Curated Stories July 30, 2010

by Gregg on July 30, 2010

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Storytelling Why, Visualizations, Brands, Archetypes, Oral Traditions, Narrative Journalism & More

by Gregg on July 30, 2010


Why Storytelling Matters

“As he finished his intro, I looked across the room and saw 50 pairs of eyes glued onto him, some even glistening with tears. Wow, this guy’s good. He obviously did his homework and knew that his personal story is the best way into the hearts and minds of a group of compassionate food bank employees.

So how can storytelling be effective? Mr. Fishman offers the following:…”



Using visualization to create narratives and engage audiences

This looks like it will be a very worthwhile workshop.

“While visualization is an excellent tool for discovery and analysis, it is also a powerful medium for communication. The best information graphics do more than just present numbers: they tell a story, engage and convince their readers, invite them to make a personal connection to the data, and help them tell stories of their own.

This VisWeek 2010 workshop examines the construction of narratives with visualization. Our goal is to draw participants with interests in visualization, social media, journalism, and the humanities.”



Increase Referral Opportunities with Storytelling

“Have you ever heard of the old adage, “There’s publicity you pay for, and there’s publicity you pray for (free stuff).”? Attempting to garner free press is a daunting challenge. In fact, when I conduct marketing assessments for senior care providers, I rarely see storytelling being used in either print or verbal communication.

To demonstrate the effectiveness of storytelling, read this story from the book, Ordinary Greatness, by Pamela Bilbrey and Brian Jones:…”



Facebook Stories and Your Personal Brand

“It’s amazing to read what people have already shared. The stories range from love stories, inspirational, and health. It’s truly amazing when you grasp just how many people have connected on Facebook. These people come from every walk of life and are able to connect because of social networks. With the ability to connect with individuals all over the world and tell your story… it is becoming increasingly easier to build a genuine personal brand.”



Questions About Organizational Storytelling, Linguistic Sensemaking, Antenarrative?

“David Boje is one of the leading scholars of organizational storytelling. I encountered large bodies of his work while in my PhD program, and I must admit it takes me an enormous amount of effort and brain power to wrap my head around his research and concepts. But he has a prodigious Web presence, so there’s no lack of material to try and understand.

One of the newest — or at least one that I have most recently come across — is StoryOrgs, described as a “Knowledge Sharing site where we explore the mysteries of organizational storytelling and linguistic sensemaking together.” The site is a place where folks can pose questions about Boje’s concepts.”



Tell Me A Story She Whispered; A Story Retold

Nice.

“There were certain quiet, intimate times, usually at an hour when only insomniacs and lovers are awake, while half asleep, I would be asked to share bits of myself that no one else knew. Feeling safe with no need to keep my guard up, I would have shared the secrets of the universe had I known them. Fortunately, I was wise enough to recognize those moments and remember them. I wish I had shared this story during one of those times.”



Hey brands: forget your message, what’s your STORY?

“Archetypes – they’re not just for English class anymore

The idea of building your brand around one of the strong, powerful figures that recur throughout world literature might seem like a stretch, but as Tom points out, the greatest brands can be clearly identified with those figures – like Nike as the hero brand / Harley Davidson as the Outlaw / Patagonia as the Adventurer, etc.

And I don’t just say that to justify my outrageously expensive English degree (but it helps). When you translate these into brand elements and a tone of voice, they SOUND more natural. So the heroic statement “Just Do It” is intuitively more compelling than “Maximize your Performance” – even though both mean much the same on the surface.”



The lasting power of oral traditions

Interesting piece. I have a feeling that Limor Shiponi and Eric Wolf might concur with this one.

“But oral traditions have not disappeared. Their settings may change, but their power and use remain. The image of an oral telling may be caught on paper, film or in digital format, but recordings are not the word shared live. The presence of teller and audience, and the immediacy of the moment are not fully captured by any form of technology. Unlike the insect frozen in amber, a told story is alive. It always changes from one telling to the next depending on the voice and mood of the storyteller, the place of its telling, the response of the audience. The story breathes with the teller’s breath.”



It is a lovely book

A nice note from the nation’s (USA) “Storyteller in Chief”.

“What amazes me is the gratuity of it. As you would know, there is a large measure of calculation in what public figures do. But here, what does he gain? I’m not a US citizen. In no way can I be of help to President Obama. Clearly he did it for personal reasons, as a reader and as a father. And in two lines, what an insightful analysis of Life of Pi. Bless him, bless him.”



Make Your Readers Love You:
5 Lessons from Pixar

“People don’t just like Pixar films. They love Pixar films.

How does Pixar do it, again and again and again?

Yes, there is some magic, but it’s the kind that comes from plenty of commitment and hard work. Follow these five steps and eliminate the limits on what you or your business can achieve.”



