THE CHAMPIONS SERIES 77, TOPIC: THE ABC OF STORY TELLING. THIS IS A LECTURES FROM VALUE SUMMIT DEC. 2020

 

An Art.

Storytelling is described as an art … the “art” of storytelling.
And — like art — it requires creativity, vision, skill, and practice. Storytelling isn’t something you can grasp in one sitting, after one course. It’s a trial-and-error process of mastery.
Sounds like a lot of work, right? It is, and rightfully so because storytelling has become a crucial component of the most successful marketing campaigns. It sets apart vibrant brands from simple businesses and loyal consumers from one-time, stop-in shoppers.
It’s also the heart of amazingly super-successful marketing.
Storytelling is a valuable tool for you to add to your proverbial marketing tool belt. That’s why I've compiled this guide, to help you discover and master storytelling and weave gorgeous, compelling tales for your audience.
Pick up your pen, and let’s dive in. This is my lecture outline;
1.   What is Storytelling?
2.   Why Do We Tell Stories?
3.   What Makes a Good Story?
4.   The Storytelling Process
5.   Storytelling Resources
6.   Steps to consider in storytelling
 
WHAT IS STORYTELLING?
 
Storytelling is the process of using fact and narrative to communicate something to your audience. Some stories are factual, fictional, and some are embellished or improvised i.e Maggi and salt is added to better explain the core message.
While this definition is pretty specific, stories actually resemble a variety of things.
Storytelling is an art form as old as time and has a place in every culture and society. Why? Because stories are a universal language that everyone — regardless of dialect, hometown, or heritage — can understand. Stories stimulate imagination and passion and create a sense of community among listeners and tellers alike.
Do you guys remember moonlight tales? Those ones we use to tell in the night when all the children in the neighbourhood will gather together and then sit on the floor to listen to an adult or old person tell ancient stories? If you don't remember that means you were born in 2005.
Telling a story is like painting a picture with words. While everyone can tell a story, certain people fine-tune their storytelling skills and become a storyteller on behalf of their organization, brand, or business. You might’ve heard of these folks — they are typically referred to as marketers, content writers, or PR professionals.
Every member of an organization can tell a story. But before we get into the how, let’s talk about why we tell stories — as a society, culture, and economy.

                                   WHY DO WE TELL STORIES?
There are a variety of reasons to tell stories — to sell, entertain, educate or brag. We’ll talk about that below. Right now, I want to discuss why we choose storytelling over, say, a data-driven PowerPoint or bulleted list. Why are stories our go-to way of sharing, explaining, and selling information?
Here’s why.
Stories solidify abstract concepts and simplify complex messages.
We’ve all experienced confusion when trying to understand a new idea. Stories provide a way around that. Think about times when stories have helped you better understand a concept … perhaps a teacher used a real-life example to explain a math problem, a preacher illustrated a situation during a sermon, or a speaker used a case study to convey complex data.
Stories help solidify abstract concepts and simplify complex messages. Taking a lofty, non-tangible concept and relating it using concrete ideas is one of the biggest strengths of storytelling in business.

                                  IMPORTANCE OF STORYTELLING
1. STORIES BRING PEOPLE TOGETHER:
Like I said above, stories are a universal language of sorts. We all understand the story of the hero, of the underdog, or of heartbreak and love. We all process emotions and can share feelings of elation, hope, despair, and anger. Sharing in a story gives even the most diverse people a sense of commonality and community.
In a world divided by a multitude of things, stories bring people together and create a sense of community. Despite our language, religion, political preferences, or ethnicity, stories connect us through the way we feel and respond to them … Stories make us human.
2. STORIES INSPIRE AND MOTIVATE:
Stories make us human, and the same goes for brands. When brands get transparent and authentic, it brings them down-to-earth and helps consumers connect with them and the people behind them.
Tapping into people’s emotions and baring, both the good and bad is how stories inspire and motivate … and eventually, drive action. Stories also foster brand loyalty. Creating a narrative around your brand or product not only humanizes it but also inherently markets your business.

                                 WHAT MAKES A GOOD STORY?
Words like “good” and “bad” are relative to user opinion. But there are a few non-negotiable components that make for a great storytelling experience, for both the reader and teller.
Good stories are …
a. ENTERTAINING: Good stories keep the reader engaged and interested in what’s coming next.
b. EDUCATIONAL: Good stories spark curiosity and add to the reader’s knowledge bank.
c. UNIVERSAL: Good stories are relatable to all readers and tap into emotions and experiences that most people undergo.
d. ORGANIZED: Good stories follow a succinct organization that helps convey the core message and helps readers absorb it.
e. MEMORABLE: Whether through inspiration, scandal, or humour, good stories stick in the reader’s mind.

