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Community Management 4- How Stories Build Community?
Community Management 4- How Stories Build Community?

April 9, 2021

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Stories as Building Block of Community

On what basis can you categorize people? Race, gender, country, language, religion and many more, right? But, on what basis can you unite them? Humanity. Yes. And humanity is best reflected in stories we tell. We love stories. We love hearing them. We love telling ours. Don't we? Stories are the easiest way of fostering a bond. When you hear a story similar to yours, you feel connected and thus form a community. When people share stories with each other, they connect more. They relate with each other's journey, struggle and success.

Stories connect, engage and motivate communities. When one person shares his/ her experience of any product, service or event it makes an impact on what other perceive for same. Each person cannot be a leader in the community. But everyone has something valuable to share. Such shareable content are stories which are personal and are not hierarchic in nature. Such stories bring people closer. By telling stories in a community and engaging with other's stories, people feel part of something bigger. This is also called engagement, which all brands strive for. 

Let’s review some ways in which stories help build communities:

  1. Provides place for all: A community flourishes only when each person feels valued and confident to participate. Storytelling is one such tool that allows person of any age or position to open-up with others and build trust.
  2. Builds Empathy: The last time to you heard someone's story, did you feel empathy for him/her? Empathy is spine of any community. Hearing stories open many worlds of perspectives and allows us to understand each other’s lives. This brings a great exposure to human mind. 
  3. Easy to plan: While sharing stories, visions are shared too. When vision is shared, better future can be planned. Thus, stories make us understand other people's aspirations and plans and gives us a way to be part of it.

Stories are also essential for cultures to survive. In an organisation, senior employees shares stories of past to new employees and inculcate organisational values and culture in them. This brings a sense of belonging. This forms community.

Some examples of stories are testimonials, feedback and UGC. These are considered authentic as the source of these are not brand but customers. Such stories are meant to be told personally but when presented on community platform, it amplifies its power.

Community, though made of people, can have a single face as made by its stories. 

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About the Authors

Dr Amit Nagpal is President and Chief Community Builder at Bloggers Alliance. He is also a personal branding coach and business storyteller. To know more visit www.dramitnagpal.com and www.bloggersalliance.org

Annie Jain is currently working as Manager- Online & International Marketing at Rangoli Furnishings Pvt Ltd. She is passionate about unraveling the power of storytelling and digital marketing)

 


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Nagpal Amit
President

Storytelling & Personal Branding Coach | President @ Bloggers Alliance | Visiting Professor |

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