Tell Your Story: Our Stories Can Enrage, Enlighten, Inspire and Motivate

“Besides the technical aspects of making videos that excited me as a kid, the power of storytelling truly inspired me, and is what continues to motivate me today. Storytelling is a human tradition. It is the way we connect with people. Effective storytelling can make people laugh, cry, become enraged or inspired. Storytelling can be practiced using all types of voices, on many platforms: through spoken and written words, graphics, photographs, audio and video; from a stage, on the radio, on television, in print and on the internet.”



Job: Amazing Digital Media Intern

An ad for a job that tells a story first. Pretty creative.

“Fast Forward Three Months…

We’d like to thank you for doing a fantastic job as our Digital Media Intern. You’ve doubled the number of podcasts we’ve been publishing, making them sound better than ever. We were stunned at how quickly you learned our production process and the improvements you suggested.

Now Back To Today…

If you’d like this to be your story, send us your resume with a half-page write up of your most significant digital media accomplishment. While we’re less concerned with your skills and qualifications, we won’t compromise on your ability to deliver team results. We’ll be back to you in 24 hours if you have what it takes to achieve something special.”


The History Of Storytelling

“The National Council of Teachers of English defines storytelling as “relating a tale to one or more listeners through voice and gestures.”
Most storytellers say it is an interactive process involving the teller, who shares the tale, and members of the audience who listen and let their imaginations take over.

“When I think of the definition of storytelling, I think of it as an event,” said author and educator Shirley Raines. “There’s the story, the listener, and the teller. And the teller is the person who makes it an event, but only if the listener is very engaged.”


Using Digital Storytelling to make research compelling

Interesting doctoral project.



Live Every Litre

Hond’a done a pretty good job with the storytelling here.

“Honda has framed the CR-Z hybrid vehicle with themes representing the joy of driving and “values you can share”. To sell the sporty CR-Z, Honda is aiming to help drivers “Live Every Litre”.

This approach differs from the usual fuel economy messages. Instead of being preached at to drive more responsibly and baffle drivers with renewable technology innovations, Honda’s message asks drivers to trust them with looking after the science of fuel efficiency, so owners can get on with the important business of enjoying the CR-Z driving experience.”



And Thereby Hangs a Tale…

Gotta’ like a man who draws inspiration from pups.

“In stories both delightfully humorous and deeply poignant, he explains how his four-legged friends gave a physical texture to slippery concepts like abiding in the Presence, uncommon love, vibrant silence, authentic self-hood, and union with God. Through the warp of these, he weaves a weft of poetry and mystical language from sources as varied as Shakespeare, Rumi, St. John of the Cross, Jack London, G.K. Chesterton and Khalil Gibran.”


Journey of a Screenwriter

Sound storytelling advice no matter the venue.

“In carrying out this experiment I learnt a couple of big lessons. First and foremost: the importance of a protagonist when telling a story. In The Man With A Movie Camera, the protagonist is the cameraman himself. And even though this film is a documentary, it was still important for the audience to have a point of identification, especially with the editing of seemingly random images: the audience needs a character to take them along for the ride.”


Narrative Journalism: Subjectivity, No Longer a Dirty Word

“It started with James Agee and John Hersey. Then came Tom Wolfe, Gay Talese and (maybe) the late Hunter S. Thompson, journalists who wanted to tell Americans the truth about themselves beyond the framework of conventional objectivity. It is called narrative journalism, or what some prefer to call literary journalism because it demands a standard and quality of writing found only in literature.”


Teach Doctrinal Truth by Storytelling

“Ministers wanting to shape important doctrinal understandings and education in people’s lives today must become good storytellers, says Rick Durst, dean at Golden Gate Seminary near San Francisco.

He cites three converging trends demanding good storytelling: postmodernism, narrative theology and “storying” as a current communication method.

He notes some researchers find theological understanding built upon narrative, rather than concepts or systematic categories, is more effective in today’s societies.”


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Storytelling and Branding Interview

by Gregg on July 30, 2010


Today I’m pleased to present a guest post from Marcelo Douek. He is a Director at Lukso Story & Strategy, which is a Brazilian Branding Consulting firm that specializes in discovering and creating great stories for brands. He approached me via email and asked if I would be interested in posting this interview that he did with a student from South Africa who is studying the fields of storytelling, marketing and branding. I am delighted to do so. I have made a few changes to the document he sent in terms of adverbs, etc. but otherwise left it alone. I enjoyed the way he translated some of his native tongue into English. (See the last sentence in #2 for an example. It expresses the principle beautifully.)

Thank you for sending this our way Marcelo. Stories are indeed the universal language and it’s nice to know that storytelling is enjoying the same popularity in South America as it is in North America, Europe and Australia.

