How to Build a Consistent Story That Works Across Europe

At Tyto’s all-company Hackweek in Croatia, we spent a day with Ken Deeks MBE and Paul Smith focused on the principles of great storytelling.

It was a practical, hands-on session, full of exercises designed to help us apply those ideas in our work with the world’s most innovative B2B technology companies.

With Ken and Paul’s experience as two of the UK’s leading communications trainers, both with backgrounds in journalism and decades spent working with global brands, it is no surprise the day was so energising. They brought a level of clarity and rigour that reminded me how much of our work comes down to telling stories that people actually want to listen to, and more importantly, repeat.

It sparked a lot of conversation inside the team, especially around one question that comes up constantly when you are working across Europe: how do you tell a story that stays consistent across markets, while still feeling locally relevant?

So, we invited Ken and Paul back for an interview to share more insights on the challenges and opportunities that come with telling stories across multiple markets.

There is a lot to take away from the conversation, so we’ve split it into a two-part series. In part two, we get more practical, looking at customer storytelling, executive messaging and data-led narratives.

Why is storytelling having such a moment right now?

There’s been a lot of talk in the PR industry recently about storytelling becoming a highly desirable skill since the Wall Street Journal published a piece recently on the growing demand for corporate storytellers in the US, but what is behind the trend?

Ken’s view is that organisations need better ways to explain what they actually do. Too often, companies default to corporate language that sounds polished but means very little to the people outside.

Stories on the other hand work well because they feel human. They bring meaning and clarity in a way that jargon never will.

Paul added that storytelling is only going to become more important as AI becomes more embedded in business. As automation increases, the skills that stand out are the soft ones: communication, influence, connection. The companies and leaders that tell a clear story will always cut through.

What helps a global story resonate once it leaves headquarters?

We then moved onto what makes telling a consistent story so difficult across Europe.

Ken pointed out that stories are often shaped by the geography they were created in. A narrative may feel compelling within your organisation or market, but audiences elsewhere will be far less interested in what feels distant or irrelevant to them.

When developing narratives to take out to the market, Paul advises comms team to look at it from the perspective of the audience – what does it mean for them and why should they care? Stories won’t make an impact if they don’t feel relevant and that’s especially true when communicating with audiences across multiple geographies.

The most effective communicators are the ones who can hold onto the core story but adapt the emphasis so it feels meaningful in each market.

What makes a story re-tellable across countries?

One idea that came through clearly during out storytelling workshop last year was that strong stories need to be re-tellable but is that achievable across borders?

Ken offered two top tips for PR and comms teams grappling with this challenge.

He said the secret to making a story re-tellable is to lead with the impact. If there is a meaningful outcome, open with it. If you helped a customer save £20 million, don’t bury the headline – say it upfront. People only repeat stories that feel important.

He also says the best stories are about people. Human experience travels far better and more naturally than product descriptions and technical language ever will.

Paul warned about what he calls the “Curse of Knowledge”. Organisations often overcomplicate stories because they are too close to the detail. They’re too familiar with their product or service, and they want to throw extra details in or use corporate speak and jargon. But complexity does not scale across markets. Simplicity does, which is why editing and using conversational language is so important. 

Ken shared a brilliant example from his days as a sub-editor. He would often be handed a thousand-word story and told he had space for two hundred. The skill and discipline were in cutting it back without losing any of the real meaning.

Great storytelling often comes down to that same editing muscle. The key is telling stories succinctly and in a conversational way, so that the audience will repeat it.

A consistent truth: global stories only work when they feel local

The big takeaway from the first part of my interview with Ken and Paul is simple. Consistency alone is not enough to tell an impactful story across Europe. Stories only resonate when they feel clear, human, and meaningful in each market.

In part two, we explore what that looks like in practice for technology companies.