FRMWRK 03: Storytelling for BUSINESS & BRANDS

 

FRMWRK OBJECTIVE:
UNLOCK THE BRAIN SCIENCE OF best practice STORYTELLING TO CREATE AN INFLUENTIAL STORY for your business/brand [ 2 STEPS]

Everyone talks-writes about storytelling for business and brands…

too much content out there already so no need to upload yet one more post about it…

    • Brain Science
      This frmwrk scaffolds upon the science of the storytelling brain.

      Did you know that storytelling is inextricably linked to our human brain’s chemically composed default to seek pattern? We, instinctively, key into patterns to help shortcut comprehension and decision-making given the world’s complexity…with safety and relevancy as our primary concerns.

      So in essence, we modern humans are forged in a communication modality, with a distinctive pattern or format, called story...originating more than a million years ago…primary to our species.

    • Pattern
      Believe it, or not, story is a pattern...it is a format, arrangement, composition of specific elements put together in a similar way that's intrinsically recognized by our psyche.

    • Double-Duty Effectiveness
      This framework becomes a very useful go to for just about any purpose because it works at two levels the storytelling brain operates at, simultaneously:

      Story: more overt-obvious, tactical approach to content for conveying an idea plus Narrative: more strategic, subliminal, overarching bigger theme device.

      Keep reading...

Suffice it to say, never just sell yourself, product, service, idea, initiative, startup…

sell a story about it.

  • Apple Narrative: The Human Spirit must Create.
    Apple Stories: How Apple supports everyday people create...moments in time...works of art...the memories of their lives...their futures...everything.

    Ikea Narrative: To create a better everyday life for the many people
    Ikea Stories:     the store is like a fun destination getaway journey to explore, every product has a story starting with a fun, quirky name...the self-assembly signals value while the flat pack packaging signals authentic sustainability, plus you become even more invested in it by creating it yourself.

    You want to use this frmwrk because it can be effective for addressing both Story and Narrative.

    While these are often used interchangeably in everyday conversation, distinguishing between them can unlock new strategies for influencing behavior and building stronger relationships.

    • STORY
      -more tactical…like a marketing tool

      -singular in nature with a beginning, middle and end

      -with a specific series of events-actions that unfold within the narrative framework...or the skeleton

    • NARRATIVE
      -more strategic...expressive of a bigger business theme or universal truth

      -open-ended...evolves over time…more enduring

      -its underlying structure shapes how events-actions are perceived as a bigger idea...this structure infuses every story...a top down guidance device.

  • Use this double-duty scaffold for just about any storytelling quest...which is the ultimate beauty of it:

    • Marketing Campaign

    • Case Study

    • Brand Story

    • Founder Story

    • Startup Launch

    • Business Foundational Narrative

    • Personal Profile

    • Social Media…testing the waters…finding your tribe

    Yes...for each one of these you might need to emphasize a specific character more or feature a particular sequence less...but for the most part this framework is universally versatile.

  • These 3 ways the human brain takes in and processes information should be top of mind as you develop the dimensions of the Hero and Shadow plus cultivate the overall action arc.

    Memory Modalities
    Memories are how we encode or selectively interpret life experiences over time. They are the matrix that gives birth to who we think we are..which then shapes the reality we must respond to and include:

    • Episodic Memory
      -the brain’s tendency to perceive one thing led to the next, then next, then next…the when/where things happened like the first day of school led him to meet his best friend which was meant to be.

    • Emotional Memory
      -the brain’s association of events with the feelings they evoked…like I immediately felt connected because her perfume reminded me of my grandmother.

    • Autobiographical Memory
      -the brain’s tendency to forge personal meaning out of events that shape identity, mostly during early childhood, like I always felt vulnerable, a twinge of abandonment, when my husband left the house, same as when my Dad did growing up.

    4S Processing
    When drilling down of the Broken versus Better Worlds, as well as the transformative Struggle between them, remember the brain processes all stimuli/experience in these four ways:

    • Solo
      -the brain tends to limit focus on a single, main idea...your Guiding Idea.

    • Sapient
      -the brain is triggered more by a human figure than almost anything else…so develop the plot through the main character…people care far less about the action/sex and much more about the person’s inner feelings/motivations/limitations.

    • Simple
      -the brain easily loses interest navigating jargon or too much text so make things straightforward.

    • Sensory
      -the brain focuses on imagery and emotion much more than over data/facts.

    Check out this 4S Rubric for cultivating these to their full potential.

    Innate Drives
    In the big picture, the brain instinctively sorts for relevance/meaning summarized by these 3 primary motivations…always:

    • Survive
      -although the most base motivation it is less relevant for considering in this context.

    • Connect
      -for most yearning to connect with others through shared values and shared identity is the second more evolved drive…being a member with like-minded is essential to our well-being.