1. Storytelling in branding. From a branding perspective, how would you define a story?

The concept of Story has a broad range of definitions. I believe that more important than trying to define story through the eyes of branding, is to understand the role of storytelling in the branding environment. Stories are the best way to pass information over, to engage and create emotional connections between people. If a brand intends to do any of these things with their consumers (and I think all brands should), then storytelling is a very nice way of achieving it.

2. What makes a successful story?

There are few things that successful stories have in common: first, they have a clear vision of the message they want to transmit. Second, they have a consistent fictional universe where the story happens. Third, interesting and deep characters who are able to express feelings and connect to the audience. And last, a good bunch of conflict.

3. In your opinion, why do brands need a good brand story?

I believe that stories are the most effective way to engage people. Quoting Isak Dinesen who said “To be a person is to have a story to tell” I think that all brands have stories to tell, but most of them don’t understand the mechanisms of storytelling to create brilliant stories that would enhance their performance through real emotional connections.

4. How do brands use these stories strategically, in their image, positioning, identity etc. What is the importance of storytelling for brands?

Brands can use storytelling in two ways:

a) One way is by spreading their real history, but treated in a way that is powerful and remarkable. Those stories (if well told) can inspire every sort of branding tool from positioning to design. Does your positioning reinforce any aspect of your story? Is your design coherent with the key concepts behind your story? Those are some examples of how good stories can inspire brand strategy.

b) What if your company does not have such a great history that can be translated in a compelling story? What you should do is an internal look of your values and principles and from there, create a good story (not necessarily inspired from history) that can express those principles and be interpreted through branding tools.

5. Which brand stories do you feel have worked, and not worked. And why?

I believe that Innocent Smoothies (UK) have done a great job on what I call brandstorytelling. They have their little “innocent story” on how the company started and the “spirit” (and values) of this story have been expressed in every single touch point of the brand, starting from their name going through packaging, advertising, promotions etc…
I won’t quote any bad job in particular but I can say that there are a lot of companies trying to tell little funny and useful stories in their advertising spots when in my opinion, they should be thinking storytelling in a more strategic approach, creating stories that express their values and managing them into their brand strategies.

6. How is meaning and value created through the stories of brands?

As I said before, a story (of any kind) is the most powerful way to create meaning for people. If a brand is capable of creating a story which is truly connected to its principles, the brand is going to attract consumers that agree (or believe) with those principles in an emotional way, creating huge bonding between brands and consumers.

7. What role do you feel storytelling plays in building a brand and leveraging the creation of shared symbolic meaning?

As we saw, storytelling is a very good way to present brand principles. There is a big challenge on the creation of stories, but once it’s achieved, I believe that it plays a really important role on the process of brand building. People need stories in their lives and more than that, they understand things through stories. If your brand has principles that are shared with your consumers, a good story will make these thoughts come together, uniting brand and consumers.

8. What is your opinion regarding the consumer culture of consumption? And the consumer pursuit for symbolic meaning and using brands to construct their identities?

First of all, I think this question has elements enough to develop a whole study around it. But if I could answer it in few words, I would say that the culture of consumption is between us and it’s very difficult to a person in a developed country to live out of it. By then, the most important question in my opinion is what role each brand wants to play in this system. Brands can chose from being responsible or not, being sustainable or not. I believe that the brands who have the sensibility to understand those elementary questions, absorb them into their business strategies, translate them into good stories (and here I’m talking about creation of symbolism) and that make sense to the society, are those which are most likely to succeed.

9. Which advertising medium do you think is the most effective in telling the brand story?

I think the debate of advertising mediums is kind of outdated. That said, I believe video is the best format for storytelling. Which medium works better? Really doesn’t matter. It’s obvious that television has some limitation (30 second debate) and because of that, the Internet gets more interesting. The other good thing about the internet is the possibility of interaction, which for sure, is able to increase the storytelling experience.

10. What is your opinion regarding the hyperreality created by advertising?

I believe that this is a disease of the advertising industry. As products got more and more equal, agencies tried to create alternate fake realities to sell more. It actually worked for a long time (70s, 80s and 90s) but the Internet forced companies to be transparent and in this new scenario, the hyper reality doesn’t make sense anymore.

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Curated Stories July 29, 2010

by Gregg on July 29, 2010

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Storytelling UI, UX, SoundSlide, Emotional Experiences, Drawing, Organizations, Mythnology & More

by Gregg on July 29, 2010


The message in the medium is that story is everything

“ROBERT Rosen wasn’t among the 4 million people who watched MasterChef on Sunday night, but he can tell you exactly why the show has been so wholeheartedly embraced. It’s all about the narrative.

Two years ago, before he retired as head of the UCLA school of theatre, film and television, Rosen and Peter Guber, the former head of Columbia (now Sony) Pictures, organised a course in which 40 people at the top of their fields talked to students about the power, structure and function of storytelling. Their brief wasn’t to tell stories about what they do, but to reveal the story in what they do.”


