Not Everything Is a Story

Last weekend, when I was ordering food online, something caught my eye. A café called "Coffee Stories." Right below it? A restaurant named "Paratha Tales."

And I started to see "stories" everywhere. An ad that declared "Every saree tells a story." The inauguration of a restaurant that said "Flavours that tell a story".

It hit me: the word "story" seems to be inserted everywhere. And it made me wonder.

A quick search on Swiggy for "stories" throws up a whole list of restaurants riding the "story" wave

Celebrities always bring attention to brands, but adding "story" to the tagline seems to be the latest trend

Because here's the thing: story isn't a trendy word you can slap onto anything to make it sound warm and nostalgic. Especially in business, it's not a marketing slogan. It's not your mission statement dressed up in fancy language. And it's not saying "Our story is innovation" or "We stand for electric mobility."

Those might be aspirations, themes, or even decent taglines. But they're not stories.

So what makes something a story? 

A story has three essential elements: context, conflict, and resolution. It shows you the journey, not just the destination.

Think about it this way. When someone says "We value innovation," that's a statement. It's static. It tells you what they want you to believe about them, but it doesn't show you anything real.

But when they tell you about the product launch that completely failed, the heated boardroom debates about whether to pivot or double down, and the difficult decision to start over from scratch - that's a story. That's when "We value innovation" becomes something you can actually believe and connect with.

And why should you care about the difference?

I think this confusion happens because we've gotten lazy with language. We think adding the word "story" automatically makes something more compelling.

This matters more than you might think, especially in the workplace. When leaders confuse statements with stories, they miss opportunities for real connection. Instead of sharing how they once rebuilt an entire product because one customer's feedback revealed a fundamental flaw, when they say "Our story is customer-centricity" - they're not story telling. They're only using storytelling vocabulary.

And people can tell the difference. We're wired to recognize stories. When someone shares an actual story - with stakes, uncertainty, and genuine emotion - we lean in. When they just dress up corporate speak with the word "story," we tune out.

How does this play out in the workplace?

Look at your own communication. It could be in a leadership role, while working with a team, or when presenting to clients - are you using the word "story" when you really mean something else?

Are you saying "Our story is excellence" when what you really have is a commitment to quality? Are you talking about "the story of our growth" when you're actually sharing metrics and milestones?

There's nothing wrong with having values, commitments, or achievements. But if you want to harness the real power of storytelling, you need to dig deeper. You need to find the moments when those values were demonstrated or tested. Those decisions that revealed character. Experiences that shaped who you became.

Let me give you a framework to think about this. Ask yourself: Does what you're calling a "story" answer these questions?

What was the situation or challenge? 

What tension or conflict arose? 

What choice did someone have to make? 

What happened as a result?

If you can't answer those questions, you probably don't have a story yet. You have a statement, a value, or an aspiration. All of which are fine, by the way. In which case, it's apt to call them what they are.

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Connect:

• Email questions and feedback: hello@storytellingatwork.com

• Vinod Krishna: LinkedIn