In advertising and communications, effective frequency is the number of times a person must be exposed to a message before a response is made. Theories have ranged from three to twenty times, leading to countless spirited discussions amongst academics and practitioners alike looking to identify the magic number.

Whatever the answer, and it varies by person, the fact remains that recipients of a message can only retain a limited amount of information per exposure and it often takes someone hearing a message multiple times to transition that person from awareness to understanding, and finally, to action.

That’s why development of clear, concise, credible and compelling messages is critical to effective communications. Stopping there, however, is like ending a sentence without a period…you must be consistent with your messages to effectively close the loop.

A good story brings ideas to life and inspires listeners to imagine themselves in the storyteller’s place as events unfold and lessons are learned. The vicarious experiences audiences feel when hearing stories can build an emotional connection – sensory details, actions and language that are part of a good story make the message memorable and impactful.

Tell Stories With a Purpose

Sometimes leaders get so caught up with grabbing an audience’s attention that they miss the point. For instance, a personal anecdote is great but only if it connects to what you’re trying to communicate. In other words: It doesn’t really matter if your son won the state high school basketball tournament unless his game-winning shot says something about what your company team needs to do every day.

While it’s great to see leaders embrace stories, it’s so important to realize that simply storytelling—without the goal of teaching employees what they need to do in their work—defeats your purpose.

Use Stories to Connect Employees to Strategy

I’ve had several moments with clients when the power of storytelling really hits home with their teams. One recent experience stands out. It was one of those times when a light bulb clearly went on.

Employees don’t want to follow leaders who they don’t really know and understand. You can’t get anywhere with your team if they don’t see you as a real person who’s not perfect but who has a real vision for the company.

Help Employees Get to Know you

I recently had a parent-teacher conference about my youngest daughter, Noa, with her kindergarten teacher who’s a rock star. We were talking about how Noa’s very capable overall, and is a child who does things when she’s ready, and on her terms. “Her terms” is the key phrase, which Steve and I wholeheartedly support.