UIEtips: Three Important Benefits of Personas

“Next time you have a chance to watch someone reading a map, look for the first thing they do. They’ll likely do the exact same thing everyone else does: find themselves on the map.

It doesn’t matter what kind of map it is, whether it’s of their neighborhood or an amusement park. They’ll open the map and find something that is personally meaningful, such as their house or their favorite roller coaster.

Psychologists call this ‘grounding’—the natural behavior of initially finding a known reference point in a foreign information space. Once the person has grounded themselves, they can then use the starting point to understand the rest of the space.”



Ridiculously simple storytelling

“Soundslides allows storytellers to concentrate on the story, rather than the application. Created for journalists and other storytellers on deadline, Soundslides is designed to make quick work of slide show production.”



Successful fundraising with Kickstarter.com
& (re)making Art Space Tokyo

“I want to share with you a story about books, publishing, fundraising and seed capital. It’s a story that I hope will change how you think about all of these topics. And it’s a story that I hope will serve as a template.”



Narratives of Life: Storytelling in the Perspective of Happiness and Disaster

“At the University of Zurich we are currently conducting a narrative study with elderly people. On the basis of biographical narratives, the study aims to assess how elderly people, in reminiscing about their lives, structure in narrative the experiences that were significant for them, including both experiences of happiness, fulfillment, or joy, and experiences of unhappiness, failure, loss, harm, or disaster. Analysis of individual narratives seems to support the hypothesis that has been formulated in biography research that life review is worthwhile for elderly persons, as it can contribute towards improved quality of life.”


Techniques to Improve Memory – The Power of Storytelling

“n ancient times most information was passed on by word of mouth, for the very good reason that writing and writing materials were restricted to the wealthy and highly educated. For information to last over great times and distances, it had to be in a highly memorable form. And one of the most memorable ways to store and transport information was, and still is, in the form of a story.
Stories are memorable because they are contain vivid images, have connected elements, and evoke emotions in the listener.”



A Brief History of Storytelling in Videogames

Unfortunately, I can relate a bit to the ending.







Interview: CNN’s Sr. Director Dermot Waters on Real Time Storytelling

“One session definitely worth attending at next month’s SES in San Francisco is Real-Time Storytelling where panelists will discuss how mainstream media must embrace social media and take on the critical role of curator of the conversation in order to survive. I was able to catch up with Dermot Waters, Senior Director of Product Development, CNN.com, who will be participating on the panel. Read our chat below:…”



Creating An Emotional Experience Through Storytelling

“At first she had the story buried at the end of the About page on her website, but I couldn’t let her do that. I felt just reading the story made me feel compelled to want to sit at that same table with her, and I knew that other people would feel that same desire from reading the story. I called her up, and gave her my “Emotions Create Movement” speech and advised her to move the story to the top of the page. She put it on the Home page. Much better choice.”



Elan Lee wants you to convert part of your life into the storytelling experience

“So we went back to Redmond and we canceled all the games. We just killed them that day cause we thought, ‘We have no chance, no one’s gonna buy these things.’ But as we’re slashing these games, we kinda realize ‘But that other thing, the glue, that’s still kinda cool. That actually has emotional resonance, and actually fits in really well with the movie, because it’s all about people’s real lives. And their passions and their hatreds and their conflict, and, it’s just gritty and real and awesome.”


Corporate Storytelling: Story Search Resources

“Looking for a story to start a speech, conduct a meeting, or connect with a prospect of sale? You can find stories in a variety of locations. What type of story you choose depends on your personal style and what you aim for, what you’re trying to achieve.”



Drawing and Storytelling

“I just found this great video of one of my favorite artists, Pascal Campion. In the video Pascal talks about drawing as a way to tell stories. To him drawing is really just a means to an end. The real power of drawing comes not in the perfection of the drawing but in the ability to communicate a story with that drawing.”


Storytelling and the Future of Organizations

A book to be on the lookout for.

“Storytelling is part of social action and interaction that actually shapes the future of organizations. Organization and management studies have overwhelmingly focused to date on rational narrative structures with beginnings, middles, and ends, where narrative has proved to be a handy concept in qualitative studies. Far less attention is given however to the more spontaneous and ‘non-staged’ storytelling that occurs in organizations. Storytelling and the Future of Organizations explores the science and practice of ‘antenarrative’ because that is how the future of organization is shaped.”



The Moth Story Slam Winner Bill Ratner Featured At National Storytelling Network Conference 2010

Being able to see him perform is worth the price of admission…and then some.

“Ratner, a five-time The Moth Story Slam winner, plans to regale an audience at the National Storytelling Network Conference 2010 opening night at The Warner Center Marriott, Woodland Hills, CA, Wednesday, July 28, at 7:30 p.m., with a tale. Ratner will also be featured on Friday, July 30 in the Pacific Story Showcase. This year’s conference storytelling theme is “Many Stories – One World.”



