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What storytelling does to our brainsThe Buffer blog: productivity, life hacks, writing, user experience, customer happiness and business.

What storytelling does to our brainsThe Buffer blog: productivity, life hacks, writing, user experience, customer happiness and business.
11.6K Flares Filament.io 11.6K Flares × In 1748, the British politician and aristocrat John Montagu, the 4th Earl of Sandwich used a lot of his free time for playing cards. One of the problems he had was that he greatly enjoyed eating a snack, whilst still keeping one hand free for the cards. So he came up with the idea to eat beef between slices of toast, which would allow him to finally eat and play cards at the same time. What’s interesting about this, is that you are very likely to never forget the story of who invented the sandwich ever again. For over 27,000 years, since the first cave paintings were discovered, telling stories has been one of our most fundamental communication methods. Here is the science around storytelling and how we can use it to make better decisions every day: Our brain on stories: How our brains become more active when we tell stories It’s in fact quite simple. When we are being told a story though, things change dramatically found researchers in Spain.

Kamishibai: Lessons in visual storytelling from Japan Kamishibai is a form of visual and participatory storytelling that combines the use of hand drawn visuals with the engaging narration of a live presenter. Kami (紙) means paper and shibai (芝居 ) means play/drama. The origins of kamishibai are not clear, but its roots can be taced back to various picture storytelling traditions in Japan such as etoki and emaki scrolls and other forms of visual storytelling which date back centuries. This clip on Youtube gives you a feel for kamishibai from 1959, a time when most gaito kamishibaiya (kamishibai storytellers) were decreasing in number as TV was becoming popular in the home. Visual, simple, & clear Although Kamishibai is a form of visual storytelling that originated more than eighty years ago, with roots that go back centuries in Japan, the lessons from this craft can be applied to modern multimedia presentations. Above: Note how the visual fills the entire card yet maintains a level of empty space. (3) Visuals may take an active role.

Storytelling Science, Techniques, Inspiration, and Examples – Incremental Success Intrigued with story as most of us are, I decided to start looking into how we learning professionals can use this powerful format more effectively in the learning materials we develop and deliver. My research turned up several articles on the Web about why story is important to learning, but little was out there on specific steps for developing more of an experience than a course. The following list of articles are great sources of inspiration to help you enhance the effectiveness of your next learning project with story. The 22 Rules of Storytelling, According to Pixar This compilation of Pixar’s 22 tips on storytelling is a great source of inspiration for developing your story and making it memorable. The Significant Object’s Website The Significant Objects Site grew out of an experiment on how powerful story can be. Why You Must Tell Stories, Not Dump Information, In Your Presentations Here’s a story in Forbes about why story is more effective than fact-dumping.

From Creative Writing to Studying Creativity 4Share Synopsis I ended up applying my passion in creativity to the psychological realm, where I would like to think I have had a larger impact than if I were still working on my stories and plays. A few weeks ago, I discovered a huge box filled with older papers and personal belongings. One thought that struck me was that I would write nearly anything (and then submit it for publication in some obscure zine). Perhaps the predominant memory was that there was so damn much of it, and that I would try anything. Beyond the obvious connection, the insights and ideas from my pursuit of creative writing have continued to play into my research career. This question taps into a hot topic about whether there is a general creativity factor. My Four C Model, which I developed with Ron Beghetto, looks at creativity from a developmental perspective. When I was a creative writer, I was shifting from the mini-c to the little-c level. Note: This is an adaption of a blog from my website.

7 Deadly Sins of Business Storytelling Business storytelling is an art, you can set to work honing it for maximum impact. Learn more about the 7 deadly sins of business storytelling. February 14, 2011 When it comes to persuasion, companies traditionally appeal to left side of the brain, using logic and reason. Before you craft your story, ask yourself: “Who is my audience and what is my goal in engaging them?” While the reason you are telling a business story may be quite different from the reason you tell a story at a party, the same techniques apply. 1. 2. In practice: Go to the page on your company’s website where you describe what you do. 3. 4. 5. How much more powerful would this campaign have been if the featured image was that of an actual cancer survivor? In practice: Make stories a part of your organizational culture. 6. 7. In practice: Create an internal storybank, or database of stories, where employees and even customers can write and submit stories complete with titles. @kabbenbock).

