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StoryTelling
storytelling techniques
1
As
Access
1
As
Access

Some of the best narratives come from an unfiltered look behind the curtain.

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2
In
Incongruent
2
In
Incongruent

To see or read something that appears out of place grabs attention. The mind strives to reconcile, “what the hell?”

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3
Fa
Failure
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Fa
Failure

No failure, no drama. Virtually all movies and novels depict something going awry.

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4
Cv
Conversational
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Cv
Conversational

Talk and write like a real human being. You can do it!

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5
AC
Atomized Content
5
AC
Atomized Content

Packaging bite-­size chunks of a story often resonate with journalists.

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6
Ow
Outward
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Ow
Outward

The opposite of “Me, me, me … and here’s a little more on me.”

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7
Sm
Sausage Making
7
Sm
Sausage Making

Sometimes, a backstory on how something happens is more interesting than the core narrative.

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8
Qa
Quantification
8
Qa
Quantification

Everyone likes to keep score. Numbers can bring shape to the intangible.

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9
Op
Opinion
9
Op
Opinion

Nothing bores like the middle of the road, often viewed by execs as a safe harbor. Have a take.

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10
Wo
Words
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Wo
Words

Words matter. A single word amidst a vanilla page can jar the senses.

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12
Cx
Context
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Co
Contrast
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Co
Contrast

Comparisons – like the difference between “what was” and “what is” – can help the audience ascertain significance.

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14
Vi
Visual
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Vi
Visual

Even if a picture isn’t worth 1,000 words, visuals accentuate storytelling.

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15
Hu
Humanity
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Hu
Humanity

Faces dominate the covers of business magazines for a reason. Cultivate human touch points in your storytelling.

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16
An
anecdote
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An
Anecdote

Underutilized in business communications, the anecdote brings realness and entertainment value to the story.

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17
Le
Levity
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Le
Levity

Considered the killer app in business storytelling, the mere cracking of a smile is a win.

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18
Dr
Drama
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Dr
Drama

Business storytelling with an entertainment dimension stands out. Enter drama, stage left.

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19
Pr
Protagonist
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Pr
Protagonist

Transform an executive into a hero, and you’ve got the makings of a happy ending (and a brand-­building moment).

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20
Ba
Barrier
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Ba
Barrier

Here’s one surefire way to cultivate drama: Communicate a barrier and tease out the journey of overcoming that barrier.

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21
Vo
Voice
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Vo
Voice

A distinctive voice can elevate a business story, whether that comes from the company or an individual.

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PR’s Answer to the Classic Storytelling Arc

PR’s Answer to the Classic Storytelling Arc

Virtually every novel reflects some form of the classic storytelling arc.

Same goes for movies.

As I’m driving to see “Zero Dark Thirty,” I’m wondering how the heck will the movie build drama. I already know how the story ends. Yet, the CIA operative played by Jessica Chastain must deal with stuff going cockeyed again and again to the point that you lose yourself in the story and indeed can feel the tension building.

In the communications business, we don’t have 300 pages or two hours on the silver screen to define characters or advance a plot with the requisite twists and turns that culminate in a payoff and happy ending.

But it’s not just the element of time that poses a quandary for communicators. The intrinsic nature of classic storytelling revolves around crisis, or better yet, the type of failure that causes the audience to wince. That’s what teases out the tension. That’s what keeps the audience engaged.

PR, on the other hand, is conditioned to do the exact opposite. We’re striving to highlight achievements, ever conscious of keeping any semblance of a crisis behind the closed – no make that locked – doors.

It’s this catch-22 that led to creation of “The Communicator’s Spike.”

What gives lift to this narrative comes from the gap or contrast between the old way and the new way. The greater the difference between the old way and the new way, the more interesting the story.

It still requires PR to get out of its comfort zone. Often, we don’t want to discuss the past because it wasn’t flattering. Yet, without the past, the journalist or reader has no way to frame the story, which generates the contrast (between two points in time).

By storytelling fodder, I don’t mean just facts and figures. There needs to be texture, anecdotes and language that demands attention.

You can actually create some drama with this technique.

At the very least, the story packs more punch than your garden-variety PR narrative.

Contrast, a Poor Man’s Failure in PR Storytelling

Look at the construction of any major feature story in Fortune, Bloomberg Businessweek, The Atlantic, Wired, take your pick.

What element is likely to underscore the narrative?

Here’s a hint. It starts with an “F.”

Failure (if you guessed frickinmess, you were in the ballpark).

Something going terribly wrong — the bigger the “train wreck,” the better. Forcing a company to experience pain in resolving the debacle makes for a good read. Patricia Sellers, a journalist at Fortune, articulated the appeal of this formula in an interview with the Stanford Business School. If you skip to 1:31 in the video, you’ll hear her frame the components of a compelling narrative.

 

Her closing comment (2:01), “If failure isn’t part of the story, I’m not that interested,” puts the kibosh on most PR pitches. It’s been a long time since I sat down with a client CEO to discuss last quarter’s failures as potential fodder for PR.

Like never.

But contrast offers an effective option for PR storytelling.

If you think about it, the failure story at its core is one of contrast, failure vs. success. PR can apply the same technique in its communications. While contrast won’t deliver the drama of the failure vs. success story, it absolutely lifts the narrative.

The advertising folks get this.

One of my all-time favorite ad campaigns involved positioning the Rolling Stone Magazine as a good home for all brands, not just the radical fringe.

Perception_Reality 08-15

Contrast continues to be a go-to technique for advertisers like this ad for pistachios I just came across in Time.

Pistachio Ad - Time 12-15

And journalists have been shaping stories with contrast since the first copy editor screamed “don’t do dull.”

Last month I highlighted this example on CBS Sports.

Spieth Caddie 12-15

The contrast delivers a twist to the story since you don’t expect a “lowly” caddie to make more money than Mr. Woods.

Even if the contrast doesn’t jar, simply providing context can make for a more interesting read. For example, many of the stories on Alibaba’s performance during China’s Singles Day contrasted the numbers with Black Friday and Cyber Monday in the U.S.

Other times, the contrast can actually serve as the core story.

Consider this chart depicting the growth of PR jobs in the U.S. over a 10-year horizon.

PR Jobs 12-15

Naturally, publications covering the PR industry would jump on this data, but would a mainstream publication like The Washington Post report on this story?

Of course not.

But  check out the same data only this time with the addition of jobs for reporters/correspondents which in turn brings contrast comes to the fore.

Reporters vs. PR 12-15

Now The Washington Post has a story peg sure to generate clicks with the provocative headline, “Why the PR industry Is Sucking Up Pulitzer Winners.” Contrast makes the story.

Think of contrast in business storytelling as the difference between “what was” and “what is.”

Other contrast frames include:

  • Old way vs. New Way
  • Before vs. After
  • With vs. Without

Regardless of approach, the greater the difference between the two points, the more interesting to the audience.

One final thought —

Companies often miss opportunities for contrast in storytelling by deciding to not share the first component of the frame. They perceive the “what was” part as reflecting poorly on the company, so they don’t want to communicate this part.

Yet, this is exactly what often produces the “greater difference” (between the two points), which in turns shapes a fresh read.