Stories Mean Business - Nick Warren

This is my 1,164th daily podcast, even though I'm basically a lazy bum. 

Here are 3 principles I've used to do it.

Principle 1: Simplicity

Principle 2: Strategy

Principle 3: Identity

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And that's probably a good thing.

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A dumb but useful thing I do.

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Business storytelling isn't just about grand narratives, clever companies use small storytelling techniques to relentlessly build their business. 

This podcast has one example.

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Over the past 30 days, we've taken a stroll through some of the principles and techniques of business storytelling...

Triggers. Subtext. The power of open loops.

We've seen how stories start when somene's world is thrown out of balance, unleashing a deep desire within them.

The pursuit of that desire is, of course, the story ... whether it's Die Hard, Casabalanca, or Ross and Rachel.

Or indeed, the business life that you are building through your work, brand or startup.

We've also seen how actions reveal character.

We began this journey with Walter White standing over Jessie's girlfiend as she choked to death.

If you've seen Breaking Bad, you'll remember how – a few scenes before – he had tenderly turned his infant daughter onto her side.

Yes, a loving father. But under pressure, Walter shows us who he truly is.

As in stories so in life.

We've talked a lot about pressure in this series. The tension between what people have and what they want. The tension between what they say and what they mean. Even the biological tension we feel when a story character get's into trouble.

And that's where I want to end this series.

Back in the Wall•E post, we talked about the value of empathy and the first commandment of storytelling:

MAKE ME CARE.

And what do you see when you look at this montage? Buildings? Machinery? Fiscal reports?

Of course not.

Every image – like every good story – starts with a face.

Humans relate to other humans, to you and your story – especially when it speaks to their experience, needs, fears and identity.

If nothing else sticks from this series, that's a powerful place to start.

Thanks for reading.

Nick

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This is one of 30 riffs on #Business #Storytelling. Follow me to get the series.

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At the start of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Indy learns that his father (Henry) is missing.

By the end they'll be reunited, but Henry will be on the ground, dying ...

Thus grow great stories, relentlessly escalating tension, conflict and threat.

Indy visits Venice to track down his Dad, but Henry isn't buried in a local library, he's imprisoned by Nazi's seeking a) his Grail notebook and b) eternal life.

So Henry is found, but the stakes are massively raised:

We might believe that epic storytelling has little to do with business, but we'd be wrong.

From the motorboat shredding propeller to the epic tank battle, Indy 3 is filled with beats, scenes and sequences that raise tension.

And that fractal structure is the clue.

Because the movie isn't just about the big set pieces, the writers demionstrate the power of escalation at every level.

Take the simple, throwaway beat that comes as Indy and Henry escape the Zepplin:

We tend to think of storytelling as big, creative work, but we can just as easily escalate tension in emails, advert or social posts.

The tools of storytelling don't care about scale.

They just work.

Nick

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This is one of 30 riffs on #Business #Storytelling. Follow me to get the series.

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