Clear employee storytelling needs tangible examples and a shared message
Helping employees explain a complex business involves more than giving them information. Useful examples can be buried in technical documentation, case studies and press materials that are difficult to remember or share. A purpose statement also needs practical language that connects it to what the organisation does. You can make the task easier by turning existing material into concise stories, linking technical achievements to familiar experiences and giving employees a common messaging framework. The aim is to make the business understandable while keeping its central story consistent across different audiences.
For IBM, The Frameworks created a storytelling platform that turned case studies and internal materials into short, shareable stories about the company's everyday impact. These connected innovations to recognisable objects, places and human experiences, making complex contributions more tangible. A dedicated website, internal communications, printed books and event cards gave employees accessible material for explaining what IBM does, all reinforcing the same narrative.
For Wates, the need was to translate its purpose, "Reimagining places for people to thrive", into communication its workforce could use. The Frameworks developed a messaging framework around three supporting ideas: the power of reimagining, how we thrive, and we are grounded. This informed practical creative copy for different audiences. The framework gave the purpose a consistent structure while allowing its expression to vary, helping Wates tell a more joined-up story across the business.
Sources: This is IBM: Brand Awareness Campaign, Wates: Reimagining a Brand with Purpose