Storytelling: An Ancient Art that Can Become the Most Effective Employee Engagement Tool

Thinking of employee engagement, here’s why these storytellers are the most suitable. With the understanding that a healthy mind and a happy employee can yield better results for the organization, employee engagement programs based on live storytelling are only set to become the norm. Also, with the impact it brings to the mindset of the employees, it can be instrumental in forming a company’s culture as well as the work environment.

If you happen to be part of the corporate circles, you must have heard one of the colleagues quip, “Seems the HR is here to organize rangoli-making competitions or manage Secret Santas”. Trust us or not, this is nothing but a misconception, for the HR wing of any organization deals not just in identifying and roping in the best talents around, but also in nurturing and honing the talented and bright minds to shine even brighter post their recruitment. It is a widely acknowledged fact that an HR department that focuses on employee engagement is undoubtedly the most effective one. This is possibly why often after a day or even week-long seminars, the closure is with some or the other act or event of entertainment.

One such employee-engagement activity that is swiftly attaining widespread popularity is Live Storytelling. For the unversed, Live Storytelling is the presentation of a story in front of the audience, with the aid of sound and light effects, and voice modulation, for a greater impact. These master storytellers have the potential to enthral the audience with their delivery and take them to a world where they imagine and live the life of the character, thereby subconsciously completing the journey from coming across a problem to successfully solving it as the story ends. The foremost benefits of a Live Storytelling show for employee engagement include improvement of imagination, enhancement of problem-solving skills and most importantly, a digression for the time being from troubling issues. It has been found that listening to stories can be therapeutic and helps keep stress at bay.

Foremost benefits of a Live Storytelling show for employee engagement include improvement of imagination, enhancement of problem-solving skills and most importantly, a digression for the time being from troubling issues.

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Popular storytellers of our times

Now talking about the storytellers that you can bet for if employee engagement is on the cards, the first name is that of Storyteller-Actor Sudhanshu Rai. He was recently invited by one of the PSUs in Madhya Pradesh for a Live Storytelling show for employees. And if reports are to be believed, Sudhanshu enthralled the audience with several thriller, detective and horror stories. Sudhanshu managed to entertain everybody while some of them relived their nostalgia for spooky tales that were shared in childhood. The demand for more stories never ceased and Sudhanshu did promise them more, the next time. Sudhanshu’s work is also available on his official YouTube channel Kahanikaar Sudhanshu Rai, where he regularly uploads his latest work.

For those who would like to listen to everyday stories, Neelesh Misra is your best bet. This journalist-turned-writer has a fan following not just because of his Bollywood projects as a lyricist and scriptwriter but also as a storyteller. He manages to entertain the audience with his slice-of-life stories and captivates the audience in every Live storytelling session. His go-to line- “Mera naam hai Neelesh Misra, Kahanaiyaan sunata hoon” always receives warm applause from the audience as they know that what will unfold before them will not just touch their hearts but also live with them for a long time.

Healthy mind and a happy employee can yield better results for the organization, such employee engagement programs are only set to become the norm.

Another storyteller who has been entertaining as well as preserving history and retelling long-forgotten tales is Mahmood Farooqui. He is the flagbearer of Dastangoi, the mesmerising and ancient art of storytelling, with its roots in Persia. Active since 2005, Mahmood has staged many performances where he retold tales like Alice in Wonderland, Saadat Hasan Manto’s life, and Rajasthani folktales in his typical style and in understandable Urdu. Dastan-e-Karn Az Mahabharata was another work that was much appreciated by the audience. With so much historical relevance he will surely entertain the employees during the program.

With the understanding that a healthy mind and a happy employee can yield better results for the organization, such employee engagement programs are only set to become the norm. Also, with the impact it brings to the mindset of the employees, it can be instrumental in forming a company’s culture as well as the work environment.

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