StoryWorks

From a neuroscience perspective we are all divided and discontinuous. The mental processes under- lying our sense of self feelings, thoughts, memories are scattered through different zones of the brain. There is no special point of convergence. No cockpit of the soul. No soul- pilot. They come together in a work of fiction. A human being is a story-telling machine. The self is a story. Paul Broks, Into the Silent Land

1. What is a story?
Shorter Oxford Dictionary (has 11 definitions): o 1. A true narrative, or one presumed to be true, relating to important events and famous people of the past; a historical account or anecdote. This doesnt define narrative, account or anecdote. 6. A narrative of real or (usu.) fictitious events designed for the entertainment of the hearer or reader

Story is the full sequence of events in a work of fiction as we imagine them to have taken place, in the order in which they would have occurred in life (as opposed to plot). http://fictionwriting.about.com/od/glossary/g/story.htm an account of something that happened. Stories can be imaginary, traditional, or true Macmillan Dictionary Example of how NOT to define story http://blog.dannorth.net/whats-in-a-story/

A richer definition
What Storytelling is. An attempt at defining the art form.
At its core, storytelling is the art of using language, vocalization, and/or physical movement and gesture to reveal the elements and images of a story to a specific, live audience. A central, unique aspect of storytelling is its reliance on the audience to develop specific visual imagery and detail to complete and co-create the story.

What is a Story?
Most dictionaries define a story as a narrative account of a real or imagined event or events. Within the storytelling community, a story is more generally agreed to be a specific structure of narrative with a specific style and set of characters and which includes a sense of completeness. Through this sharing of experience we use stories to pass on accumulated wisdom, beliefs, and values. Through stories we explain how things are, why they are, and our role and purpose. Stories are the building blocks of knowledge, the foundation of memory and learning. Stories connect us with our humanness and link past, present, and future by teaching us to anticipate the possible consequences of our actions.

What is a telling?
It is the live, person-to-person oral and physical presentation of a story to an audience. "Telling" involves direct contact between teller and listener. It mandates the direct presentation of the story by the teller. The teller's role is to prepare and present the necessary language, vocalization, and physicality to effectively and efficiently communicate the images of a story. The listener's role is to actively create the vivid, multi-sensory images, actions, characters, and events---the reality---of the story in their mind based on the performance by the teller, and on their past experiences, beliefs, and understandings. The completed story happens in the mind of the listener, unique and personal for each individual. From National Storytelling Association

StoryWorks
From a neuroscience perspective we are all divided and discontinuous. The mental processes under- lying our sense of self feelings, thoughts, memories are scattered through different zones of the brain. There is no special point of convergence. No cockpit of the soul. No soul- pilot. They come together in a work of fiction. A human being is a story-telling machine. The self is a story. Paul Broks, Into the Silent Land

Whats the difference between a story and

a case study?
Case study refers to the collection and presentation of detailed information about a particular participant or small group, frequently including the accounts of subjects themselves. A form of qualitative descriptive research, the case study looks intensely at an individual or small participant pool, drawing conclusions only about that participant or group and only in that specific context. Researchers do not focus on the discovery of a universal, generalizable truth, nor do they typically look for cause-effect relationships; instead, emphasis is placed on exploration and description. http://writing.colostate.edu/guides/research/casestudy/pop2a.cfm A case study is a research methodology common in social science. It is based on an in-depth investigation of a single individual, group, or event to explore causation in order to find underlying principles.

an example?
an item of information that is typical of a class or group; "this patient provides a typical example of the syndrome"; "there is an example on ... model: a representative form or pattern; "I profited from his example" Examples are used to support arguments. Stories also can be used this way, but also may be the complete argument or presentation

an argument?
a discussion in which reasons are advanced for and against some proposition or proposal; "the argument over foreign aid goes on and on" A statement or fact advanced to influence the mind SOD A connected series of statements or reasons intended to establish a position SOD

a presentation?
The action of presenting or introducing SOD

A simple definition of story

An emotional journey

StoryWorks
From a neuroscience perspective we are all divided and discontinuous. The mental processes under- lying our sense of self feelings, thoughts, memories are scattered through different zones of the brain. There is no special point of convergence. No cockpit of the soul. No soul- pilot. They come together in a work of fiction. A human being is a story-telling machine. The self is a story. Paul Broks, Into the Silent Land

2. Why are story and emotion so critical?

We are going to die, and that makes us the lucky ones. Most people are never going to die because they are never going to be born. The potential people who could have been here in my place but who will in fact never see the light of day outnumber the sand grains of Arabia. Certainly those unborn ghosts include greater poets than Keats, scientists greater than Newton. We know this because the set of possible people allowed by our DNA so massively exceeds the set of actual people. In the teeth of these stupefying odds it is you and I, in our ordinariness, that are here. Richard Dawkins

Why are we here?

