Storytelling in business

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What is storytelling in business?

description

A presentation that explains the what, why and how of storytelling in business. It's an expanded version of the presentation that I gave at the Digital Marketing for Business Conference in Raleigh, NC in 2013.

Transcript of Storytelling in business

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What is storytelling in business?

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It’s not gossip

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It’s not

lying

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It’s creating action & change

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The audience can be clients, peers, employees, collaborators, business partners and media channels. In short, everyone.

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Storytelling example:A computer company tells a story to its channel partners about why they created a new product or service.

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Storytelling example:A company creates a story for media outlets about how a new strategy resulted in top line revenue growth.

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Storytelling can be used across disciplines. Marketing,

leadership, communications, sales, HR, organizational

development, etc.

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Storytelling spans media types: web videos, blogs, podcasts, branded content.

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Who tells stories? All these companies, and

more.

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Example: Pepsi used the Uncle Drew series of branded content

to popularize Pepsi Max.

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Example: Google’s Parisian Love Ad crammed 10 product features into a video less than a minute long, without mentioning the

features at all.

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Why use storytelling?

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It works!

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Pepsi Max has over 70M YouTube views for their branded content.

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Malaysia Airlines rolled out fastest

e-ticketing implementation for

a major airline using storytelling.

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Cultural UbiquityStories exist in every society and transcend

racial identity, ideologies, philosophies and religious beliefs.

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HistoryStories have been told visually for tens of thousands of years. e.g. El Castillo paintings in

Spain, Lascaux in France.

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Historical significanceOral storytelling traditions have existed since the dawn of humankind to transfer knowledge, to teach lessons….

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…and yes, to sell stuff.

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Socio-cultural constantStorytelling is weaved into who we, as humans are, and is important for passing down traditions and norms.

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Scientific explanationBroca and Wernicke’s areas in the brain are related to production and comprehension of words. Powerpoint and hard facts activate these areas…..

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….but when subjects hear

stories, other parts of brain are activated.

e.g. Motor cortex activated

when active event is

described, sensory cortex activated when

descriptive metaphors are

used.

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Stories influence listeners

In famous experiment at Princeton University, brain pattern of listeners was identical to

storyteller’s when she told them a story!

The point is….

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So what are the

implications of this

research?

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We can use stories to

motivate behavior.

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We can use descriptive and interesting stories to engage

our audience and create a strong identity for our

businesses.

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We can use stories to give

meaning to numbers.

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We can use stories to lead more

effectively.

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What kinds of stories

can we tell?

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Possible story topics: Solving a problem Reason for action Special events Your history or future Your unique people

...tons more

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How do we tell good stories?

6 simple rules

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1. Know your audience and tailor your story to them.

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“Most people don’t listen withthe intent to understand; theylisten with the intent to reply”

Stephen Covey

Avoid doing this!

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2. Be authentic and truthful.

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3. KISS (Keep it simple and sweet). No need to be complex or

try to be epic.

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4. Follow the Story Arc, which is a great basic

framework for storytelling.

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5. Allow your personality to shine through

– in short, be you.

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6. Be creative and take some risks. Try new things in your storytelling to differentiate yourself.

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What do we tell ourstories with?

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Ideally, all forms of media! Web video, print, website, blog, podcast, etc.

Key is to have a consistent story.

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Use the channels that already work for you, but be open to exploring other channels.

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Why use storytelling?

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Stories humanize us and help us form connections. In a world where human connections help us accomplish everything, storytelling is the most effective way for us to succeed, whatever we’re trying to accomplish.