True Storytelling - Staging - You must consider staging, including scenography and artefacts

Principle 6 “You must consider staging, including scenography and artefacts”* is about preparing the staging for your story. What does people see, when they see your company? What are their perception and how can you support that they get the perception of your company that you wish to portait?

Staging and scenography tells a story and without us knowing it as a Business with your colours, chosen images and logo you tell story. Everything that you will present is interpreted by others.

People associate your colours and Visual Identity with you. In order to make them feel safe, you need to present the same identity for them no matter where they meet your company.

Many, many Entrepreneurs go out and they create a logo, a visual identity. They build a web-page and they are ready to enter the market but sometimes their presence doesn’t reflect reality.

I was introduced to a new Healthcare Entrepreneur. They had built such an impressive webpage, they had done a presentation, where you would think that you worked with Top 100 company. I am the first to admit that I was blown away and there was no doubt that an agency had done the work, which was presented. Then we had our very first meeting and I asked them basic questions. What is the evidence behind your solution works, who is your partners, what kind of relations have you build up with HCP’s (Health Care Professionals) – and it soon became very clear to me that there was no depth behind. It was all glossy and an illusion. The Founder told himself a story of such a grandiosity, which had nothing to do with the truth and when you can not embrace the truth, you cannot build a solid foundation.

Then I had another case. This was a company that had just embarked the journey of establishing Distributors in Europe. They needed to show their plans, their strategy, what kind of company they were, and tell their story. Here it was opposite. They were very shy about their performance and actually believed that they had not progressed fast enough.

I staged a presentation, where I told the story from the strategic planning, to operational level, down to execution. We went through all their touchpoints – and when we were finished with the presentation, they couldn’t believe what they saw. I showed them the truth. That they were a company that not only had the idea, but had executed in all levels – and what even was more striken was that they created value with all their content. They didn’t want to just be a company “See me – Hear me” They wanted to bring in value, share the knowledge within their expertise and they did so. Through the staging of the presentation we showed exactly how.

Staging can be shown via fonts, colours, images but it can also through clothing.

There are still some companies, where suit and tie applies, if you wish to be taken seriously. I have been working in companies, where you were not allowed to wear jeans as this gave the impression that we were not serious so we were always asked to were business suits.

I have also been working in a company, where the CEO wore white clogs – it was his way of staging that this was primarily a manufacturing place and not an administrative place. He did this all the years he was a CEO and all the people that had ever encountered a meeting with him would with 100% certainty mention his clogs.

So the story doesn’t only include what you say and what presentation. It is also you. Your clothing, your settings and surroundings.

The same goes for portraits. If you want to tell a story of an outgoing business owner but your portrait shows a very shy and introvert person you will have a clash of the perception of whom you are. The more authentic you can be in your portraiting in being you. The more you will relax.

I have been through the same period in my own Business. As I suddenly had such high established customers I started dressing with a blazer and wore red lipstick. Something that wasn’t me at all. I spoke about my Team, needed to show how big we were in order to be taken seriously.

After my new beginning I was phasing exactly the same. Standing in a conversation with a high established customer but this time being me. Now my staging was my authentic me, what I felt comfortable in wearing and how to look. When I was asked about how many there was in my company I replied just me. I have tried having employees and thought I should build a castle but right here, right now that is not my goal anymore. It was such a relief to hear the CEO’s reply. We are also just a small compact team, we have also tried the other thing and it just get too big too fast.

It is a 360 degrees of perception. Therefore always consider the staging and which story you wish to tell – and if I can dare you… Just be you.

*The 7 principles are from the book True Storytelling, Seven Principles For An Ethical and Suistainable Change-Management Strategy by Jens Larsen, David M. Boje and Lena Bruun.

Anne-Marie Hall became a certified Trainer by the True Storytelling Institute in February 2021.

Amazing Hall helps Healthcare Entrepreneurs and Executives through a mixture of storytelling and strategic marketing guidance to navigate in their journey.