Storyboarding Your Videos and Animations: Start to Finish - The eLearning Guild DevLearn 2013 Wednesday, October 23, 2013 2:45 PM - 3:45 PM Storyboarding can be tough. But if you get it right, the rest of the project can go quickly and smoothly. By figuring out your complex ideas and the flow of your visual story on paper, you can work out your issues early and with little rework. Session participants will get the step-by-step process along with the storyboard framework you need to create great storyboards for your animations or videos. In this session, you will learn: Script writing and reading tipsStoryboarding approachesVisual communication techniquesHow to draw for storyboards Audience:This session is for those interested in learning more about storyboarding. Technology discussed in this session:PowerPoint. Student technology needs:None Cory CasellaUser Experience DesignerAlden Systems Cory Casella is a user experience designer for Alden Systems, and also contracts through Obsidian.

Shut up and say something | AndrewKurjata.ca Posted on 30 April 2013 “A kid can make a feature film with an iPod touch, or learn how to code apps and make a million bucks. But what’s scary is that the options for entertainment on that same iPod touch are just so compelling that… well, why bother?” - Paul Miller, “How my creativity got killed” “I’m sure if you read around for long enough you might find an opinion that’s similar to yours, but their opinion isn’t yours and the way that you articulate your opinion is unique to you.” - Owen Williams, “Too busy consuming to create” “Speak only if it improves upon the silence.” - Mohandas Gandhi I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but there is a lot of good stuff out there. So why do we add to the noise? Faced with the deluge of information that is the year 2013, I constantly have two contradictory instincts. The shut up comes from the feeling that there’s already so much good stuff, why bother? And that’s why anyone and everyone should create. Shut up and say something.

Robert McKee: Persuasion through storytelling trumps statistics "As a method of persuasion, I am not a big fan of PowerPoint presentations," says the legendary screenwriting guru Robert McKee. What McKee is saying here is that using slideware the way most business people still do today — slides filled with loads of data and lists of "points" — fails (even assuming people are able to pay attention through the visual assault) largely because the audience assumes the presenter is hiding something and that he is including only bits and pieces that support his case. Beating people over the head, one fact-filled slide at a time, is a much weaker approach than the use of story, McKee says. Watch the video below to hear McKee explain the three different methods of persuasion and why he thinks storytelling is the best method. "PowerPoint Presentation"I dislike the term "PowerPoint presentation" — a term McKee used several times in this video clip. Data and storytellingStatistics and storytelling are not mutually exclusive.

DevLearn 2013 - Handouts and Resources - The eLearning Guild DevLearn 2013 This page is for the exclusive use of registered conference participants. You will find links to session descriptions, speaker bios, and handouts provided to us by the speakers. Links will be added as they are received. If you don’t see a handout posted for a session below, that session may have no handouts or the instructor may be providing materials post-conference. MAP Deck gives you access to some of the concurrent sessions’ PowerPoint files which you can use to create your own custom slide deck. Program Guide | Expo Guide | DemoFest Guide | Event Evaluation | Backchannel | Menu

James Rhodes: 'Find what you love and let it kill you' After the inevitable "How many hours a day do you practice?" and "Show me your hands", the most common thing people say to me when they hear I'm a pianist is "I used to play the piano as a kid. I really regret giving it up". I imagine authors have lost count of the number of people who have told them they "always had a book inside them". Do the maths. What if you could know everything there is to know about playing the piano in under an hour (something the late, great Glenn Gould claimed, correctly I believe, was true)? What if for a couple of hundred quid you could get an old upright on eBay delivered? What if rather than a book club you joined a writer's club? I didn't play the piano for 10 years. Reading this on a mobile? The government is cutting music programmes in schools and slashing Arts grants as gleefully as a morbidly American kid in Baskin Robbins. Charles Bukowski, hero of angsty teenagers the world over, instructs us to "find what you love and let it kill you".

Best of DevLearn: 21st Century Learning Design : Online Events Archive "Best of" Webinars - October 9, 2013 Lance Dublin CEO & Chief Solution Architect Dublin Consulting Learning designers are trying to use 20th century methodologies to solve 21st century problems. Participants in this free webinar will develop a deeper understanding of 21st century organizational challenges, examine the strengths and weaknesses of various methodologies when applied to learning design, and together define a new set of 21st century learning design principles. In this webinar, you will learn: How six methodologies each impact learning designAbout 21st century learning technologies and approachesEight principles of new learning design Handout(s) You do not have access to the handouts. Recording You do not have access to the recording.

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