The Wikileaks Story

“So, in no time at all, Wikileaks’ 91,000+ documents, which apparently (so far) contain no story-making news other than the leaks themselves, has become a story about Wikileaks. Thus we have Air Leaks from Wikileaks Balloon, in the Washington Post.”



A moment of silence for one of the greats … John Callahan

“I doubt there has ever been a cartoonist who combined sick, twisted and funny as well as John Callahan. Callahan – quadriplegic and alcoholic – was totally without fear when it came to finding humor in a situation.”



What’s the story?

“When a leader inspires, he or she breathes life and energy into their followers. When we reflect on the extraordinarily motivating speeches Winston Churchill made, it’s clear that no amount of PowerPoint (had it existed) and no amount of consultancy or accountancy models would ever have had the effect of his well-chosen words. And Martin Luther King had a dream, he didn’t have a change goal and wasn’t at a critical point of inflection. Or was he?”



Storytelling for UX

It’s a terrific book. I’m betting it will be a great seminar.

“You have a great design idea that will positively tackle many of your project’s goals. Now you need to convince your boss it’s the right approach, help your team understand why it’s the right decision, and show your customer how this design will pay dividends. No small task. Fortunately, you can accomplish all of that and more with storytelling.”


Mythnology

Both terms, “blovel” and “mythnology” were new to me.

“The title Mythnology is a combination of Technology and Mythology. One is based on a system of faith where the other has a core of truth in it. No, not that way – the other way ‘round. Longtime readers of Barataria know that while there popular culture believes that technology can connect people, I happen to believe that myths, or stories that illuminate a grain of truth at the core of them, are the strongest connections between people. If a strong society is all about connections between people and people or people and ideas, our faith in technology is certainly going to test us in ways we probably do not understand very well yet. The ancient art of storytelling, or the crafting of myths, is how we usually fill the gaps.”



Matryoshka

Interesting story told in comic form.



Authentic storytelling: Why it matters

“An authentic story reveals who you are and what you stand for. It goes beyond organization history to tell a compelling, rich story about what you believe, why you do what you do, what problem(s) you’re trying to solve, and what inspires you to do it.

To be sure, an authentic story isn’t greenwashing. It’s transparent. It’s purposeful. It’s community-focused. It reveals the motivations and missions of entrepreneurs, pioneers, and idea-generators. Of products, innovations, and initiatives that have the power to affect change or do “Good Work.”


Old Spice and the Return of Ad-Power: Are “Transformats” the Future of Marketing?

“…the campaign has beamed us back into an age of Mad Men superpower, perfectly coinciding with the imminent launch of the new season of our favorite TV series this weekend. Ironically, though, rather than by relying on traditional persuasive ad-power Mad Men’s clout has been restored by an ad agency using social media of all things. Or, to be more precise: Transmedia. After already toying with them for their 2008 “Somebody Else’s Phone” campaign for Nokia, W+K borrowed the principles of Transmedia again for Old Spice – but this time augmenting them to much more visible effect.

Consider Transmedia a variation of social media.”



Group Story – Memories Made Together

There have been a number of these types of services appearing over the last few months. This one looks good too.



Transmedia and Writing: Starlight Runner Goes The Distance

“Specificially, transmedia is a term that was coined by M.I.T. professor Henry Jenkins in the 1990s. Jenkins described transmedia as the notion of spreading narrative across multiple media platforms, with the aim of having each platform contribute something integral to an overall storyline. The rise of transmedia comes at a crucial time and amounts to a perfect convergence. It is not just that Hollywood’s release schedule is being saturated with big budget franchises, but also the emergence of new media platforms and the time and energy people devote to them. Even the Producers Guild of America sees the importance of transmedia, as they recently ratified a new credit with the title of “transmedia producer.”



Manner of Speaking: Mastering Storytelling

“You’re on the road to becoming your company’s Chief Storyteller. Let’s begin with some good news: You’re already better than you might think. You tell stories every day.

Here we’ll explore three capabilities that will take you well on your way to becoming a professional storyteller.

Remember the “Three R’s” of your early education: Reading, Writing and ‘Rithmetic? Now consider the “three I’s” of storytelling: Invitation, Imagination and Impact. Here’s how you can master them:…”


THE NEW STORYTELLING

“One of the most successful emerging theater companies in Chicago doesn’t stage plays and doesn’t rent theater space. 2nd Story presents true-life narratives in bars, museums, sex-toy stores, and, occasionally, conventional theater venues like the Goodman. The performances are one-off, well rehearsed, and portable; they have freed themselves from the conventions of the six-week, four-show-a-week run.

These venues are the social and artistic hubs of live performance in 2010, as essential to the culture of a city as any theater.”


