Storytellers and Powerful Stories

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Powerful stories. Storytellers. Right story. Wrong story. Sticky stories.

SETTING THE SCENE

You're never going to kill storytelling, because it's built into the human plan. We come with it.- Margaret Atwood
We are the storytelling animal.- Salman Rushdie
Humanity's legacy of stories and storytelling is the most precious we have. All wisdom is in our stories and songs. A story is how we construct our experiences. At the very simplest, it can be: 'He/she was born, lived, died.' Probably that is the template of our stories - a beginning, middle, and end. This structure is in our minds.- Doris Lessing

Questions to consider

Which stories do you need to tell, and how do you tell them?
Do you worry about holding people's attention during presentations?
Are you unsure where to start when faced with writing an essay or report?
Are you preparing for an interview and wondering how to get all your points across?
What are the four stories that form your narrative and how will you utilise them?
How can you tell an interesting story that sticks?

Happy reading and stay curious!

Here is more information about this selection of books.

Storytellers: Questions, Answers and the Craft of Journalism (Simon & Schuster Australia, August 2023) ) by Leigh Sales. Highly respected ABC anchor, bestselling author and hit podcaster Leigh Sales interviews the cream of Australian journalists about their craft – how (and why) they bring us the stories that inform our lives. In this book, she turns her interviewing skills onto her own profession, those usually asking the questions: the journalists. In ten sections – from News Reporting to Editing, via Investigative, Commentary and of course Interviewing – Sales takes us on a tour of the profession, letting the leaders in their field talk direct to us about how they get their leads, survive in war zones, write a profile, tell a story with pictures, and keep the show on the road.

Right Story, Wrong Story: Adventures in Indigenous Thinking (Text Publishing, October 2023) by Tyson Yunkaporta. It describes how our relationship with land is inseparable from how we relate to each other. This book is a sequence of thought experiments, which are, as Yunkaporta writes, 'crowd-sourced narratives where everybody's contribution to the story, no matter how contradictory, is honoured and included...the closest thing I can find in the world to the Aboriginal collective process of what we call "yarning".' He argues, story is at the heart of everything. But what is right or wrong story? This book explores how we teach and learn, and how we can talk to each other to shape forms of collective thinking that are aligned with land and creation.

The Art of Explanation: How to Communicate with Clarity and Confidence (Wildfire, September 2023) by Ros Atkins. Explanation - identifying and communicating what we want to say - is an art. And the BBC presenter and journalist Ros Atkins, creator of the viral 'Ros Atkins on...' explainer videos, is something of a master of the form. In this book, Ros shares the secrets he has learned from years of working in high-pressure newsrooms, identifying the ten elements of a good explanation and the seven steps you need to take to express yourself with clarity and impact. Whether at work, school, university or home, we all benefit from being able to articulate ourselves clearly. Filled with practical examples, The Art of Explanation is a must-read for anyone who wants to sharpen their communication skills.

The Secret Language of Maps: How to Tell Visual Stories with Data (Stanford d.school Library, April 2022) by Carissa Carter. Maps aren’t just geographic, they are also infographic and include all types of frameworks and diagrams. Any figure that sorts data visually and presents it spatially is a map. Maps are ways of organizing information and figuring out what’s important. Even stories can be mapped! The Secret Language of Maps provides a simple framework to deconstruct existing maps and then shows you how to create your own. An embedded mystery story about a woman who investigates the disappearance of an old high school friend illustrates how to use different maps to make sense of all types of information. Colorful illustrations bring the story to life and demonstrate how the fictional character’s collection of data, properly organized and “mapped,” leads her to solve the mystery of her friend’s disappearance. You’ll learn how to gather data, organize it, and present it to an audience. You’ll also learn how to view the many maps that swirl around our daily lives with a critical eye, aware of the forces that are in play for every creator.

Stories That Stick: How Storytelling Can Captivate Customers, Influence Audiences, and Transform Your Business (HarperCollins Leadership, September 2019) by Kindra Hall. Provides a clear framework of ideals and a concise set of actions for you to take complete control of your own story, utilising the principles behind the world’s most effective business storytelling strategies. Hall reveals the four unique stories you can use to differentiate, captivate, and elevate: The Value Story—convince customers they need what you provide. The Founder Story—persuade investors and customers your organization is worth the investment. The Purpose Story—align and inspire your employees and internal customers. The Customer Story—allow those who use your product or service to share their authentic experiences with others. Telling these stories well is a simple, accessible skill anyone can develop. With case studies, company profiles, and anecdotes backed with original research, Hall presents storytelling as the underutilised talent that separates the good from the best in business. Every person, every organization has at least four stories at their disposal.

Unleash the Power of Storytelling: Win Hearts, Change Minds, Get Results (Eastlawn Media, February 2018) by Rob Biesenbach. Study after study confirms that stories have unparalleled power to break down walls, build trust, and influence people to act. More than facts and data alone, stories are fundamental to capturing and expressing our ideas, wishes, and beliefs … and getting the results we want.

Storytellers and Powerful Stories

Powerful stories. Storytellers. Right story. Wrong story. Sticky stories.

SETTING THE SCENE

Questions to consider

OTHER Related ArticleS AND READING LISTS

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