Learn more about communication with this collection
How to use storytelling to influence and persuade
How to create a compelling narrative
How to structure your story for maximum impact
Five-Act Storytelling Structure
Also known as Freytag’s Pyramid:
- Exposition: Introduce important background information
- Rising action: Tell a series of events to build up to the climax
- Climax: Turn the story around (usually the most exciting part of the story)
- Falling action: Continue the action from the climax
- Dénouement: Ending the story with a resolution.
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Before – After – Bridge Storytelling Formula
- Before: Describe the world with Problem A.
- After: Imagine what it’d be like having Problem A solved.
- Bridge: Here’s how to get there.
Set the stage of a problem that your target audience is likely to experience ( ...
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4.2K reads
The Hero’s Journey Storytelling Formula
- Departure: A hero receives a call to go on an adventure, receives advice from a mentor, and heads out on her journey.
- Initiation: The hero meets a series of challenges but eventually completes the mission.
- Return: The hero re...
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Nancy Duarte’s Secret Structure of Great Talks
In a famous TED talk, Nancy Duarte presents the structure of a presentation made famous by Steve Jobs.
- What is: The status quo
- What could be: The future that could be possible
Go back and forth between the two and end off with a …
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Dave Lieber’s V Storytelling Formula
- Introduce the character;
- Bring the story to its lowest point;
- Turn it around and finish with a happy ending.
Once you introduce the character of the story, describe how things went awful for him/her, using emotion...
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2.76K reads
Dale Carnegie’s Magic Formula for Storytelling
Dale Carnegie usues a more dramatic structure for storytelling
- Incident: Share a relevant, personal experience, to grab your audience’s attention.
- Action: Describe the specific action taken to solve or prevent a problem, showing that a change w...
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Simon Sinek’s Golden Circle
The Golden Circle is a narrative structure from Simon Sinek. His claim is can be used as a guide to vastly improve every aspect of your business or organization—from leadership and hiring, to product development, sales, and marketing.
- Why: Why the company exists (Why...
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Star – Chain – Hook Storytelling Formula
- Star: An attention-getting, positive opening
- Chain: A series of convincing facts, benefits, and reasons
- Hook: A powerful call-to-action.
The star grabs your audience’s attention. The chain turns your audience’s at...
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Three-Act Storytelling Structure
One of the oldest and most straightforward storytelling formulas:
- Setup: Set the scene and introduce the character(s)
- Confrontation or “Rising action” : Present a problem and build up the tension
- Resolution: Resolve the...
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13.7K reads
Problem – Agitate – Solve Storytelling Formula
- Problem: Present a problem
- Agitate: Agitate the problem
- Solve: Solve the problem
First, you present a problem. Second, instead of presenting the “After”, you intensify the problem with emotional language. Finally,...
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3.76K reads
Pixar’s Award-Winning Storytelling Formula
Once upon a time there was.... Every day, ... One day, ... Because of that, ... Because of that, ... Until finally, ...
The idea is to introduce a character or a group of character, describe their usual routine, present a twist that disrupts their daily lives, explain how they ove...
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2.97K reads
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How do great presenters tell their stories
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More like this
Three-Act Storytelling Structure
One of the oldest and most straightforward storytelling formulas:
- Setup: Set the scene and introduce the character(s)
- Confrontation or “Rising action” : Present a problem and build up the tension
- Resolution: Resolve the...
Organize Your Mini-Summaries
For fiction books, group them by where they fall into the story structure:
- Beginning (Intro to characters, setting, problem)
- Rising Action (Tension around problem builds)
- Climax (Highest point in tension)
- Falling Action (Resolving loose ends ...
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