                                           COMPONENTS OF STORY
There are three components that make up a good story — irrespective of the story you’re trying to tell.
1. CHARACTERS: Every story features at least one character, and this character will be the key to relating your audience back to the story. This component is the bridge between you, the storyteller, and the audience. If your audience can put themselves in your character’s shoes, they’ll be more likely to follow through with your call-to-action.
2. CONFLICT: The conflict is the lesson of how the character overcomes a challenge. Conflict in your story elicits emotions and connects the audience through relatable experiences. When telling stories, the power lies in what you’re conveying and teaching. If there’s no conflict in your story, it’s likely not a story.
3. RESOLUTION: Every good story has a closing, but it doesn’t always have to be a good one. 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.
Now that you know what your story should contain, let’s talk about how to craft your story.
                                       THE STORYTELLING PROCESS
We’ve confirmed storytelling is an art. Like art, storytelling requires creativity, vision, and skill. It also requires practice.
Painters, sculptors, sketch artists, and potters all follow their own creative process when producing their art. It helps them know where to start, how to develop their vision, and how to perfect their practice over time. The same goes for storytelling … especially for businesses writing stories.
Why is this process important? Because, as an organization or brand, you likely have a ton of facts, figures, and messages to get across in one succinct story. How do you know where to begin? Well, start with the first step. You’ll know where to go (and how to get there) after that.

                                   STORYTELLING RESOURCES
Storytelling is a trial-and-error process, and no one tells a story perfectly on the first try. That’s why I’ve collected these resources to help you fine-tune your storytelling skills and learn more about the different ways a story can be told.
For a Written Story see the following sources;
1.   OEDb’s writing resources
2.   HubSpot’s list of writing tools
For a Spoken Story see the following source;
1.   The TEDx Speaker Guide
For an Audio Story see;
1.   HubSpot’s guide on How to Start a Podcast
For the Digital Story
1.   Vimeo’s Video School
Storytelling is an art. It’s also a process worth mastering for both your business and your customers. Stories bring people together and inspire action and response. Also, today’s consumer doesn’t decide to buy based on what you’re selling, but rather why you’re selling it.
Storytelling helps you communicate that “why” in a creative, engaging way. Plus, isn’t storytelling more fun?
A good story can convey a message, entertain or ignite a fire within your audience. Many people think that the art of storytelling is something difficult and complex, reserved only for certain skilled members of society, you might probably be thinking so too. That couldn’t be farther from the truth. The skills necessary to tell a story can be acquired through practice and with the right toolkit, everyone can become a master storyteller.
Whether you are trying to attract new customers or engage your current ones, quality storytelling is the way to go. This goes beyond words, encompassing photographs and videos - the principles remain the same.
 
                             STEPS TO CONSIDER IN STORYTELLING
1.   KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE:
Who wants to hear your story? Who will benefit and respond the strongest? To create a compelling story, you need to understand your readers and who will respond and take action. Before you put a pen to paper (or cursor to a word processor), do some research on your target market and define your buyer persona(s). This process will get you acquainted with who might be reading, viewing, or listening to your story. It will also provide crucial direction for the next few steps as you build out the foundation of your story.
2.   ENGAGE YOUR AUDIENCE:
Erase the boundary between your reader and your story. Engage them with a question (or two) and put them in the centre of the story. This way, you create a first-hand experience of the narrative, igniting the desire for the reader to actually have that experience in real life.
3.   DEFINE YOUR CORE MESSAGE:
Whether your story is one page or twenty, ten minutes or sixty, it should have a core message. Like the foundation of a home, it must be established before moving forward.                       
Is your story selling a product or raising funds? Explaining a service or advocating for an issue? What is the point of your story? To help define this, try to summarize your story in six to ten words. If you can’t do that, you don’t have a core message.
4.   DECIDE WHAT KIND OF STORY YOU’RE TELLING:
Not all stories are created equal. To determine what kind of story you’re telling, figure out how you want your audience to feel or react as they read. This will help you determine how you’re going to weave your story and what objective you’re pursuing. If your objective is to …

• Incite action, your story should describe how a successful action was completed in the past and explain how readers might be able to implement the same kind of change. Avoid excessive, exaggerated detail or changes in the subject so your audience can focus on the action or change that your story encourages.
• Tell people about yourself, tell a story that features genuine, humanizing struggles, failures, and wins. Today’s consumer appreciates and connects to brands that market with authenticity and storytelling is no exception.
• Convey values, tell a story that taps into familiar emotions, characters, and situations so that readers can understand how the story applies to their own life. This is especially important when discussing values that some people might not agree with or understand.
• Foster community or collaboration, tell a story that moves readers to discuss and share your story with others. Use a situation or experience that others can relate to and say, “Me, too!” Keep situations and characters neutral to attract the widest variety of readers.
• Impart knowledge or educate, tell a story that features a trial-and-error experience, so that readers can learn about a problem and how a solution was discovered and applied. Discuss other alternative solutions, too.

