When the facts aren’t enough
Village Managers spend a considerable part of their working week sharing information.
A common area is being refurbished. A contractor is changing. Costs have increased. A new safety process is being introduced.
The facts may be clear, accurate and complete. Yet residents can still leave the conversation without understanding why the decision was made or what it means for their community.
A story can provide the missing context.
Start with the audience
Last year, village professionals from across the country joined Cat Matson for our DCM Institute masterclasses on Explaining budgts with data storytelling, Presenting for Influence and then at our Professional Development Day series.
Cat encouraged participants to begin with the outcome they wanted to achieve, then consider the people receiving the message. What are they likely to think and feel? What do they want to know? What experience will shape the way they hear the information?
This approach becomes particularly valuable when the subject is complex or sensitive.
A Village Manager presenting a budget, for example, may be focused on figures, compliance and the decisions made during the year. Residents are more likely to be asking: Why have costs increased? What am I receiving for that money? Were other options considered?
The same information needs to answer both sets of questions.
Give the decision a shape
Most operational decisions already have a story behind them.
Something happened. A problem or opportunity was identified. Options were considered. A decision was made. The community will experience an outcome.
Sharing that sequence helps residents follow the thinking rather than simply receiving the result.
Consider a change to a common area. An announcement might explain what work will occur and when. A more useful account could describe how the space is currently being used, what residents or staff have observed, the options considered and how the proposed change is expected to improve the area.
The second version does not require a dramatic tale. Rather, it gives the decision a shape residents can follow.
Stories can also make information easier to remember. A short example of how a safety issue arose and was resolved will often stay with people longer than another reminder about procedure.
Keep it relevant and genuine
The story should serve the message, with Cat sharing a simple storytelling canvas for all village professionals to use. (See above)
It may come from an event within the village, an experience elsewhere in the sector or a hypothetical scenario. Personal details must be protected, particularly when the example involves a resident, family member or staff member.
Managers also need to resist the temptation to over-polish the account. Residents will recognise when a story has been manufactured to sell an unpopular decision. Trust grows when the context is honest, including an acknowledgement of the inconvenience, cost or concern a decision may create.
Plan what people should remember
Cat’s Storytelling Canvas offers a useful way to prepare:
- What outcome do you want from the communication?
- Who is your audience?
- What are they likely to think, feel and ask?
- What context will help set the scene?
- What is the central point?
- What should they remember afterwards?
- How will you invite and respond to feedback?
Village Managers do not need to become professional storytellers. They need to recognise when information alone will leave residents with unanswered questions.
The next time you prepare an update, meeting presentation or difficult announcement, look beyond what residents need to know. Consider the story that will help them understand how the village arrived there.
If storytelling is a tool you’d like to use more confidently, our Knowledge Centre is a great place to keep building your skills. You’ll find a range of practical resources, topics designed to support you in your day-to-day role as a Village Manager, including other communication topics, resident relationships and much more.
Because sometimes the best way to learn something new isn’t just to read about it. It’s to hear a story, see how it applies to your world, and then try it for yourself.
Tag:Audience Engagement, budget communication, Building Resident Trust, Change Communication, Communication Skills, Community Engagement, compliance, data storytelling, DCM Institute, Difficult Conversations, Leadership, Leadership development, Management, masterclass, Professional Development, resident communication, Resident Engagement, Resident Experience, Storytelling For Leaders, Strategic Communication, Village Communication, village manager professional development, Village Managers, village operations, Village Professionals
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