What trade groups can learn from cave drawings

Communicators at trade and professional associations face unique challenges. You’re representing an entire industry, responsible in large part for its reputation among a wide array of important audiences — including policymakers and the media.

Your portfolio includes significant education and advocacy communications, serving internal clients like government relations and research, both of which demand a high volume of message materials month in and month out.

And unlike many comms pros, your bosses look to you to demonstrate value to those who pay the dues that pay your salaries — and those members rely on you to help them do their jobs and advance their careers.

It’s a lot.

Fortunately, you have at your disposal a time-tested way to achieve many comms objectives while reaching multiple audiences: storytelling. Since we were huddling around fires at night sharing what we hunted and gathered that day, human beings have been hard-wired to pay close attention to emotionally compelling tales of people struggling to reach a goal.