On Friday night I took my older daughter to see Skyfall (the latest James Bond film).  Previously I’ve had mixed opinions on the various celluloid adventures of  007, however I’d read some great reviews of Skyfall and decided that it was worth taking the trip to the cinema.  I’m glad to say it was worth the trip.

The previous Bond films for me firmly fit into 4 categories….great, good, indifferent or rubbish and I’m glad to say I felt that Skyfall fell into the ‘great’ camp.  However this raises a question.  What made Skyfall so great when, in my opinion the last Bond film, The quantum of Solace was mediocre at best?

After all you broadly know what you’re going to get with a Bond film.  Action, guns, fighting and stunts.  On these points the 007 movies never disappoint (even the rubbish ones).  However I believe the main difference between a great bond film and a mediocre bond film usually comes down to one thing.  A compelling story (or for the mediocre ones a lack of it!).

Which got me thinking….within our businesses do we talk about our compelling stories as an opportunity to generate interest in our businesses?  Do we tell stories within our businesses to engage our clients, express our opinions or promote our service (or product)?   Do we use stories too much? or too little? or not at all?

I firmly believe that we don’t use stories enough within our businesses.  Stories can be an incredibly effective way to illustrate how our businesses products and services work, or explain something about you (as a business owner) which explains your values, or explain why you might work differently from others in your profession or industry.  It’s why I like telling stories so much.

I believe it’s important to have guidelines when telling your stories.  It goes without saying that it’s important the stories are true (unless you’ve made it clear they are not!), but also it’s nice if the stories you tell are relevant and have a human perspective.

So, fellow business owners…let’s go out and tell some stories!

As ever I’m interested in your opinions.  Do you tell stories to promote or explain your product or service within your business?  Do you think the use of a stories is underused (or overused)?