jasonsuel

“Great stories happen to those who can tell them.” – Ira Glass

“If history were taught in the form of stories, it would never be forgotten.” – Rudyard Kippling

“The greatest art in the world is the art of storytelling.” – Cecil B. DeMille

“A brand is a story that is always being told.” – Scott Bedbury

*In this blog, you will find links to articles and other sources that I think define and outline proper storytelling.  We are all storytellers.  Let’s tell our stories.  If we don’t, who will?

Jonathan Gottschall, author of The Storytelling Animal, has written a concise article titled, “Why Storytelling is the Ultimate Weapon.”  In the article, Gottschall says, “says science backs up the long-held belief that story is the most powerful means of communicating a message.”  He goes on to teach how storytelling has always been a most persuasive part of our culture.  Follow this link for more information: http://www.fastcocreate.com/1680581/why-storytelling-is-the-ultimate-weapon

Jonathan Gottschall teaches English at Washington and Jefferson College and is the author The Storytelling Animal: How Stories Make Us Human, published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. His work has been featured in the New York Times Magazine, Scientific American, and the Chronicle of Higher Education, among others.

Another source of information about the power of storytelling are the TED conferences.  TED has curated 6 talks on storytelling that they have made available via the following link: http://www.ted.com/playlists/62/how_to_tell_a_story.html

Doug Stevenson is the founder and president of Story Theatre International and is the author of Story Theatre Method for strategic storytelling in business.  “You can learn how to use acting, storytelling, and drama techniques to connect with people at a deeper level,” says Stevenson.  Check out more of Mr. Stevenson’s approach via http://www.storytelling-in-business.com

Bronwyn Fryer, senior editor of The Harvard Business Review interviewed Robert McKee for an article titled, “Storytelling That Moves People.”  McKee has a company called “two-arts” that brings his lectures on the art of storytelling to a worldwide audience of writers, directors, producers, actors, and entertainment executives.  In the article, McKee asserts if you understand the principles of storytelling, you probably have a good understanding of yourself and human nature.  That will, in essence, make you a better leader. “Stories are the creative conversion of life itself into a more powerful, clearer, more meaningful experience.  They are the currency of human contact,” says McKee (http://hbr.org/web/special-collections/insight/communication/storytelling-that-moves-people)

Here is an article from Emma Coats who works independently as a storyboard artist.  She previously worked for Pixar Animation Studios.  In her article Mrs. Coats compiled tweets (twitter entries) of 140 characters or less.  The tweets tell a story.  Being concise in storytelling is a positive thing.  Read more from her article in the Wall Street Journal via this blog (http://www.babyfoodforcreatives.com/2012/07/storytelling-told-in-tweets.html)

“Why Storytelling is Essential for Business Leaders” is an article by Chris Grams in Fortune magazine. (http://features.blogs.fortune.cnn.com/2010/11/09/why-storytelling-is-essential-for-business-leaders/) The article describes how a company named Red Hat created a video in 2003 to show at a conference.  Then, other people from other companies wanted the video.  Red Hat’s team grew and continues to experience growth because of a short film they created years ago… all because it was a good story.  Red Hat’s story is a good model for how great storytelling can influence the future.  Find more information about Red Hat at www.redhat.com.

Related Web Articles

• “Why storytelling will be important to businesses in 2013,” Josh Burns. NBC Chicago.  http://www.nbcchicago.com/blogs/inc-well/Stories-to-Fuel-Businesses-in-2013-185317962.html
• “Using great storytelling to grow your business,” Kaihan Krippendorf. Fast Company. http://www.fastcompany.com/1822792/using-great-storytelling-grow-your-business
• “Social storytelling for business: 3 easy steps to better convey your message,” Todd Wilms. Forbes. http://www.forbes.com/sites/sap/2011/10/27/social-storytelling-for-business-3-easy-steps-to-better-convey-your-message/

Related Books

• The Storytelling Animal: How Stories Make Us Human, Jonathan Gottschall.  http://www.amazon.com/The-Storytelling-Animal-Stories-Human/dp/0547391404
• Storytelling in Business: The Authentic and Fluent Organization, Janis Forman. http://www.sup.org/book.cgi?id=18152