For Better Employee Testimonial Videos, Don’t Spout Platitudes, Tell Stories

In the program on using storytelling in talent management I did at the ASTD 2013 conference, we discussed one of the areas where most employers could hugely benefit from adding stories to their talent management efforts: the employee testimonial video.

If you go to youtube and type in “Employee Testimonial” and watch a few videos, you will notice something very quickly:

They are all rather interchangable.

While each video highlights qualities that employees are looking for–like the chance to grow professionally, work/life balance, the chance to innovate, etc.–they all come across as the same. There’s no differentiation.

There’s no differentation because they don’t offer anything but the “take away message”. There’s no memorable story to back up the employee’s assertion or illustrate why the employee says that their employer has a particular attribute like “encourages and enables us to grow professionally”.

Put yourself in the shoes of the highly talented job seeker that you want. Would you remember any of these testimonials five minutes after you left the site?

Differentiate Yourself, Make Your Company Memorable By Telling Stories

Here are two short videos I shared with workshop participants to illustrate how to use stories in your employee video testimonials. In this first one, you will notice that Lynne McGhee, from the Animal Refuge League of Greater Portland, starts out by sharing in general terms why she loves working there.

But then, she gives a few examples (i.e. she tells some stories) of what she means. Notice how it makes the  message more engaging and memorable. By telling stories you help the job seeker bond to your company or organization, because they’re getting to know you at a more real level than if your employees simply list positive attributes.

You will also notice in this video, that I put some simple commentary that was designed to speak to the things that their target audience cares most about. Also, since you want fun people to work at an animal shelter, a little quirkiness was thrown in to speak to that person.

In this next video, you will hear Whitney Duprey of International Association of Privacy Professionals share an exmaple of why she loves working there.

Notice how her short story communicates in a clearer, more memorable way than if she just said “I love it that they encourage you to grow  professionally here”.

Notice how this short little story gives you a more intimate feel for the personality of this organization than slickly produced videos that deliver what could be perceived as platitudes and scripted selling points.

For other blog posts on using storytelling in Employer Branding, check out:

Storytelling in Employer Branding – Steam Whistle Brewery

Storytelling in Employer Branding – Avis Budget Group