Microsoft Storytelling in the Digital Age
Our digital world is a busy world. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by information. How can we cut through the noise and communicate? How do we connect with people when they’re being bombarded with content?
The answer is storytelling. People love stories. Stories bring people together, build empathy, and create context, so we can understand each other and ourselves.
Great stories are both personal and universal, emotional and relevant. They build community and pass on wisdom. From the dawn of time to our kids’ bedtime, around campfires and conference tables, stories celebrate our shared humanity.
At Microsoft, storytelling can help simplify the complexities of new technology to focus on what it means for real people.
Authenticity helps us connect with a story and relate it to our own experiences. It takes courage to be ruthlessly authentic, courage to show life as it is, instead of trying too hard to control the message. By bringing genuine moments to life and exploring relationships between people, we can tell stories that truly inspire.
Stories about perfection are boring. Real stories, like real lives, are filled with ups and downs – with emotion. Tension keeps us listening, and a story without setbacks isn’t worth telling. We should seek out hope, frustration, joy, and passion, using them to deepen the impact of our narratives.
The stories we tell at Microsoft put people at the center and illuminate our mission in action. They’re stories about transformation, and thriving in a digital age. Our goal as storytellers is to step back and shine a light on our customers’ achievements. Their work, in all its variety, proves that the best way to make a connection is to say, “Let me tell you a story…”
