First, Develop a Culture of Communication.

I am surprised by the number of organizations that want to jump in the deep end of communications (blogging, social, storytelling, etc.) without doing the hard, culture building exercises. 

There are times I have felt as if I am driving past retail stores with a friend, and they point at a prospering retail business and say "Hey! look at that... we should open a store too."

Well sure, they're successful now, but do you really think they started there? Go back to their roots, and you will find an entrepreneur cooking pies in their kitchen, building toys in their garage or sourcing and selling office supplies in their spare time.

The point is, they grew into needing that store. They hit critical mass, and they burst. It would be unwise to set up the store, take on the overhead and hope for customers if you didn't already know you offer a need. That someone is listening.

Yet, we fall into that trap all the time with communication. We believe we need to open the doors to compete for attention now!

Unless you already have a flourishing culture of communication, it would be healthier to do the hard work an take a few, simple steps to begin the process:

• Ask your staff to relate reports in story form. 

• Celebrate a well told story.

• Write down lore - tidbits that become legend in an organization

• Encourage the narrative method; describe characters with personalities, describe a hero's journey, develop the craft of being interesting.

• Encourage sharing through storytelling inside your walls, first. 

• Applaud.

When you've done this hard work, and you feel like you have outgrown your theatre... When you feel like your voice simply needs to be heard, then and only then do you commit to owning real estate to share your ideas.

Friends, don't rush it. Celebrate the process... It will be worth retelling a new audience, years later, who never knew what it was like when you didn't share your stories.