A little perspective can do a lot of things. I never know where I might get it.
Yesterday, it came from CBS Sunday Morning, as it often can, in a story about Jon McAlpin. The Sunday morning staple is the best television newsmagazine program broadcast today, a clinic in the art of storytelling, whether it is a business or human interest story. Amazingly, it has aired continuously since January 1979.
McAlpin, a 60-year-old retired firefighter, is a greeter at a cancer center in Omaha, Neb. That’s what he does.
He cheerfully welcomes patients undergoing chemotherapy with thoughtful inquiry into their condition and a hug. Cheerfully, thoughtfully and with a hug – that’s how he does his work.
A few years ago Jon was diagnosed with a rare form of intestinal cancer that he knew would kill him. At the time, he decided he’d hasten the process, planning his own suicide. Before he went through with the plan, a doctor convinced him that the end of his life didn’t have to be the end of the world.
So, even as he undergoes chemotherapy, he does his job. He fulfills his purpose.
“(The patients) have given me a purpose beyond anything in life that I’ve ever known,” McAlpin told CBS. “I’m not a cancer victim anymore, and that’s how I choose to live out the remainder of my days, helping other people.”
To help other cancer patients using his experience – that’s why McAlpin does his work.
McAlpin’s story is the epitome of the human spirit. But the framework in which it’s told has great applicability to business. (And a component of human spirit in any business story certainly is a powerful additive.)
Last week, I got another dose of perspective, this time during WordWrite University. At WordWrite, we dedicate an hour each week to learning, and it’s learning that is rarely related to the tactical practice of public relations. We believe there’s a better way of practicing public relations, including running the business, than is generally practiced today, so WWU is in keeping with why we do what we do.
At last week’s WWU, we watched Simon Sinek’s presentation at TEDx in Puget Sound, Wash., where he challenged viewers to start with the “why.”
When someone asks me what I do, a quick, uninspired answer is, “public relations.”
When someone asks how we do it, I can matter-of-factly reply, “content development, media relations, strategic communications, social media.”
Again, accurate, but not all that inspirational.
But, if I instead lead or start with the why, why we do what we do – “We’re remaking the public relations industry. We’re changing the way public relations is practiced. And story is central to that” – the perspective is entirely different.
And that is exactly why we practice public relations and strategic communications. WordWrite helps its clients communicate their “why” – why their organization exists, why someone would want to work for them, partner with them, buy their products or services or invest in them. The “why” is your Story – Story with a capital S.
Your Story must be authentic. Authenticity builds trust, which determines the audience’s receptivity to the story, which in turn largely determines the success of business communication.
Your Story must have context and be told by fluent storytellers. And, finally, the effectiveness of your Story must be regularly and frequently measured to ensure the audience or audiences understand and are engaged.
Think about your organization for a minute. What do you lead with – what you do or how you do it? What is your story, and are you telling it?
_____
Jason Snyder is a senior vice president for WordWrite Communications. 
