What makes our human impact claims credible?

Build the narrative from established reporting and people who understand the work, rather than treating storytelling as a substitute for substantiation. When Dematic developed its first sustainability report, the process started with its rigorous internal ESG reporting function. Dematic's business leaders then contributed their expertise to explain the stories behind the numbers. The resulting report presented Dematic's sustainability pledges honestly and humanely.

For a human impact narrative, give reporting and storytelling distinct roles: reporting provides the factual base, while knowledgeable people explain the work behind it. Use that combination to decide what the organisation can credibly say. The aim is not to choose between numbers and a human story, but to make the story accountable to the information underneath it.

Emotional language and imagery are more credible when they reflect the experiences of the people involved. During a charity rebrand for an insurance group, funding applications revealed people writing on behalf of loved ones, expressing love, grief and hope. Those accounts informed a manifesto celebrating bravery and vulnerability: the emotional direction came from applicants' words rather than an imposed theme.

For IBM's 2020 diversity and inclusion campaign, employees spoke to camera about their experiences of inclusion, past difficulties, hopes for the future and what united them. Authenticity and humility were central to the design approach.

Use people's accounts to shape both the language and the presentation of an impact story. A 2025 survey by Anthesis found that 61% of respondents, employees assessing their employers, say their company's actions do not match its purpose statements. Grounding communication in actual experiences keeps attention on the relationship between organisational claims and people's lives.