Why It Matters
The heart of your role is getting colleagues to actually take part: to try a challenge, open a NuStart Block, or come to an event. People rarely act on announcements. They act on stories: a person, a problem, one next step. You do not need to be a writer. You need one simple shape and the right posture, and this lesson gives you both.
What to Know
Be the guide, not the hero
The most useful idea in modern communication comes from Donald Miller's StoryBrand: in every message, your colleague is the hero, and you are the guide. This is a small shift with a big effect. Most wellness messages accidentally make the program the hero: look at our challenge, here is our event. People tune that out. Instead, make your colleague the hero of their own week, and cast yourself as the guide who understands their day and offers a simple plan. You are not the star of the story. You are the trusted person who points the way and says, this will help, and I will walk with you.
The one tool to master: And, But, Therefore
If you learn one storytelling tool, make it the ABT: And, But, Therefore. It is a three-part sentence that turns a flat announcement into a tiny story. It was created by Dr. Randy Olson and is championed for business by Park Howell, and it works because it follows cause and effect: here is the world (And), here is the problem (But), here is what we do about it (Therefore).
How it sounds
We all want to feel a little less wiped out by Friday, AND most of us mean to move more during the day. BUT between bus duty, grading, and everything else, a real workout almost never happens. THEREFORE we are taking a two-minute stretch break together in the lounge at 3:15 on Wednesdays. Just show up as you are.
- Start with a shared truth, something your colleagues already nod along to. That is your And.
- Name the real obstacle honestly. That is your But, and it is what makes people feel understood.
- End with one easy next step. That is your Therefore, and it is the part people actually act on.
Make the ask easy to say yes to
Your Therefore is the moment of action, so give it a quick check before you send. Behavioral scientists at the Behavioural Insights Team found that people are far likelier to act when a request is Easy, Attractive, Social, and Timely, a handy checklist they call EAST. Run your next step past those four:
- Easy: one step, one link, no friction. If it takes more than a moment to say yes, trim it.
- Attractive: name the small, real benefit or bit of fun, not the logistics.
- Social: mention that a colleague is already in. Join us, we would love to have you.
- Timely: give a specific day, time, or deadline so it does not quietly slip.
Try this · Your turnPick one thing you will promote in the next few weeks: a challenge, a NuStart Block, or an event. Write it as a single ABT: a shared truth (And), the honest obstacle (But), and one easy next step (Therefore). Cast your colleague as the hero and yourself as the guide, then run your Therefore past the EAST check: Easy, Attractive, Social, Timely. Send it, and notice whether it lands warmer than a plain announcement would.
New to the role? Your INtegrate Champion Manual is your complete guide. Keep it handy.
