I will be interviewed on Monday April 6th on the Art of Storytelling with Children with host Eric James Wolf. We will be discussing applying folk and fairy tales in business. I've posted a short discussion of the topic on the blog, www.storytellingwithchildren.com. Check it out and join us Monday. Here are the details to get in on the recording of the podcast.
Dial Number 218-936-3860
Access Code 5679691#
We will start at 8:00PM eastern time and run for one hour.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Movie Trailers in 30 seconds
One final note here from the book "Made to Stick" by Chip and Dan Heath. In the book they refer to the movie trailers that are made to stick. Producers want you to remember the movie and anticpate its release so that you will go see it as soon as possible. By following the S.U.C.C.E.S.S. steps outline by the Heath Brothers trailers can be very sticky.
What I found interesting about this point is the ability to condense a two hour movie into a 30-60 second summary. Frequently clients balk at using customer stories in their elevator pitch because "you can't tell a story in 30 seconds". Movie studios have been proving that wrong for a long time. Yes it takes some work, yes it takes some practice, yes it is worth it! Stories are memorable and if you are not making your introductions memorable why attend networking events.
Craft a good 30 second client story and people will remember you.
What I found interesting about this point is the ability to condense a two hour movie into a 30-60 second summary. Frequently clients balk at using customer stories in their elevator pitch because "you can't tell a story in 30 seconds". Movie studios have been proving that wrong for a long time. Yes it takes some work, yes it takes some practice, yes it is worth it! Stories are memorable and if you are not making your introductions memorable why attend networking events.
Craft a good 30 second client story and people will remember you.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
SUCCESS from Made to Stick
In "Made to Stick" by Chip and Dan Heath the acronym SUCCESS is introduced early and carried throughout the book. In fact the second half of the book is dedicated to explaining and demonstrating each one of the letters in the acronym.
S - Simple
U - Unexpected
C - Concrete
C - Credible
E - Emotional
S - Story
The whole concept makes so much sense that I didn't even have to go back and review what SUCCESS stood for, I remebered. Obviously it was the Story piece that really caught my eye but after reading about the others it all is important to include in your marketing message to make it stick.
Review your marketing message and make sure each one of these six criteria exist and your message will be memorable.
S - Simple
U - Unexpected
C - Concrete
C - Credible
E - Emotional
S - Story
The whole concept makes so much sense that I didn't even have to go back and review what SUCCESS stood for, I remebered. Obviously it was the Story piece that really caught my eye but after reading about the others it all is important to include in your marketing message to make it stick.
Review your marketing message and make sure each one of these six criteria exist and your message will be memorable.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
More tidbits from Made To Stick
Frequently when I work with clients they express concern about my knowledge of their businesses. They usually feel the need to give me background information. I usually discourage this and always have to explain it because the client doesn't see how I could help them with stories if I don't know the business.
Chip and Dan Heath summed it up beautifully in their book "Made to Stick". They call it the Curse of Knowledge. Sometimes we know too much about our subject matter to be able to step back and look at it objectively and create the best marketing communications. Jargon is one of the biggest culprits here. People tend to fall into jargon without even realizing it. Most listeners/readers will never stop and ask what you mean, my guess is because of fear of looking stupid.
I always encourage those working on stories for marketing to run the stories by someone outside of the business and ask for feedback, did it make sense, was it complete, did it leave questions unanswered. Usually we are too close to the subject, Curse of Knowledge, to effectively edit our own work.
The more of an expert you are in your profession the more you need an outsider to help bring fresh eyes to your work.
Chip and Dan Heath summed it up beautifully in their book "Made to Stick". They call it the Curse of Knowledge. Sometimes we know too much about our subject matter to be able to step back and look at it objectively and create the best marketing communications. Jargon is one of the biggest culprits here. People tend to fall into jargon without even realizing it. Most listeners/readers will never stop and ask what you mean, my guess is because of fear of looking stupid.
I always encourage those working on stories for marketing to run the stories by someone outside of the business and ask for feedback, did it make sense, was it complete, did it leave questions unanswered. Usually we are too close to the subject, Curse of Knowledge, to effectively edit our own work.