5.  CHOOSE YOUR STORY MEDIUM:
Stories can take many shapes and forms. Some stories are read, some are watched, and others are listened to. Your chosen story medium depends on your type of story as well as resources, like time and money.
Here are the different ways you can tell your story;
A written story is told through articles, blog posts, or books. These are mostly text and may include some images. Written stories are by far the most affordable, attainable method of storytelling as it just requires a free word processor like Google Docs … or a pen and paper.
A spoken story is told in person, like a presentation, pitch, or panel. TED talks are considered spoken stories. Because of their “live”, unedited nature, spoken stories typically require more practice and skill to convey messages and elicit emotions in others.
An audio story is spoken aloud but recorded — that’s what sets it apart from the spoken story. Audio stories are usually in podcast form, and with today’s technology, creating an audio story is more affordable than ever. (For a great story-driven podcast, check out The Growth Show!)
A digital story is told through a variety of media, such as video, animation, interactive stories, and even games. This option is by far the most effective for emotionally resonant stories as well as active, visual stories … which is why it’s also the most expensive. But don’t fret: video quality doesn’t matter as much as conveying a strong message.
6.   BE CREATIVE WITH CHRONOLOGY:
Sometimes you can choose to catapult the reader straight into the midst of all the action, or to the end of the story to catch their attention. It is also one of the easiest ways to arouse curiosity, suspense and tension in your story. Since your reader does not know what is happening, they will continue reading to solve the missing pieces of the puzzle.
However, keep in mind that people do not want to play Sherlock Holmes on their iPhone, so don’t make your story difficult to understand.
7.   WRITE!
Now it’s time to put pen to paper and start crafting your story.
With your core message, audience objective, and call-to-action already established this step are simply about adding detail and creative flair to your story. Read more about our storytelling formula to help you with this step.
8.   MAKE THEM CARE:
Whether emotionally, intellectually or aesthetically, you need to make your audience care. This is important in our world, where people tend to gloss over posts and skim through content.
Why should they be interested in the story? How is it relevant to your audience? Make this clear in your mind when crafting the story, because if it isn’t clear to you, it will not be clear to the reader.
Tip: Write it on a post-it and stick it on your desk to remind yourself why this story matters.
9.   SHARE YOUR STORY:
Don’t forget to share and promote your story! Like with any piece of content, creating it is only half the battle — sharing it is the other.
Depending on your chosen medium, you should definitely share your story on social media and email. Also, written stories can be promoted on your blog, Medium, or through guest posting on other publications. Digital stories can be shared on YouTube and Vimeo. While spoken stories are best conveyed in person, consider recording a live performance to share later.
The more places you share your story, the more engagement you can expect from your audience.
10.  SET THE SCENE
We experience the world through our senses and so, if you want to fully capture your audience, you must engage their senses. Set the scene and provide your audience with the context for the story.
Where did the story take place? What did the air smell like? Did it smell like pine cones at the edge of a forest? Or like the sea by the beach? Where does the adventure begin?
By engaging the senses of your audience and setting the scene, you will achieve a more immersive experience for your readers.
11.   KNOW YOUR PUNCH LINE:
What is the purpose of telling the story? Do not forget that although you are doing this to eventually sell a product or service, it should not feel that way to the reader. The story can be funny, meaningful, emotional or a mixture of these, or something completely different. Be creative, but don’t forget to always make it relevant and interesting.
12.  USE TENSION:
Ever read a book that was so intense you simply had to read until you finished, completely forgetting about time and space? This is what you are trying to achieve with your story. Be descriptive when telling about the climactic moments in your story.
If you're telling the story in person, perhaps when sharing your first whitewater rafting experience, be expressive and get excited about the story you're telling.
13. DON’T BE LIMITED BY WORDS:
The picture is worth a thousand words and videos all the more. They can support your written stories and vice-versa. This is also to mean that you can create new words, provided that they make sense and their meaning is well explained to the reader.
Through this, you not only surprise and entertain your readers, but you can also build your brand by using cleverly coined words and phrases, even turning them into unique hashtags to promote your business.
14. END WITH A GRAND FINALE:
Unless the story is to continue and you are intentionally building up the suspense, there should be closure in the story. Whatever plot you've built should be finished and leave no questions hanging in the air.
Leave your audience with a sense of awe, the sort of feeling you get when you leave the cinema after a great film. You can do this by leaving them with a "big question" about humanity or something similar to ponder about as they make their way back to their hotel.
15.  ENJOY THE PROCESS:
As much as you enjoy creating the experience, you should also enjoy reliving the experience in your stories. Think about it this way: the adventure you provide can live on forever and can be enjoyed vicariously by everyone who reads it.
How incredible is that? I hope you find this article useful and continue telling your unique stories to readers and travellers all over the world.

 WRITTEN BY CLARKSON O. ADEBAYO Esq