The case for a good story
Why your business needs a transformative narrative
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In an increasingly distributed world, instead of physical boundaries and distances, its our beliefs and ideas that divide and unite us. Thanks to technology, these ideas and beliefs are now freely circulated, discussed, debated and enforced across boundaries. This makes the world we live in now much smaller, fiercely competitive, accessible, yet supremely volatile.
In a world full of easily accessible opinions, stories and information, how can we distinguish truth from noise? What is it about a heartfelt, well-told story that we like to hear over a compilation of dry data and facts? Why are the most influential activists and presenters of groundbreaking ideas some of the best storytellers? What has any of this got to do with being human? And ultimately, what makes a truly good story?
My superpower as a creative worker is to craft visual narratives for products and ideas in the form of drawings, graphics, videos, photos etc. But in order to better my craft as a story teller, it’s important for me to know the ‘why’ of storytelling. I have been on a quest to find answers to some of these burning questions and as part of this process, I reached out to some expert storytellers spread across the world who have worked extensively in the areas of cinema, art, music, dance, advertising, design and strategy. These intentional conversations and consultations led me to extract some common themes and compile them into a set of actionable ways to build narratives and stories that can actually work. But before we dive into that, here’s why our world needs better stories.
We are a storytelling animal
What do stories have to do with being human?
Story’s role in human life extends far beyond conventional novels or films. Story, and a variety of story-like activities, dominates human life.
– Jonathan Gotchall, ‘The Stroytelling animal’
Story fits the human mind. It’s how the mind absorbs, sorts and structures reality. It is the first thing human babies react to and as they grow to be toddlers, they enter into the golden age of pretend play where they become the masters of drama in the land of make-believe. Stories form the center of what sets us apart as a specie — our imagination. But what makes us even more unique is our ability to plug ourselves effortlessly into someone else’s narrative. This is why stories have historically been a great tool for humans not just to escape reality but to digest it too.
Storytelling as an essential craft in business
Why do businesses and governments need good stories (and storytellers)?
We are surrounded by stories of all kinds. Just look at your Linkedin feed. There is a new story of a successful new business funding, a story of someone blitzing through their careers, a story of how someone landed their dream job and so on and so forth. There is an innovation, a new idea lurking in every corner of the world and social media makes it all just so accessible. We might think we have had a breakthrough, but then we are presented with at least a dozen others who have had similar breakthroughs at the same time. It makes us questions our paths but does that make our life’s work irrelevant? We know the work we are doing is coming from an honest and personal place. What then will make us stand out and be recognized for the work we do?
We are living in a world where it’s not so much about the output, but more about our own process, context, motivations and learnings. We all have our unique set of motivations and reasons that sets us on the path we are on. So ultimately it’s all about putting that unique story and ideas out in a way that motivates and resonates with your audience and allows them to be part of your narrative. This is what forms the basis of new knowledge and innovation — the power to tell your own story that others weave themselves into hence forming a larger, more powerful narrative that is sure to set you apart.
What makes a good story
An actionable process to tell better stories for your product and ideas
As a decade old visual storyteller myself, my process has evolved over the years and continues to do so as I keep learning from some of the most talented storytellers in the fields of cinema, art, music, design and strategy. My learnings have yielded 5 stages in the process of storytelling that work across context and issues. This process has helped me tell stories of entrepreneurs, grass roots organizations, large bureaucracies and technological innovations through the years and continues to be a guiding framework to create new work everyday.
Know who your audience is
Make a connection by meeting your audience where they are. If you want people to care about your issue or product, talk about it in a way that not only aligns and resonates with what they care about but comes from an authentic and relatable place.
The ‘Follow the Frog’ campaign video by the Rainforest Alliance is a brilliant example of meeting the audience where they are. It resonates deeply with those who care for the environment but are unsure what steps to take in their own little way to make a difference without having to leave or radically change their own environment. It is real, relatable and an engaging way to retain audience attention span until the very last moment.
Spark that magic emotion that will hook them.
Do we want the audience to imagine a dystopian future? Or do we want them to feel immersed and be in awe of how complex and beautiful an ecosystem is? Positive emotions such as awe, hope and enlightenment often activates a strong lever to insight action.
One of the most beautiful and enlightening recent stories that I came across is the Oscar winning Netflix documentary — “My Octopus Teacher”. This documentary has stirred up unexpected public reaction with it’s awe-inspiring and extraordinary story and cinematography that is being called a ‘sensory experience’. Its a story of an exhausted man who finds comfort in the unlikely company of an octopus that he meets in the cold ocean kelp forest close to Cape Town. The story blurs the boundary between man and his natural environment and shows beauty in a relationship that is unlike anything the human mind could ever think of.
Pippa Ehrlich, director and editor of “My Octopus Teacher” and a member of the Sea Change Project, a nonprofit dedicated to connecting human beings to the wild and protecting the Great African Sea Forest, says — “What I loved about this story is there was a story of positivity and hope that involved human beings and the natural world being in one place,” she told TODAY. “It was an opportunity to expand people’s perceptions of what the relationship between us and the wild can be.”
Clearly and succinctly show (don’t tell) them
..how your organization / idea / product bridges the gap between the place where your audience currently is and where they want to go. Design your narrative in a way that uses less words and more visuals to drive the message in a clear, succinct and impactful way without adding too much cognitive load.
The 1619 Project is a beautiful, interactive story about Black American history published by the New York Times to mark the 400th anniversary of the first enslaved people arriving in America. It not only uses archival images and impactful anecdotes to tell the story of slavery in America but the interactive visual experience creates an immersive environment that allows users to digest these historical facts and stories in a way that is easy to navigate and digest. The overall experience makes the otherwise forgotten history memorable and an overall enlightening experience.
Show them what success looks like.
Humans have a herd mentality and no matter how much of a trend-setter we all might feel like, we always tend to feel motivated to support ideas that have been adapted by others. This is your chance to show your current or projected success story through the lens of your customer/users.
Sharing customer success stories build credibility for your product or idea. There are many ways to showcase these success stories such as videos, quotes or case studies. But the main value of sharing customer stories is to really empower your audience to visualize what success might look like.
IDEO does a really great job of telling their own story and philosophy leveraging the power of the work they do for their clients. The whole site is journalistic highlighting their methodology to approach different business problems rather than placing emphasis on an impressive client list.
Your audience is feeling motivated. Now what?
Tell them what they can and should do. A clear set of calls to action is what ultimately closes the loop from inspiration to action. Do we want the audience to give us feedback? Or do we want them to fund our idea or organization? Tell them how and where can they do exactly that and keep it simple.
In conclusion
It takes rationality but little creativity to design an argument using conventional rhetoric. But it demands vivid insight and storytelling skill to present an idea that packs enough emotional power to be memorable.
– Robert Mckee
In a world where new stories and ideas are bubbling up every second, the secret to standing out ultimately comes down to not just looking inwards and telling your own, authentic story but telling it in a way that allows your audience to immerse themselves into your narrative and really feel the emotions that drive it. The cherry on top is to then hold their hand while they are with you and show them the exact way they can make a difference and really be part of this narrative that is now their own.