Ancestors made better choices: o o Better sex Better avoided being eaten

How did they do this?

Their brains evolved to adapt best to their environments. Created templates in their brains to recognise situations so that they survived and passed on their genes

What patterns are most memorable?

Danger Everyday Pleasure Chemicals are released that help form the memorable patterns. Like painting a canvas (only our environment is the artist)

BUT
Big difference between dangerous and pleasurable situations. o o Dangerous situations maximise action, rather than thought and consideration Pleasurable ones create reflection How do I get more of that?

Why is most of what we communicate so forgettable?

Sits in the everyday o o o No reward No emotional connection No or slight patterns created

StoryWorks
From a neuroscience perspective we are all divided and discontinuous. The mental processes under- lying our sense of self feelings, thoughts, memories are scattered through different zones of the brain. There is no special point of convergence. No cockpit of the soul. No soul- pilot. They come together in a work of fiction. A human being is a story-telling machine. The self is a story. Paul Broks, Into the Silent Land

3. What makes a good story?

Surprising
Grab attention through repainting your audiences internal landscape o o Why should you have my attention? Nora Ephron story

BUT avoid gimmicks that fail to stack up Evolutionarily programmed to notice change Have we heard the story before? Why are jokes good models for storytelling? o o They take our accepted reality and rearrange it surprisingly Charlie Chaplin and the Banana skin example

Sentiment
Engage the three parts of the brain, not just the logical top Make the emotion rewarding not fearful The identifiable victim effect o A field experiment examining donations to Habitat for Humanity to build a house for a needy family : Identifiability was manipulated by informing respondents that the family either has been selected or will be selected. In neither condition were respondents told which family had been or would be selected; the only difference between conditions was in whether the decision had already been made. Contributions to the charity were significantly greater, when the family had already been determined. Kogut and Ritov (2005a) likewise found that a single, identified victim (identified by a name and face) elicited greater emotional distress and more donations than a group of identified victims and more than both a single and group of unidentified victims. Moreover, emotional distress partially accounted for differences in contributions. - Sympathy and callousness: The impact of deliberative thought on donations to identifiable and statistical victims research by Deborah A. Small , George Loewenstein , Paul Slovic

Simple
Can you condense your story to one memorable sentence? o The elevator pitch

Are all stories simple? o The story tree approach a branched approach to story: Can your audience still tell where youre headed?

StoryWorks
From a neuroscience perspective we are all divided and discontinuous. The mental processes under- lying our sense of self feelings, thoughts, memories are scattered through different zones of the brain. There is no special point of convergence. No cockpit of the soul. No soul- pilot. They come together in a work of fiction. A human being is a story-telling machine. The self is a story. Paul Broks, Into the Silent Land

Specific
Use details to colour in the narrative o I was working with a large organic food company in California. Its public relations and marketing teams bombarded me with statistics and data to prove that an organic diet was more nutritious and better for the environment. By the time lunch had rolled around, I had forgotten most of the numbers. It was too much for my mind to process. Then a farmer who worked for the company turned to me said: "Carmine, when I worked for a conventional farm, I would come home and my kids would want to hug me. They couldn't because I had to shower first and my clothes had to be removed and disinfected. Today, I can walk right off the field into the waiting arms of my kids because there's nothing toxic on my body to harm them." This one storywhich took all of 20 seconds to tellreplaced piles of dry data. We reconvened after lunch and changed the way this company articulated its story to potential customers. While data are obviously important and must support your story, you have to touch hearts before you can influence minds. Carmine Gallo, Fire Them Up

Stakes
Why do the stakes matter? Choose the highest stakes you can for your audience and the story youre telling: o o Bob the Builder and World War Three Obama and Lego Star Wars

Sympathy
Character weaknesses Shared humanity Heroes with flaws Vulnerability Faced with dilemma

Struggle
All drama is conflict compare to case studies or arguments has somebody and/or something changed by the end of your story?