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Curated Stories July 28, 2010

by Gregg on July 28, 2010

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Storytelling Michael Hyatt, Australia, Cross Culture, Surprise, Story Finder, Hero Brands & More

by Gregg on July 28, 2010


THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF YOUR STORY

This is well worth your reading time.

“But, inevitably, you come to the middle of the story. Suddenly, things get difficult. You’re working hard, but you don’t feel you are making progress. You feel trapped: You’ve come too far to go back, but you aren’t sure you have enough resources to finish.
Eventually, you push through and reach the destination. But then you realize that the destination isn’t that important. Instead, it is what happened to you on the journey—how you have changed and what you’ve become.”



Storytime by RM Cole

“Storytime is an important part of a child’s bedtime routine, and children love nothing more than a story that Daddy or Mummy has made up.

My kids’ favourites include a spider who climbs to the top of a tall tree, a rabbit who won’t eat his carrots and the cow who would never wear the right clothes. RM Cole is an author who has many years’ experience of telling stories to his own children. In this book he offers a beginner’s guide to creating the kind of stories that young children love.”



What Makes Me

This is a nice storytelling initiative from The Australia Council for the Arts.



Walking to Mexico: An Experiment in Cross-Cultural Storytelling

A worthwhile endeavor that clearly got a lot of support in a hurry. Shows what a story well told can do for fund raising efforts.

“I have a dream of travelling through life as a pilgrim. To me, that means walking slowly, thinking about big ideas, and connecting with people in order to learn, share and grow. This August, I’m going to follow my dream by walking 1,800 miles down the Pacific Coast of the USA, from Vancouver, Canada to the Mexican border.”


Retooled is a place to find and share experiences of the rollercoaster of redundancy.

Nicely done.

“This site was begun by a group of employees who were all made redundant when our company MG Rover closed. We hope by sharing our experiences, Retooled will be valuable to anyone who is going through redundancy.

Start by exploring the stories below, which are real people’s accounts of every part of the journey.”



Don’t Forget To Leave A Gap In Your Storytelling

“In order to have an “Aha” moment in your ad, the story can’t be fully told. There has to be a small gap in the storytelling. A small chasm that a listener has to fill in herself. It can’t be too big, and it can’t be so small as to be insignificant. A great ad tells the viewer a story, takes her on a journey, then just near the end, the writer stops writing. A tiny, important piece of information is held back. But when the reader gets to that gap, she finds herself saying “What!?! I don’t get it. I really don’t… wait… wait…AHA… I got it!”



What Marketers Can Learn from Storytellers

“B2B marketers are storytellers of a different kind. Our customers are heroes and heroines. Our competitors are all treacherous villains. Dramatic tension arises when our customers’ companies run into a major challenge that our handsome heroes and fair heroines overcome by wielding our trusty products.

So what can B2B marketers learn from the time-honored, tried-and-true techniques of great storytellers?”


Oral Tradition versus Digital Storytelling: On Educational Effects of Middle European Folk Tales and Their Value for Digital Storytelling

“Digital Storytelling Projects seen by an old-fashioned oral storyteller. The author writes about old storytelling techniques and the influence it may have on future programs, about the psychological background of folk tales, their origins and their purposes. Also included is a brief view into the future of both oral and digital story and fairy tale telling.”


Sniffing out Washington stories in a coffee house

“There’s a truism in journalism that says stories are everywhere, that every person contains the material for a story that can reveal to readers some essential truth about who we are and the pressing questions of our time.

To test that theory, six Washington Post reporters this Wednesday will fan out to coffee houses in Virginia, Maryland and the District to find stories that tell us something about the way we live today.”


Making Storytelling for Business Easy: Add the Element of Surprise

“I love it when a story surprises and captivate me. And I know you do too.

I love it when I think a movie or a song or a story is going in a particular direction only to find out it’s more like that Monty Python sketch, “And now for something completely different.”

Anytime you’re telling a story, you want to add an element of surprise. A twist or turn that the reader may not anticipate. That’s how you capture someone’s attention and captivate them.”


Story Finder

An absolutely unbelievable resource from Shawn Callahan and his gang!

“Do you need a business-related story for an upcoming presentation? Click on the topic and read through the post to find one or more stories to tell.”


The Solution? Storytelling.

“Everyone’s talking about curation. I danced inside when I found this from Frank Chimero:

Curation is storytelling.”


Brand Narratives – Marketing, Meaning & Stories

“Real-world brand storytellers speak to the changing climate in story-based marketing & the power of cohesive brand stories.”



What’s So Important About Storytelling?

“At NPi, we believe storytelling and knowledge sharing, both online and on the ground, is a major part of the solution. Storytelling enables learning and dialogue and helps to build and strengthen networks, thereby speeding up the process by which people, organizations, and systems improve the world we live in.”


