Deepstash

Storytelling secrets

Stories create “sticky” memories
...by attaching emotions to things that happen. That means those who can create and share good stories have a powerful advantage over others. Facts and figures and all the rational things that we think are important in the business world actually don’t stick in our minds at all.
How to Tell a Great Story
Start with a message
First, settle on your ultimate message; then you can figure out the best way to illustrate it. Every storytelling exercise should begin by asking: Who is my audience and what is the message I want to share with them? Each decision about your story should flow from those questions.
How to Tell a Great Story
Use personal experiences
The best storytellers look to their own memories and life experiences for ways to illustrate their message. Think of a moment in which your own failures led to success in your career or a lesson that a parent or mentor imparted. There may be a tendency not to want to share personal details at work, but anecdotes that illustrate struggle, failure, and barriers overcome are what make leaders appear authentic and accessible.
How to Tell a Great Story
Don’t make yourself the hero
You can be a central figure, but the ultimate focus should be on people you know, lessons you’ve learned, or events you’ve witnessed. The more you celebrate your own decisions, the less likely your audience will connect with you and your message.
How to Tell a Great Story
Highlight a struggle
Good storytellers understand that a story needs conflict. A story without a challenge simply isn’t very interesting. Don’t be afraid to suggest the road ahead will be difficult. We actually like to be told it’s going to be hard,” followed by "but if we all pull together and hang in there, we’ll achieve something amazing in the end."
How to Tell a Great Story
Keep it simple
Not every story you tell has to be a surprising, edge-of-your-seat epic. Some of the most successful and memorable stories are relatively simple and straightforward. Don’t let needless details to detract from your core message. Work from the principle that “less is more.” One of the biggest mistakes you can make is putting in too much detail of the wrong kind.
How to Tell a Great Story
Dos and Don'ts in storytelling
Do: Consider your audience: choose a framework and details that will best resonate with your listeners. Identify the moral or message you want to impart. Find inspiration in your life experiences . Don’t: Assume you don’t have storytelling chops: we all have it in us to tell memorable stories. Give yourself the starring role. Overwhelm your story with unnecessary details.
How to Tell a Great Story
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 problem
Social Media Storytelling Formulas: 11 Quick-Fire Ways to Create Your Stories
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.
Social Media Storytelling Formulas: 11 Quick-Fire Ways to Create Your Stories
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 ( a problem that your company solves). Describe a world where that problem didn’t exist. Explain how to get there or present the solution (i.e. your product or service).
Social Media Storytelling Formulas: 11 Quick-Fire Ways to Create Your Stories
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, you solve the problem by offering your product or services.
Social Media Storytelling Formulas: 11 Quick-Fire Ways to Create Your Stories
Simon Sinek’s Golden Circle
Why : Why the company exists (Why are you in this business? What motivates you) How : How the company fulfills its Why What : What the company does to fulfill its Why (i.e. your products and services).
Social Media Storytelling Formulas: 11 Quick-Fire Ways to Create Your Stories
Dale Carnegie’s Magic Formula 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 was needed. Benefit : State the benefits of the action/change.
Social Media Storytelling Formulas: 11 Quick-Fire Ways to Create Your Stories
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 emotions to draw your audience into your story. At the lowest point of the story, turn things around, describe how things improved, and end the story on a high note.
Social Media Storytelling Formulas: 11 Quick-Fire Ways to Create Your Stories
Persuasion through storytelling
Stories are a very integral part of being persuasive. Stories trump data when it comes to persuasion because stories are easier to understand and relate to.
The Psychology of Storytelling
What makes a story engaging
Suspense and “cliffhangers” allow you to create an addictive narrative; Creating detailed imagery ; Using literary techniques for turning simple stories into memorable works of art. Change made easier by providing an example .
The Psychology of Storytelling
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 attention into a desire. The hook gives them something actionable to fulfill their desire.
Social Media Storytelling Formulas: 11 Quick-Fire Ways to Create Your Stories
Characteristics of persuasive stories
Delivery : matters as much as the content. Imagery : the brain “lights up” in reacting to imagery, truly transporting the reader to the events being described. Realism : poeple need a “human” element in the story that is easy for them to imagine. Structure : people prefer stories that follow a logical manner. Context: significant impact on the persuasiveness of a story. Audience : determine who you don’t want reading your content along with who you do.
The Psychology of Storytelling
The Story Spine: Pixar’s award-winning 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 overcome it, and celebrate!
Social Media Storytelling Formulas: 11 Quick-Fire Ways to Create Your Stories
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 returns and helps others with her new found power or treasure. This formula is used by many of the greatest storytellers including George Lucas for his Star Wars films!
Social Media Storytelling Formulas: 11 Quick-Fire Ways to Create Your Stories
Nancy Duarte’s secret structure of great talks
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 … New bliss : The wonderful future with your idea/product/service adopted.
Social Media Storytelling Formulas: 11 Quick-Fire Ways to Create Your Stories
Storytelling is...
...the process of using fact and narrative to communicate something to your audience. Some stories are factual, and some are embellished or improvised in order to better explain the core message.
The Ultimate Guide to Storytelling
Why we tell stories
Stories solidify abstract concepts and simplify complex messages ; Stories bring people together : stories connect us through the way we feel and respond to them; Stories inspire and motivate , by tapping into people’s emotions and baring both the good and bad.
The Ultimate Guide to Storytelling
Good stories are …
Entertaining. Good stories keep the reader engaged and interested in what’s coming next. Educational. Good stories spark curiosity and add to the reader’s knowledge bank. Universal . Good stories are relatable to all readers and tap into emotions and experiences that most people undergo. Organized. Good stories follow a succinct organization that helps convey the core message and helps readers absorb it. Memorable. Whether through inspiration, scandal, or humor, good stories stick in the reader’s mind.
The Ultimate Guide to Storytelling
Components of a good story
Characters. Every story features at least one character, and this character will be the key to relating your audience back to the story. Conflict. The conflict is the lesson of how the character overcomes a challenge. Resolution. Your story’s resolution should wrap up the story, provide context around the characters and conflict(s), and leave your audience with a call-to-action.
The Ultimate Guide to Storytelling
Steps of the storytelling process
Know your audience; Know your audience; Decide what kind of story you’re telling; Establish your call-to-action; Choose your story medium; Craft your story; Share your story.
The Ultimate Guide to Storytelling
Story objectives
If your objective is to: Incite action , describe a how a successful action was completed in the past and its steps. Tell people about yourself , feature genuine, humanizing struggles, failures, and wins. Convey values , tap into familiar emotions and situations so that the story feels relatable. Foster collaboration , tell a story that moves readers to discuss and share your story with others. Educate , feature a trial-and-error experience, so that readers can learn about a problem and how a solution was discovered and applied.
The Ultimate Guide to Storytelling
Stories = motivators for changing behaviors
Changing the way someone thinks or acts requires confrontation. And people don’t usually like that. But when you tell a story—something people connect with—it can change the reaction you get.
Be More Persuasive by Telling Compelling Stories
A story does 2 powerful things to persuade:
It removes direct confrontation: you’re laying out a scenario for people to follow; It forces the listener to take part in the story: he'll place himself in the story and see himself doing what the successful person in the story did.
Be More Persuasive by Telling Compelling Stories
How to Tell a Convincing Story:
Identify the desired behavior change. Find the benefits of the change. Stoke fear to instigate the change. Identify major objections. Find stories and examples to weave together.
Be More Persuasive by Telling Compelling Stories
We are motivated to take action by 2 drivers:
Anticipation of a gain. Fear of a loss.
Be More Persuasive by Telling Compelling Stories