StoryWorks
From a neuroscience perspective we are all divided and discontinuous. The mental processes under- lying our sense of self feelings, thoughts, memories are scattered through different zones of the brain. There is no special point of convergence. No cockpit of the soul. No soul- pilot. They come together in a work of fiction. A human being is a story-telling machine. The self is a story. Paul Broks, Into the Silent Land

4. Does a story have to be true?

The truth lie continuum Is there one truth? Not question of more than one truth, but HOW to present your version o o Specific facts to help believability What is the context? How do you frame your story? Which lens are you using? (Guardian Points of View ad)

What is the point at which your audience stops believing you? o Audiences own experience and inner landscapes versus the story you wish to tell

StoryWorks
From a neuroscience perspective we are all divided and discontinuous. The mental processes under- lying our sense of self feelings, thoughts, memories are scattered through different zones of the brain. There is no special point of convergence. No cockpit of the soul. No soul- pilot. They come together in a work of fiction. A human being is a story-telling machine. The self is a story. Paul Broks, Into the Silent Land

5. Story sequencing
To be a person is to have a story to tell Isak Dinesen Trust Me People don't want more information. They want beliefbelief in you, your goals, your success, in the story you tell. Belief moves mountains, not facts. Belief needs a story to sustain ita meaningful story that inspires faith in you and renews hope that your ideas, do indeed, offer what you promise. Genuine influence goes deeper than getting people to do what you want them to do. It means people pick up where you left off because they believe. Story helps you create belief. Telling a meaningful story means inspiring your listenersco-workers, leaders, subordinates, family, or a bunch of strangersto reach the same conclusions you have reached and decide for themselves to believe what you say and do what you want them to do. People value their own conclusions more highly than yours. They will only believe a story that has become real for them personally. Once people make your story, their story, you have tapped into belief. Future influence will require very little follow-up energy from you and may even expand as people recall and re-tell your story to others. Whether your story is told through your lifestyle or in words, the first criteria people require before they allow themselves be influenced by your story is, Can they trust you?

1. Who am I? 1. Why am I here? 2. Whats my vision? Introduction

Your audience has two major questions: Who are you? and Why are you here? Until you answer these questions lack of trust. Before you try to influence someone need to gain enough trust to deliver your message successfully. Story telling demonstrates your trustworthiness. A story lets your audience decide for themselves.

Sowhat's your story?

Audience needs to know: "Who are you and why are you here?". Otherwise they will create their own stories of whom you are and what your purpose is. A New York Times/CBS News poll in July 1999: o 63% of people interviewed believe that in dealing with "most people" you "can't be too careful" and 37% believed that "most people would try to take advantage of you if they got a chance." Of the people that they "know personally" they would expect 85% of them to "try to be fair."

Need to build the emotional not just rational connection of a relationship

1. "Who am I?"
Good joke = theyre not dull Ill pay attention.
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StoryWorks
From a neuroscience perspective we are all divided and discontinuous. The mental processes under- lying our sense of self feelings, thoughts, memories are scattered through different zones of the brain. There is no special point of convergence. No cockpit of the soul. No soul- pilot. They come together in a work of fiction. A human being is a story-telling machine. The self is a story. Paul Broks, Into the Silent Land

Personal story which shows why I should trust you Historical, friend, current event, parable How flawed am I? Self-disclosure hand of friendship. Self-awareness = strength How do the most powerful do it? o Barack Obama, at Denver's Invesco field earlier September 2008, told the story of being born to "a young man from Kenya and a young woman from Kansas who weren't well-off but shared a belief that in America their son could achieve whatever he put his mind to." Obama's running mate, Senator Joe Biden, told the story of being raised in Scranton, Pennsylvania., by a dad who fell on hard times. Biden stuttered as a child. When Alaska Governor Sarah Palin accepted Senator John McCain's offer to be his running mate, she told stories about the struggles and joys she faced as a motherfrom her eldest son being deployed to Iraq to raising a child with special needs. McCain brought his audience to tearsand later to their feetwith a descriptive story about the years he spent captive in Vietnam "blessed by misfortune."

