Storytelling involves trust inside an organization, but this can be one of the hardest things to accomplish. Employees need to be able to trust you enough to share the emotional aspects of their work. The more trust staff has with you, the more compelling the stories shared. The following are three points to consider when building internal trust within your agency:

1. Engage all levels in the process. Make staff feel vested. Work from the bottom up and engage all levels. Listen to all of the voices and give them a task in the campaign. Help staff see themselves as "ambassadors" of the department message.

2. Explain how it will benefit them. Everyone wants to know what's in it for them. For instance, will strengthening the internal and external agency image make  their work easier? Will it create more federal funding and donations for needed services? Will it increase morale thereby decreasing staff turnover? All of these benefits should be backed up with relevant data showing the far-reaching benefit of an effective storytelling campaign.

3. Take your time. Building trust is a process and doesn't happen overnight. Start by pitching out a few positive media stories and letting them take hold. Build on this goodwill to demonstrate the power of positive stories. Share examples of the stories you gather, so staff has a sense of what they should be looking for in their daily work.

​I don’t have to tell you that the world is a heavy place right now. Pile on the stresses of your average workday as a communications professional, organizational leader or business owner and you have a recipe for burnout. The last few years there have been a lot of articles, videos, posts, etc... about how to avoid burnout through meditation, exercising, sleeping enough, and eating right. That’s all great, but let’s talk about tips that are directly work-related and specific to what you do every day.

Here are some tips that have helped me, and I hope you find them useful!

• Prioritize the work in front of you. I don't know about you, but a lot of my work stress comes from trying to juggle too many projects at once. This is where I find my compulsive list-creating helpful. Every Friday, late afternoon (please don't do this on Sunday), I create a “to do” list for the next week. This includes every meeting/call/appointment I must do and only the projects I absolutely need to tackle for that week. For instance: write this blog post on burnout, take a call with Client A, etc. As I complete the tasks during the week, I check them off this list. This sounds simple, but there is nothing more satisfying than looking down at a list with everything crossed out.
• Find perspective. Did you really forget your agency’s name on that live spot on the 5 o’clock news? So your news release went out with a typo in the headline! Yeah, it’s annoying, but is it really the end of the world? In this fast-paced comms environment will anyone even notice? Believe me, it will be forgotten in 5 minutes. Analyze it for 10 minutes, write down a few ideas to do better next time and move on.
• What brings you joy in your work? Yes, let’s “Marie Kondo” this. If the well is dry on this one, force yourself to find at least one thing you like about your work. Is it telling stories? Is it the reward of problem solving? Or maybe it’s the fantastic work of a client or staff member you helped to media train. Find. Something. Look to re-spark the joy in your work by suggesting a new initiative or project that is proactive instead of reactive. It will give you something to work on in between crises.

 For more LMG Public Relations behind-the-scenes and inspo, follow me on Instagram ​