We live in an age where we consume multiple sources of information in mere seconds. Statistics wager one has 8.5 seconds to capture attention and 40 seconds before the reader moves on to new content. A January 16, 2023, Forbes article by Shane Snow, entitled “Science Shows: Humans Have Massive Capacity for Sustained Attention,” offered storytelling as the ingredient that can hold our attention longer than 40 seconds and keep us captivated. How, then, can hoteliers apply this approach to training and capture the attention of their teams? The answer may be right in our hands.
Drawing Inspiration from Netflix and Disney
Netflix uses a unique method of storytelling by creating what could be one movie and dividing it into a series of episodes. The user has the option to watch all, skip, and assess continued interest. At the end of a movie or series, the user receives a simple question: Was this for you? All that’s expected to determine future content for that same user is a thumbs-up or thumbs-down.
Hoteliers can take a page from this storytelling book by sharing their own and delivering it in an appealing modality. As a former Disney Cast Member, I was, and still am, guilty of feverishly taking in Disney content. I wanted to learn everything I could about the man behind the magic. I was fascinated by Imagineering, internal growth, innovation, and redefining the cinematic experience. The parks were a 3D experience in the movie world.
Hotels have exciting stories including entrepreneurs with humble beginnings, from Conrad Hilton and J. Willard Marriott to Isadore Sharp and Howard D. Johnson. These visionaries saw a new frontier for service and hospitality that previously did not exist in the way each transformed it. Lessons can be learned from their journeys. Within hotels are even more interesting stories, from the birth of cocktails and American food trends to the use of electricity, elevators, and digital keys. Sharing this history helps employees understand change is the only constant.
Now that we know we have more than enough stories to tell, how can we convey them meaningfully to foster learning? The answer is at the fingertips of every employee, our phones. Rather than scrolling through non-stimulating, detached content, hotels can create interest using IG stories focused on the employee audience.
In a December 13, 2022, McKinsey Quarterly article, “Every company is a software company: Six ‘must dos’ to succeed,” it was noted that “CEOs and business leaders …highlighted three keys to success: leadership, communication, and investment.” Without investing in leadership and communication, the culture would not thrive. Taking this line of thought further, “Companies often undercut their success in wooing top talent by shortchanging the employee experience, resulting in significant retention issues. Top software engineers, for example, want autonomy, opportunities to grow, and the ability to build their skills.”