o o

2. Why am I here?
Upfront about whats in it for you. Honesty not bogus see story continuum

3. Whats my vision?
Based on audience and their current landscape, but taking them further youve ticked whats in it for me, now tick whats in it for them. I want to create a 5m turnover company vs I want you to share in the profits We cannot solve the challenges of our time unless we solve them together - unless we perfect our union by understanding that we may have different stories, but we hold common hopes; that we may not look the same and we may not have come from the same place, but we all want to move in the same direction towards a better future for of children and our grandchildren. This belief comes from my unyielding faith in the decency and generosity of the American people. But it also comes from my own American story. I am the son of a black man from Kenya and a white woman from Kansas. I was raised with the help of a white grandfather who survived a Depression to serve in Patton's Army during World War II and a white grandmother who worked on a bomber assembly line at Fort Leavenworth while he was overseas. I've gone to some of the best schools in America and lived in one of the world's poorest nations. I am married to a black American who carries within her the blood of slaves and slaveowners an inheritance we pass on to our two precious daughters. I have brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, uncles and cousins, of every race and every hue, scattered across three continents, and for as long as I live, I will never forget that in no other country on Earth is my story even possible. It's a story that hasn't made me the most conventional candidate. But it is a story that has seared into my genetic makeup the idea that this nation is more than the sum of its parts that out of many, we are truly one. Barack Obama (National Constitution Centre, Philadelphia, Tuesday 18 March 2008)

StoryWorks
From a neuroscience perspective we are all divided and discontinuous. The mental processes under- lying our sense of self feelings, thoughts, memories are scattered through different zones of the brain. There is no special point of convergence. No cockpit of the soul. No soul- pilot. They come together in a work of fiction. A human being is a story-telling machine. The self is a story. Paul Broks, Into the Silent Land

The vision thing: A man came upon a construction site where three people were working. He asked the first, "What are you doing?" and the man answered, "I am laying bricks." He asked the second, "What are you doing?" and the man answered, "I am building a wall." He walked up to the third man, who was humming a tune as he worked and asked, "What are you doing?" and the man stood up and smiled and said, "I am building a cathedral."

StoryWorks
From a neuroscience perspective we are all divided and discontinuous. The mental processes under- lying our sense of self feelings, thoughts, memories are scattered through different zones of the brain. There is no special point of convergence. No cockpit of the soul. No soul- pilot. They come together in a work of fiction. A human being is a story-telling machine. The self is a story. Paul Broks, Into the Silent Land

6. Metaphors and microtales

Like a hot knife slicing through butter
When Lisa Yarnell, founder of Inline Strategies, LLC, a management consulting firm, was asked what she did, she replied metaphorically: I fix sick companies by moving them to healthy profitability. Lisa made her questioner visualize her clients as ailing patients whom she nurses back to health, thus giving much more emotional color to her services. With her reply, Lisa emulated some of our best business and political communicators: Jack Welch, Bill Clinton and Steve Jobs. They all have the ability to make the abstract meaningful and the meaningful simple by using metaphors and stories. In todays information-saturated society, its critical to make the complexities of your products, services and ideas simple and your points meaningful to your clients/listeners. Metaphors are the imaginative tools of poets (who can forget that Juliet is the sun?), but they are also the sharpest strategic tools used by persuaders everywhere, from presidents to savvy salespeople. Why? Because we remember what we see more than what we just hear, and we have a raft of associations with what we have seen and experienced. These associations move us to act. As Einstein said, If I cant see it, I dont understand it. Compare the following information with the image that follows it, and youll see why metaphors are powerful weapons of mass understanding. When a media buyer asked an advertising sales rep for a womens magazine to describe the magazines reader, the rep scored instant understanding with his concluding imagery: Our reader has a household income of $63,000, 3.4 years of college education, 2.1 children, a median house worth $267,000, and 2.2. cars. In short, were talking about the Bloomingdales shopper and not the K-Mart lady. What an impact that last sentence has! We see the two shoppers. We have associations with each of these stores that speak volumes about the likely buying habits of each shopper. We get the stronger buying power of this magazines reader because of the image that passes through our right brain, rather than through the cold numerical facts processed by our left brain.

Imagery peppers the news

When the White House needed to respond to the heat generated by Michael Moores movie Fahrenheit 9/11, they distanced themselves from the film by saying, The eagle does not talk to the fly. When Google, the hugely successful search engine, announced its plans to go public, the investment community started frothing at the mouth. But those on Wall Street hungry for quarterly earnings were less than thrilled by certain remarks made in the companys public offering statement. In very clear terms, Google said it was not going to offer quarterly earnings, which is the mothers milk of Wall Street. Google expected to make unprofitable short-term investments and expected investors to accept that without question. The company justified its position with this simile (metaphors cousin): A management team distracted by a series of short-term targets is as pointless as a dieter stepping on a scale every half hour.

