Bad news sells, or so the general thinking goes. But a former CBS News journalist has discovered that there are effective ways to tell stories without focusing solely on the negative.
After years of reporting on disasters Michelle Gielan went to study at the University of Pennsylvania under professor Martin Seligman, a proponent of ‘positive psychology’, which focuses on mental and emotional well-being, rather than chaos.
Related: The Power of Small Wins
Focusing on solutions
Gielan found that absorbing negative messages over time can lead people to what is known as ‘learned helplessness.’ In her book, Broadcasting Happiness, Gielan compiled her findings on what she calls ‘transformative journalism’.
Solutions-oriented storytelling, she says, engages people, while also creating “a long-term, quantifiable, sustainable positive change.”
Impact on mood and behaviour
Other research done in conjunction with The Huffington Post has shown that watching just three minutes of negative news in the morning makes viewers 27% more likely to report having a bad day six to eight hours later.
Those who watched transformative stories, on the other hand, reported having a good day 88% of the time. The effect of good news is powerful.
In another study conducted at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, researchers looked at the entries on the New York Times ‘most e-mailed’ list over three days. They found that positive articles were shared more often than negative ones.
Putting the theory to work
What do these findings mean for leaders in organisations? Simply, positive news has a positive impact on people. In the workplace, sharing happy stories can lead your team to associate feel-good moments with the organisation, and the brands it represents.
When it comes to conveying news that is less positive, stories can be conveyed in such a way that the message is constructive and suggests ways things can be fixed or improved.
Related: 10 Ways to Be Happy at Work
As Gielan says, “Focusing on solutions is extremely important in activating people. When we engage with the public in a way that creates an atmosphere of social interaction, it can produce higher-quality potential solutions while reinforcing the message that everyone has a role to play
in creating collective success.”
Ask these questions
- How can you purposefully and consistently weave sales team members’ good news stories into training and culture-building for the sales organisation?
- How can you broadcast happiness by sharing customer success stories?
- How can you share these stories to your wider client and prospect network?
