By DJ Grant, Executive Creative Director
Today’s reality of short attention spans and people’s dependence on digital media recently nudged a client to take the plunge and go with our proposal for what we see as a completely new approach to industrial theatre: a “mini-series” of 5-minute movies told and shot like a soap opera set in and featuring the fictional team of a KFC restaurant.
In consultation with KFC’s Customer Service and Marketing teams, we wrote scripts featuring characters who were neatly representative of typical restaurant teams. Fictional but very true to life, their backstories were hinted at, providing emotional depth and authenticity. The learnings related to KFC’s restaurant processes, customer service, and leadership were woven into the workplace stories of team dynamics, interpersonal relationships, gossip and banter.
Storytelling works when employees recognise scenarios and identify with characters and the challenges they face. People love stories that are chaptered – told in a series of distinct events through which the characters’ own stories and personalities are revealed a little more in each episode. These are the ingredients to secure a captive audience. That’s the recipe – and this one’s no secret!
As pioneers of innovative industrial and corporate theatre, we’re excited about this development. It brings learning through storytelling directly to audiences, and each person can literally hold it in their hand. It’s theatre on the move, in your pocket and on your screen – and available to be watched and enjoyed when and where you want, and as many times as you like.
And then there’s the great digital advantage: each episode can end with an interactive link to engage employees further in the embedded learnings and give employers data on understanding, participation, and the reach and effectiveness of the intervention.
If you need to align your employees with any aspect of your business and inspire them to perform – on the shop floor, at the factory, or in your offices – talk to us. Let’s start telling the stories that will impact your bottom line through this very effective form of employee engagement.