Imagery is everywhere
Creating imagery is not unnatural. You hear it every day in conversation: Brick-and-mortar companies need to become clicks-and-mortar businesses to survive in the new millennium. Bulls and bears invest in stock markets that crash, tank and take off.
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StoryWorks
From a neuroscience perspective we are all divided and discontinuous. The mental processes under- lying our sense of self feelings, thoughts, memories are scattered through different zones of the brain. There is no special point of convergence. No cockpit of the soul. No soul- pilot. They come together in a work of fiction. A human being is a story-telling machine. The self is a story. Paul Broks, Into the Silent Land

We avoid putting all our eggs in one basket, and try to build a nest egg and save for a rainy day. Some of us are road warriors working in a dog-eat-dog world. Is your company the 800-pound gorilla of its category, or is it only a blip on your customers radar screen? Analogies are extended metaphors that drive points home: Minds are like parachutes. They work best when open. Reagan was the Teflon president. Nothing ever stuck to him. A woman is like a tea bag. You never know how strong she is until she gets into hot water. (Eleanor Roosevelt)

When do you need a metaphor?

Look at the recent election. President Bush could have used a metaphor in his first debate with John Kerry. Kerry had the president on the ropes, and all Bush could say several times was that the war in Iraq was hard work; its hard; its very hard, etc. A well-crafted metaphor comparing our efforts in Iraq, for example, with another historical effort-like the ending of the Cold War-would have proved handy in driving his point home, rather than employing language that came across as a series of weak claims. Similarly, the Kerry campaign suffered for most of 2004 for lack of a strong image and was seriously compromised when the Republicans used Kerrys famous wind-surfing picture against him. In a Republican TV commercial showing Kerry surfing in one direction from one viewpoint and then in another from the opposing perspective, the voiceover said, Any way the wind blows. In an effort to characterize Kerry as a flip-flopper, this image was used very effectively and hurt the candidate in the polls. You neednt be running for president to make your point with a metaphor. Do you encounter any of the following with clients and audiences: Resistance? Negativity? Indifference? Confusion? Hostility? Scepticism? Fear? Controversy? Then you need a winning metaphor! An investment banker was talking to the CEO of a company willingly targeted for takeover by the biggest company in their industry. The CEO feared that once word got out about the proposed takeover, his company would be put in play, which would trigger unwanted hostile takeover activity. The investment banker won over this CEO, who earlier had made a comment about his high school days, when he said: Bill, remember when you were in high school? Remember when the star football player-lets call him Big Joe-had a girlfriend? Remember how no one else would dare to date Joes girlfriend? Dont worry. This company is Big Joe. If they want you, no one else is going to step in and go against Joe. Reassured, the client went ahead with the deal. In one of the largest sales on record, Lee Iacocca went to Congress in 1980 to get $1.2 billion in loan guarantees for the failing Chrysler Corporation. Congress was not interested in a bailout, which is how it perceived the loan. Iacocca cleverly changed that perception by substituting the image of safety net for bailout. He argued successfully that the government provided all kinds of safety nets for its citizens and that Chrysler, with all its employees, represented a large group of citizens. Chryslers problems were Americas problems. Chryslers bankruptcy would be Americas loss. No congressperson wanted to be accused of denying hardworking Americans a safety net, so Iacocca got his money.

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StoryWorks
From a neuroscience perspective we are all divided and discontinuous. The mental processes under- lying our sense of self feelings, thoughts, memories are scattered through different zones of the brain. There is no special point of convergence. No cockpit of the soul. No soul- pilot. They come together in a work of fiction. A human being is a story-telling machine. The self is a story. Paul Broks, Into the Silent Land

Four steps to metaphor power

1. Identify your listeners blind spot. Is he not sure you can do the job? Is she uncomfortable that you have no experience in her industry? Are they sceptical your plan wont work? 2. Snapshot your listener. Since metaphors work only when they tap into your listeners experience, consider what you know about your listeners world: business life? Personal life? General common experience? 3. Create the metaphor. Based on your snapshot, carefully select your metaphor. Snow means something very different to someone in the Midwest than to someone who lives in Hawaii. Your final metaphor must be familiar to your listener and appropriate in tone, and must work! 4. Relate the metaphor back to the situation at hand, just as our investment banker and Lee Iacocca did in the earlier examples.

Become a metaphorian
Outstanding salespeople use carefully thought out, hard-hitting imagery to achieve emotional, visceral understanding: To position their products and services vs. the competition To neutralize objections, resistance, fears, scepticism and negativity To help buyers or any other audience get the story They know that the toughest sale is frequently won not just with the tools of a logician, but with the techniques of a poet. http://www.executivetravelmagazine.com/page/The+selling+power+of+metaphors

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