But I really want to direct.

“We don’t read sales pages with as much interest as we watch movies. But we do scan them. We’re optimists at heart. “Maybe this sales page will be the one for me.”
And, if your headlines look as dramatic as a soap opera plot, people might actually read that sales page. And then they might do something about that call to action at the end. We can hope, right?
As the director of your own sales page, you get to create your story, and you get to decide what happens next.
So, you want to direct. Let’s get started.”



The Hero’s Journey Outline

Very nice.

“The Hero’s Journey is a pattern of narrative identified by the American scholar Joseph Campbell that appears in drama, storytelling, myth, religious ritual, and psychological development. It describes the typical adventure of the archetype known as The Hero, the person who goes out and achieves great deeds on behalf of the group, tribe, or civilization.”



Write So They Will Listen (Rule 4)

Short, sweet and spot on.

“Storytelling has existed since we as a species have been talking. Stories communicate our emotions, lives, and ideas. Everyone loves a good story. They elicit emotion and compel action.
You are in a room, crowded with friends and family. One person begins to talk about a crazy debacle with their hairstylist. What happens next? Ears perk, conversations trail off – people get interested. They want to listen, get incredulous, share their experience – they want to interact with the story.”


Storytelling as sales tool? Seriously?

“What makes a good story? It’s relevant, authentic and intriguing (or at least interesting) to the listener.

What makes a great story? When the teller isn’t always the hero. It’s a lesson learned the hard way. Sometimes there are twists and surprise endings that don’t make the teller look good at all, except for the fact s/he is telling it, to underscore that lesson learned.”



The Florida Storytelling Association.

“Since 1985, we’ve been fostering the growth and development of oral storytellers and storytelling in Florida by promoting and providing educational, networking, and performance opportunities throughout the state. Our goal here at the Florida Storytelling Association is to nurture storytellers and expand storytelling.”


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Curated Stories July 27, 2010

by Gregg on July 27, 2010

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Storytelling Threes, Social Media, Lions, Location Based, Business, Mind Meld & More

by Gregg on July 27, 2010


The Boller Camry Tree

Some interesting storytelling from Toyota in this video.



Storytelling With the Magic of Threes

“If we start to remember the familiar stories of our childhood, or look back on the fairytales collected by the brothers Grimm, or even recall or discover plots and characters in folktales from all over the world, we will notice a universal element — the use of threes. Remember “Goldilocks and the Three Bears” and the “Three Little Pigs.” Usually, if someone is given wishes, they are given three wishes. Many tales include three brothers. In this article, I am going to suggest why I think the use of threes in storytelling is so prevalent.”



Landscape Narrative (moving image draft version)

More than one way to tell a story.



Screenwriting Technique Number 7 – Moral Storytelling

“But recently a very different model of storytelling has appeared. These stories often frame a character’s lifetime. Instead of going for a single emotional hit, the writers weave a detailed and complex moral accounting. and they’re not content to show a single moral event, although that is often the catalyst for the bigger picture. These storytellers depict an entire moral universe that tells us whether human life has meaning or not.”



Jared: The Power Story

“What’s more interesting, that Subway offers seven sandwiches that are under six grams of fat or that those sandwiches helped a guy with a 60-inch waist get off the fast track to heart attack station? Answer: The story of Jared, of course. In this installment of Made to Stick, Dan Heath explains how stories about triumph over adversity make for better brand messages than … math. Watch and then go find your own company’s Jared.”



Drowning in Overly Complicated Storytelling

“When did endings become middles and beginnings? It used to be that you could watch a film and lose yourself in the slow unraveling of the plot. Bit by bit things would play out and (hopefully) come together in various satisfying and entertaining ways. But then every new feature had to “up” the ante, and it has left our entertainment a flipping mess of terribly convoluted storytelling.”



Habra with the lion

Quite a story.

“In a future post I’ll introduce you to an extraordinary storyteller (alas, no longer with us) I met in Paris years ago. His name was Mohammed bel Halfaoui. He had lived in Paris many years as a professor of Arabic literature.

He gave me two collections of his folktales, in Arabic and French. I translated and published one of the stories before his death. “Man With No Brain” appears in Margaret MacDonald’s Peace Tales: World Folktales to Talk about.

“Habra and the lion” is one of my favorite of Mohammed’s stories, even though North American audiences often find it troubling. Outside North America there seems to be less insistence on happy endings.

The version below retains the story line but eliminates Mohammed’s longer embellishments. Perhaps one day his stories can appear in their entirety. They would be best in Arabic, with their poetry and imagery intact.

Mohammed began the story this way: “Mama Zohra loved this story and enjoyed telling it to us. And as always, the lesson to draw from it was of most importance to her: ‘You must take care not to hurt people’s feelings because the offenses are impossible to forget.’ And that’s why I ask you to listen to the adventure of Habra with the lion.”



