I just returned from the LMA Northwest Chapter lunch program and find myself extremely inspired to blog after listening to Hanson Hosein’s presentation on the importance of storytelling in the digital age. As most of us recognize and as Hanson pointed out, traditional media is having a hard time keeping up. Social media has given us an opportunity to share information and tell our stories at the push of a button and on a much larger scale. For me, that is fascinating, exciting and makes my head spin. My colleague, Helen Pitlick (who attended the program with me), published her recap today on Please Advise, which includes some tips for lawyers and how they can incorporate storytelling into their blog posts.
A part of Hanson’s presentation that resonated with me was when he shared this quote from Daniel Siegel,
Shared stories create a connection to others that builds a sense of belonging to a particular community.
Think about how much easier it is to connect with someone once you know their story, especially if it is similar to your own. In an age where information on just about any topic is instantly available, there is also a lot of competition. And as Hosein pointed out today, nobody wants to be sold to. Instead, tell a story and create trust by showing people how you think about and relate to their world.
Storytelling will only help you connect with others if it is truthful, authentic, has a sense of community and is engaging. This might be a “duh statement” to a lot of you but that wasn’t the case for Kony 2012. This viral video included a lot of false information which resulted in the creator’s public meltdown. A great example of the power of story telling was Caine’s Arcade about a 9-year old boy who built an arcade out of boxes in the back of his dad’s auto body shop. I encourage you to watch the video for the rest. Get your kleenex out because it is a bit of a tear jerker (all in a good way).
A recent Forbes article, “Not Just for Bedtime, Marketers Corner the Market on Storytelling,” published by Phil Johnson shares a few suggestions that caught my eye.
Tips from Johnson:
- If a story only exists to disguise a marketing message, you aren’t fooling anybody
- Your story will be boring if it does not reveal something personal and unknown
- Move people to action by telling a story that taps into a specific emotion (fear, desire, anger, happiness)
- A story should take people on a journey where there is a transformation between the beginning, middle and end
The best stories represent a simplicity of purpose and tap into the audience’s imagination so that they willingly go along for the journey.
Do you remember a story from your childhood that you insisted on listening to over and over again? I encourage you to channel your inner 5 year old. What is your story?
Image courtesy of 123rf.com