“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.”
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 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.
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.”
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.”
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.”
