SPELLING ANNUAL REPORT RELIEF: HAVE I GOT A STORY FOR YOU!

This is the second in a series of articles to help communicators create compelling annual reports. Even if you don't have an annual report looming on the work horizon, read on anyway -- it'll give you insight into creating other terrific pieces. (And those pieces will eventually lead to a promotion where you'll be in charge of the annual report.)

"Whoever tells the best story wins."
                          -- Anthony Hopkins in the role of
                             President John Quincy Adams
                             in the movie "Amistad"

You probably know the messages that must make it into the annual report. One of the most effective ways of communicating these messages is to tell stories. (Of course I'm talking about the front part of your annual report or the part that markets your company. Don't urge the controller to tell stories in Management's Discussion and Analysis because I'm pretty sure the SEC frowns on that.)

But why should you tell stories in your annual report?

1) Everybody loves them. Telling stories is a tradition as old as time. The best stories are thought-provoking, informative and further your company's mission.

2) Telling a story makes your company more personal. Given recent headlines, big business could use some good PR. Use the annual report -- your most public profile -- to tell true stories about dedicated and ethical leaders, employees and customers. It goes a long way to solidifying and strengthening your company's credibility in the public eye.

3) Stories help establish a theme. Ever try to tie a picture to a statistic? There's a reason the graphs and charts appear in the MD&A -- they go along with the math and disclosure information. The front section is for you to appeal to a reader's emotions. Good stories will help you do that.

Where Are Good Stories Found?

When I was an annual report writer, I was lucky because my corporation had a great story. (And still does, by the way.) Erie Insurance was founded and nurtured by a strong leader who not only knew his stuff, but also spoke in soundbites before the term was even coined. Even better, H.O. Hirt had a tendency to write everything down, so there was plenty of material to comb through to tell The ERIE's story.

But even if you don't have an H.O. Hirt, you have other collateral and sources to help with company stories. You probably know of company lore about a pivotal decision that led you to break into the Fortune 1000 or an owner who persevered despite intimidating odds. It's a good starting point.

Also, look to employees for stories. (Customer service representatives usually have some great ones.) And then study your company and its position in the industry. Work for a dot com that survived the dot bomb? How did that happen? Do something that flew in the face of common business thinking and have it succeed? Share it with the world! Develop or implement a major technological breakthrough? Bring it home by telling a story.

There's a lot more to be said about storytelling, but only so much room in The Corporate Communicator! For some examples of excellent annual report stories I've collected, plus a list of storytelling resources, e-mail Donna@DonnaKozik.com with "AR Storytelling" in the subject line, and I'll respond with my favorites.
     
© 2004 Donna Kozik. For information about Donna’s writing services, visit 
http://www.DonnaKozik.com.