The more of an expert you are in your profession the more you need an outsider to help bring fresh eyes to your work.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Made To Stick
In some senses I feel like a Johnny Come Lately having just finished reading "Made To Stick" by Chip and Dan Heath. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and learned a lot. If you have not read the book yet I highly recommend it.
This post and several others will reference the book and share with you some of the insights the brothers expressed and that I thought were particularly relevant to business stories.
Here is the first nugget. About 3/4 of the way through they write about an experiment conducted to gauge people's responses to pleas for donation. The results proved Mother Theresa was right "If I look at the mass, I will never act. If I look at the one, I will."
The lesson for non-profits or anyone seeking donations is to remember what Mother Theresa said. If you ask for a group in need or a large problem responses are lower than if you tell a story about one person who needs help. The conclusion the brothers make "When it comes to our hearts, one individual trumps the masses."
Researchers surmised that "If people felt overwhelmed by the scale of the problem, their small donations might have seemed meaningless." Please keep that in mind as you write appeal letters, prepare phone scripts or prepare oral presentations. Keep the problem manageable and people will be more likely to donate.
It kind of feels like it is going against logic. Shouldn't we let others know about the magnitude of the problem? Well based on this research the answer is no. We relate one to one not one to many so keep that in mind when you prepare your communications.
This post and several others will reference the book and share with you some of the insights the brothers expressed and that I thought were particularly relevant to business stories.
Here is the first nugget. About 3/4 of the way through they write about an experiment conducted to gauge people's responses to pleas for donation. The results proved Mother Theresa was right "If I look at the mass, I will never act. If I look at the one, I will."
The lesson for non-profits or anyone seeking donations is to remember what Mother Theresa said. If you ask for a group in need or a large problem responses are lower than if you tell a story about one person who needs help. The conclusion the brothers make "When it comes to our hearts, one individual trumps the masses."
Researchers surmised that "If people felt overwhelmed by the scale of the problem, their small donations might have seemed meaningless." Please keep that in mind as you write appeal letters, prepare phone scripts or prepare oral presentations. Keep the problem manageable and people will be more likely to donate.
It kind of feels like it is going against logic. Shouldn't we let others know about the magnitude of the problem? Well based on this research the answer is no. We relate one to one not one to many so keep that in mind when you prepare your communications.
Monday, March 2, 2009
Robert McKee Interview
One of the listservs I subscribe to sent a post with copy of an interview conducted with Robert McKee, a screenwriting guru. Mr. McKee offers classes on the art of story and screenwriting. I've read interviews with Mr. McKee before and conintue to be impressed with his vast knowledge of story and his ability to cut through to the core, aswering questions in a straight forward educational way.
One such question and answer really caught my eye, it is below. I humbly agree with him, the story principles are essentially the same, the style and manner of delivery is what has changed.
Q: Do you see the art of story via screenwriting evolving over the
decades, and if so, how?
Robert McKee: No. Tastes and trends come and go, but the essential art
of story has not changed since Cro-Magnon storytellers sat their
tribes around the fire and held them slack-jawed with tales of the
hunt. Personally, I wish filmmaking would devolve from the nervous cut-
cut-cut move-move-move herky-jerky camera of today back to the
expressively lit, framed, fluid images of the past. Too many
contemporary directors seem inflicted with HADD.
One such question and answer really caught my eye, it is below. I humbly agree with him, the story principles are essentially the same, the style and manner of delivery is what has changed.
Q: Do you see the art of story via screenwriting evolving over the
decades, and if so, how?
Robert McKee: No. Tastes and trends come and go, but the essential art
of story has not changed since Cro-Magnon storytellers sat their
tribes around the fire and held them slack-jawed with tales of the
hunt. Personally, I wish filmmaking would devolve from the nervous cut-
cut-cut move-move-move herky-jerky camera of today back to the
expressively lit, framed, fluid images of the past. Too many
contemporary directors seem inflicted with HADD.
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