What can internal communicators learn about storytelling from the BBC’s ‘explainer-in-chief’?

Last weekend, a new podcast episode popped up in my Twitter feed featuring journalist Ros Atkins. Ros has found a formula for journalism that routinely goes viral. His videos on the Downing Street party scandal have been watched by millions and he’s been dubbed the BBC’s ‘explainer in chief.’ So what can we as internal communicators learn from him?

It’s easy to assume Ros grew up in the digital era. He didn’t. He’s been in the industry for 20 years. He is passionate about the role of  journalism and has spent years honing his technique. Yet in 2019, he was feeling disillusioned. Traditional reporting was no longer resonating with people. 

Ros asked himself, “Can I find a different way of doing journalism that competes in the digital arena?” The result: In-depth video stories that are more assertive and direct than traditional reporting. The videos have been welcomed across the political spectrum and turned Ros into a star.

I found this podcast episode so compelling, I listened twice immediately and again the next day so I could take notes.

The lessons that stood out for me as an internal communicator:

• Ditch the extra words - Ros writes "very sparse scripts with no adjectives." The rationale - to avoid bringing his perception and his own agenda. The added benefit for the audience is that stories are clear and simple to understand. As communicators we already know to keep things to the point but cutting out adjectives takes it to a whole new level. I am going to challenge myself more on this.
• Share the stories people want to hear - Don’t assume people only want short content. As you might expect, Ros has researched this topic. YouTube found that if you tell the story well and it’s content people want to hear, they will “watch for ages.” Yes but...see the next point...
• Identify where you might lose someone - “If the minute in the middle is boring your digital audience is gone.” This applies equally to video, audio or written content. In my experience this can be hard to spot in your own content so don’t be shy about asking a colleague to sense check.
• Make time to distribute the content - In a digital world, distribution requires a lot more work. You need to be strategic and put time into it. “It’s not going to happen just by sending a couple of emails.” This is so true for us as communicators. How many times have you heard people say they’ve sent one email so ‘we’ve communicated it”?!
• Listen, watch and read widely - Ros says journalists are at risk of getting stuck in constructs that have been around since the 1960s. I wonder if it’s the same for us as communicators? He looks for storytelling inspiration from all sources including stand-up comedians and his friends in the pub. Likewise, I remember my first internal comms boss encouraging us to read voraciously - anything, not just business content.
• Make time for creativity -  As Ros says, the Internet is changing everything. What works now may not work in three years’ time. To continue meeting audiences’ expectations storytellers need "extreme creativity." He actively encourages his producers to “Just spend several hours consuming any explanatory storytelling you can find.” 

This last point especially resonates with me. As communicators, like journalists,  we generally have something to produce at the end of the day. We’re multi-tasking, working to deadlines and juggling unplanned events. Producing creativity on demand can be hard. We have to make time in our working day to think about creativity and storytelling. Otherwise we’re just going to carry on creating the same old thing we’ve always created. As a consultant, this is one of the things my clients hire me for. I bring an objective view from outside their organisation and have space to do the thinking and look for new ideas. 

As I reflect on this podcast episode, I find myself wondering if earlier forms of journalism no longer work for audiences, is it the same for internal communication? How can we reimagine ourselves as communicators? How can we keep learning and keep innovating? We can start by applying these valuable lessons from the 'explainer-in-chief.'

This post was inspired by episode 6 of the ‘Journo’ podcast by the Judith Neilson Institute for Journalism and ideas ‘From drum and bass to hard news at a viral pace - How Ros Atkins became the voice of reason in global news’