Start with the Story

By: Laura Neff-Henderson, APR

As a society, we are well on our way to automating everything.

Autonomous vehicles may soon replace truck drivers and taxi drivers on our highways. In time, cars will become better at self-repair and through artificial intelligence, chatbots could “learn” to have verbal conversations with humans, self-service postal machines may replace human transactions, and parking meters will “write” tickets.

The Bureau of Labor statistics projects that by 2024 the U.S. economy will need 50 percent less car mechanics, 42 percent less telephone operators, 26 percent less postal clerks, and 20 percent less parking enforcement officers.

That technology has left many professionals across the world wondering whether computers will replace us. Fortunately, the answer for those of us who work in creative industries, is an unequivocal “no” according to Microsoft Storyteller Miri Rodriguez.

“The ‘why’ is the heart of the story, and it’s the one thing robots don’t have,” said Rodriguez, who was the closing speaker at the Sunshine District Conference in Jupiter, Florida, in July 2018. Rodriguez is an award-winning creative journalist and one of 4,000 storytellers who work with Microsoft worldwide. She is one of three Information Technology Showcase storytellers who work in the company’s Redmond, Washington office.

At Microsoft, she explained, their creative teams are focusing on helping the tech giant humanize its brand - making human connections between their company and their customers.

“Our focus has shifted from the product to the person,” explained Rodriguez.

The company’s mission during Bill Gate’s leadership was “a computer in every household.”

Under current CEO Satya Nadella, their mission is "to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more." 

“At Microsoft we’re really talking about how we’re using our technologies to [improve people’s lives]. By telling stories about how their customers are using Microsoft products, the company is building a following, and earning trust.  In other words, Microsoft is taking a back seat and writing stories that position their customers as heroes, and their products as the trusty sidekick.

We should all “start with the story,” said Rodriguez who believes storytelling is one of the most effective ways to connect with an audience and move it to action.

“Story is not just a story, it’s a strategy to connect with your business and your customers,” said Rodriguez.

Check out a few examples of the stories Microsoft is telling about how their products are improving their customer’s lives.

• A video that features a location scout who travels the world looking for the perfect places to shoot films and uses her Surface Pro to edit her drone footage, retouch her photos and create presentations, from anywhere.
• In a commercial, blogger Courtney Quinn tells the story of how she creates mood boards, edits content, and takes it everywhere with her thanks to her Microsoft Surface Laptop.
• On their Story Lab website, the story of Matthew Bennett, an audio creative director who tested more than 400 sounds before landing on “the” sound users here an email arrives, or your battery runs low, makes company employees relatable.
• Another feature story on the Story Lab website reveals to readers how the company new office building in Silicon Valley is having a positive impact on the local community through green technology.