Storytelling for Social Media

A nice slide deck from Gavin Heaton, Servant of Chaos if you follow him on Twitter or in your RSS reader.



Secondhand Store Showcases Previous Owners

This is kinda’ neat.

“Pass the Baton is an attractive concept on various levels: the strong story element not only adds value for potential buyers, but might also make it easier for sellers to part with their possessions, knowing that an object’s story is carried along with it.”



MemoryMiner 2.1.1

Haven’t tried it yet.

“Last month’s vacation photos can too easily become this month’s blur of forgotten details. MemoryMiner 2.1.1 turns photo albums into narratives, tagging people and locations to preserve the stories of your life. While its interface needs refinement, the program largely fulfills its big ambitions.”



Dramatic Storytelling

“Dramatic storytelling comes from choices, not circumstances.

Why?

Ask yourself, which is more satisfying to watch or read: a movie with lots of cool action and events and special effects, or a movie where a character faces internal struggles while dealing with lots of cool action and events and special effects?

The best stories are about an interesting, relatable character learning about themselves and becoming a better person in the midst of, and sometimes because of, extraordinary circumstances. Or, sometimes, in inverse: choosing NOT to become a better person in spite of learning about themselves in the midst of extraordinary circumstances — which isn’t as satisfying, but still strikes an emotional resonance.”



StorySelling as an Effective Sales Closing Technique (Part 2)

“Through StoryTelling techniques companies can effectively distinguish themselves from competitors, and provide reasons to the prospect as to why their product or service is superior and why they should try it. The problem with most StoryTelling is that it does not nudge the recipient to a call-to-action. It should. Then, it becomes StorySelling.”



Narration, Formulation, Inception

“A narrative formula facilitates the storytelling, allowing audiences to fit the pieces of the story together more quickly, leading to a faster understanding of the story’s meaning. Many people don’t want or expect to be challenged too much by a Hollywood movie, the idea of effort being antithetical to entertainment and escape, and Hollywood is nothing if not an industry of diversion.”


Will You Take the 12-Week Story-Blogging Challenge?

“For me story is more than just performance/telling/anecdotes. Story is about relationship; who am I; where do I belong; what is mine to do?

Story blogging is about bringing people into one’s world through conversation and dialogue. It begins by seeking to map, explore, and understand convergence and context. I stand at the unique intersection of many worlds. I’ll be sharing many of these musings and reflections in real time.”



One In 8 Million

This, from the NY Times, is some very nice storytelling.

“One in 8 Million tells the stories of New York characters in sound and images.”



The History Of Storytelling

“What is storytelling?

The National Council of Teachers of English defines storytelling as “relating a tale to one or more listeners through voice and gestures.”
Most storytellers say it is an interactive process involving the teller, who shares the tale, and members of the audience who listen and let their imaginations take over.

“When I think of the definition of storytelling, I think of it as an event,” said author and educator Shirley Raines. “There’s the story, the listener, and the teller. And the teller is the person who makes it an event, but only if the listener is very engaged.”



Irish Entrepreneur Combines Storytelling with GPS

More location based storytelling.

“Even more interesting is Racontour, an audio upgrade which also includes interesting local histories, anecdotes and tales, narrated by locals – “some hilarious, some bizarre but all very interesting”. The audio files are triggered as the driver passes key locations, making it a bit like having a tour guide in the car with you.”



Storytelling In Business: How Can It Benefit You?

This is good.

“Take a moment and think back to the last time you read a book that you simply couldn’t put down? How did you feel? Do you remember the story? The characters? Now think about a time you were inspired to work hard or keep going after reading an autobiography or success story? That feeling of exhilaration and energy you felt is the result of a powerful story. In a business context, leaders can use these types of stories to educate, engage, inspire and encourage employees. You know your story hit the mark when it helps your audience connect the dots between the rational and emotional in situations where they might not otherwise be engaged or interested.”



My Story

Good story. I think Seth Godin would appreciate her definition of artist.

“I’ve been an artist for as long as I can remember. I believe the word “artist” is a holistic term that encompasses an entire personality and lifestyle that the people who fit in it are born with. Like many a pastor will tell of his call to preach, we artists may run from our call to create. To think out of the box in a culture that–if it’s completely honest with itself–values conformity is frightening and lonely at times. And possibly worse, as a career choice, it leaves you without clear paths and without guarantees.”



Good Connection Really Does Lead to Mind Meld

“When two people experience a deep connection, they’re informally described as being on the same wavelength. There may be neurological truth to that.

Brain scans of a speaker and listener showed their neural activity synchronizing during storytelling. The stronger their reported connection, the closer the coupling.”


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Curated Stories July 26, 2010

by Gregg on July 26, 2010

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