yet, unless you’re a founder, it’s rare to share these personal stories in our professional lives, least of all in our business communications. But, by not sharing these unique and personal ocean stories, we’re actually missing out on an important aspect of communications.
When you share ocean stories, you tap into the three powers of ocean storytelling - connection, retention and inspiration - and empower your business communications.
One of the most powerful things about ocean storytelling is the connection it creates between people. In fact, Neuroscientists and anthropologists correlate storytelling with social bonding behavior. Listening to a compelling story creates an instant, biologically-driven emotional bond between an individual and the story and, by extension, the storyteller.
Pisces RPM head of ocean science communications, Natalie Gilson, felt the power of connection first hand when beginning a career in the ocean industry.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, I was running a creative studio, but with a newborn at home, a kindergartener, and increasing competition from businesses moving online, I faced significant challenges and realized I needed to pivot quickly to save my career. That's when I decided to merge my lifelong love for the ocean with my creativity - I stepped into the ocean industry, branding myself as an ocean-focused creative communicator.
As a newcomer to oceans, I naturally started by building my network, eager to connect with those already immersed in the industry. My approach to networking was simple yet effective: Instead of asking business questions or looking for advice, I simply asked each person, "What is your ocean story?" and in turn, I shared mine.
Throughout these conversations, a common theme emerged. Everyone I spoke with had an ocean story involving cherished people and pivotal moments. What struck me most was how these ocean conversations visibly transformed the networking chats. As we shared our ocean stories, we leaned in closer to our screens, our gazes fixed on each other, and smiles began to form. We nodded vigorously, recognizing fragments of our own experiences in each other's stories.
This shared ocean storytelling created a powerful connection, even with people I'd only met minutes before. We became more attentive because we were discussing something we both cared about deeply.
“Ocean storytelling is like a magnet. When we hear a story about the ocean we can’t help but be drawn to it. We sit up a little straighter, lean in a little closer, and hold our focus a little longer. And, like a magnet, once you’re connected, it’s hard to pull yourself away.”
Natalie Gilson, Head of Ocean Science Communications
So how does this tie into your business communications?
Not only do magnetic ocean stories have the ability to connect people to each other, they also have the ability to connect companies to their audiences. When you share ocean stories in your business communications, you’re connecting with your audience on a personal level and fostering a loyal community around your product, service or ocean mission all while furthering your business goals.
When you build a connection with your audience you’re setting the foundation for long term, loyal customers who will keep coming back and might even be interested in sharing your memorable ocean story with other people they know would be interested in your organization.
The next significant piece to ocean storytelling is how it corresponds with memory and retention. Because the human brain is hardwired to prefer narratives over raw information, stories are the perfect vessel for making your business memorable.
By sharing your story, or the story of your organization, you’re positioning your ocean project as something that catches your audience’s attention and they will be more likely to remember it.
When you use ocean stories to speak to your audience, you’ll be more likely to be what comes to mind when they think of your area of expertise.
By telling ocean stories, you get the tangible benefits of connection and retention, but when these two things combine, they create the most potent power of storytelling — inspiration. The ability to motivate people to take action.
The image above demonstrates a piece of visual storytelling that is highly inspiring. This whale skeleton is located in the airport in Rome and appears just as you walk around the first corner after going through security. It’s such a powerful piece of storytelling that conveys both a poignant message about the state of the ocean and the impacts of plastic pollution and a narrative of hope for the future.
Around the base of this skeleton is an interpretive display that shares the impacts of plastic and how ordinary people can help to make a difference. Every aspect of this display, from the skeleton, to the manmade objects inside it, to the twinkling lights of hope, was crafted to connect with airport goers through an impactful ocean story. The information around the bottom creates retention and recall, linking the powerful ocean story hanging above to the essential facts you need to know about ocean plastics. And through the careful delivery of both connection and retention, this display leaves you inspired to take action against ocean plastics.
When you’re using storytelling in your communications, the benefits of connection and retention combine to create the most important ocean storytelling superpower of all — inspiration — the ability to motivate people to take action. When you can inspire people to take action, you’ve achieved the pinnacle of your communications. Whether that action is signing a contract with you, hiring you, or getting someone to think twice about plastic bottles. Inspiration is the peak of it all. When you inspire people, you have them on your side for the long term.
Inspiration leads to increased loyalty, a greater willingness to take action, and it helps to grow a community of people who will advocate for you and your ocean mission. When you inspire people, you have them on your side forever!
Now you know the three powers of ocean storytelling:
Connection - the ability of ocean stories to help you connect with your audience on a deeply human level
Retention - the way stories help your audience call you and your information to mind
Inspiration - the peak of it all - the ability to motivate people to take action.
To start empowering your business communications and activate the three powers of ocean storytelling, what you need to do is simple. Just start telling ocean stories.
So, the next time you’re presenting your work, sharing a new idea with your leadership team, pitching your latest product, or wondering how to get people to pay attention to your company on social media, start with an ocean story. Start with connection, retention and inspiration before anything else.
Because in the age of noise and information, we’re not looking for more facts or another request to buy something - what we’re looking for is connection - and connection starts with stories.
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