Business Storytelling - Communication Skills Training From MindTools.com

Using Stories to Inspire Learn how to tell stories that will help you sell products, build trust, or inspire your team. © iStockphoto How many times have you been enthralled by a good story? Maybe you stayed up late to read a novel that you couldn't put down, or watched a movie that you couldn't switch off? Stories can change the way we think, act, and feel. Stories can be powerful business tools, and successful leaders use them to engage their teams. In this article, we'll look at business storytelling – we'll explore when you should use stories, and we'll think about what kind of story you should tell to get the results you want. What is Business Storytelling? People tell business stories to communicate and connect with employees, customers, colleagues, partners, suppliers, and the media. When you tell a story well, it can create an intense, personal connection between your audience and your message. When to use Stories You can use stories to achieve a number of different goals. 1. 2. 3.

The science behind fonts (and how they make you feel) I’ve noticed how seemingly small things like font and the spacing between letters can impact how I feel when reading online. The right font choice along with the absence of sidebars and popups makes everything feel easier and better to read. Websites like Medium, Signal vs. Noise, and Zen Habits are like yoga studios for content. Just look at the difference between Medium and Cracked: Exhibit A) Medium.com Exhibit B) Cracked.com When you compare the two, it’s obvious which one makes you feel like crud. The Cracked layout is painful to look at. After experimenting with how we display content on the ooomf blog, I discovered there’s an element of science behind why we feel this way toward certain typefaces and layouts. How we read When we read, our eyes follow a natural pattern called a Scan Path. We break sentences up into scans (saccades) and pauses (fixations). Your eyes typically move across a page for between 7-9 letters before needing to pause to process what you’re reading. 1. 2. 3. 4.

1. Digital Storytelling Defined | Digital Storytelling for Communities Digital storytelling is the modern expression of the ancient art of storytelling. Throughout history, storytelling has been used to share knowledge, wisdom, and values. Stories have taken many different forms. Storytelling is an ancient form of communication and an art that has been evolving over time with each technological development. Digital storytelling is a natural progression from oral storytelling; one might even say that storytelling plus technology equals digital storytelling. Digital storytelling is an online personal narrative in digital format. Both physical and social media communities are engaging in digital storytelling to give voice to themselves and others. Community engagement in digital storytelling involves sharing the “universal” human experience. References Brear, D. (2007). Burgess, J. Canadian Oral History Association. (2006). Center for Digital Storytelling. Couldry, N. (2008). Digital Storytelling Association. (2011.). Jakes, D. (2005, December 1). Like this:

The art of storytelling in 6 content marketing context questions Do brands create stories? Do stories create brands? Or is the power of storytelling for brands and branding simply so pervasive we can’t even begin to see the end and the beginning? Storytelling of course is an ancient art (and part science) which is tackled in so many domains, from the study of ancient cultures to movie making, fiction writing and branding. Yet, storytelling has never been ‘hotter’ than today. The principles and success factors are closely related with word-of-mouth, social sharing, social media in general, brand perception and the very core of content marketing. Carl Gustav Jung once said the reason for evil in the world is that people are not able to tell their stories – more. Storytelling: THE fundamental human activity (even when talking to ourselves) Storytelling is so much more than telling stories in marketing and communications for businesses. Guido Everaert: Storytelling is not about language, it’s about telling and creating stories in a compelling way.

Turning Content from 'Meh' to Wow With Storytelling If you have had your ear to the ground in the world of startups, you have probably heard the phrase "content is king." Indeed, many industry pros are pointing to content entering a golden age and companies are taking notice. Yahoo is bolstering its editorial strategy (including bringing Katie Couric on board), Vox Media continues to expand the companies under its umbrella and BuzzFeed may be taking over the world (well, not really). But with this explosion of content, there is a lot of room for sub-par "meh." For many, to rise above the crowd, there needs to be a focus on storytelling (another huge buzzword). Related: 5 Lessons About Blogging You Can Learn From BuzzFeed For those needing a little help getting comfortable with storytelling, here is a quick explainer. What Is Storytelling? Why use stories in blogging? How stories help in marketing? How to tell a story? So where to begin? Tips for creating a setting: Introduce characters. Create suspense and curiosity. Create an ending.