    • Rise
      -once connected/accepted by the group…the innate motivation is to distinguish through either virtue/values or status: success, expertise, best of, and often leads to the pursuit of greater control.

As a brand strategist and creative storyteller, having absorbed and utilized the notion of the Hero’s Journey with clients for a while now, I found this hybrid story structure the most effective and least daunting for triggering the heart and mind…hands down.

  • Hero’s Journey
    -mining its richness for the narrative structuring: action arc-sequencing and resonant archetypal figures…both sticky to our innate psyche…because it triggers our own inner heroic tale

  • Three Acts
    -simplifying its complexity which plays better to our limited attention span and packs a more concentrated punch.

It’s the perfect framework to relate a client’s or customer’s intrinsic journey with a business/brand’s capacity to support…elevate…it in an influential way.

And remember it’s always about them being Luke and you being Yoda.

The most influential type of story maps their transformation: that universal experience we all go through…of facing obstacles, overcoming them, and emerging changed for the better

…from dark to light, confused to clear, disenfranchised to empowered.

Business/brand storytelling is about positioning not you…but your client as the Hero…and you, your brand, or org as the Light Figure…the behind the scenes force pointing to the signal in the noise for the Hero’s sake.

FRMWRK 03:
HYBRID STORY STRUCTURE

So now that we’ve covered the Why, What, and When onto the How…you create a brain triggering story around your goals with your client or customer in 2 steps…

STEP 1: CLARIFY YOUR INTENTION

Complete the intention triangle by setting these three inextricable aspects to sharpen your intent.

Start with the most obvious, and it may even be that starting with Step 2 might be more clarifying in some situations.

But if starting with Step 2…do so entirely, quickly, briefly and only as a jumpstart to convince yourself of what comprises the intention triangle…your primary anchor for developing Step 2.

  • Understanding your client or customer sufficiently is imperative before going any further. Identify their:

    • heroes, identity groups, values

    • strengths vs weaknesses vs aspirations

    • industry competitors

    • potential out of industry disruptors

    • evaluate their comments/engagements

    • conduct surveys, if necessary

    • develop their persona[s] and primary personality

    So for now let’s say you have all that…or you’ll get it….because starting without in-depth client/customer DnA is a waste of time.

  • Articulate this as succinctly as possible…what do you want your audience to understand or do after they’ve listened to you?

  • Decide which lens is most ideal for your audience to see things through regarding your goal...purpose?

    • about Me
      GOAL believe in me or my org.
      -background, worldview, objectives, etc.
      -LinkedIn profiles, company websites, investor pitches, job interviews

    • persuade Others
      GOAL generate buy in.
      -convince an audience to adopt an opinion, perspective, concept, proposal, work initiative, policy update, new software purchase, reanalyze an old problem…take action…like purchase an offering.

    • inspire Others
      GOAL generate motivation.
      -not much difference between these last two. Almost always you’re either selling yourself or you're selling something to another person.

 

STEP 2: CULTIVATE YOUR STORY MAP

The Hero’s Journey in Three Acts story map is the same for all story types and is carefully constructed in an arc that effectively spurs the audience’s chemically-composed-to-be-empathetic-brain-language the most:

the Hero…Broken World…Shadow…Light Figure…Struggle…Better World…Worth it All

And this constructed arc along with the archetypal characters is what brings your guiding idea to life.

Ultimately, the discrete elements in the template above will help shape your guiding idea into the overall pattern the reader/listener instinctively experiences as the Hero’s Journey.

It’s designed to trigger their own inner heroic identification, which in itself is intrinsically engaging, motivating and memorable…the life stuff of influence.

It also suggests a particular order for developing the elements...to expedite your flow process.

Once you’ve given careful thought and effort to fleshing out the template…you’ll simply be transcribing its content into story form following the Three Act pattern:

Act I: Broken World

Act II: Struggle

Act III: Better World

Pretty cool, and if you pull this off really well you’ll win…but for sure you should read up on the deeper psychological aspects of each of these elements to make sure you nail things.

MORE DETAIL: STORY MAP ELEMENTS

CASE STUDIES

CONCLUSION

Remembering that it’s surmounting the struggle within ourselves to become something we aren’t quite yet that compels us to think in stories, not to mention tell them…a huge reason why they’re engrained into us as much as sleeping…eating.

Most of all, realize this archetypal struggle always represents something deeper that really matters to us…and coming up with whatever that is in relation to your intuition triangle is the holy grail.

So given the challenge in front of you, what really matters to your client/customer in their challenge?

How do they satisfy their
transformation yearning…reinvigoration?

By…

…cultivating deeper authentic connection?

…gleaning affirming or guiding insights?

…enhancing recognition through stature?

…signaling virtue?

…shifting their identity archetype?

The Hero’s Journey in Three Acts framework is a metaphor for growth, discovery, and human vs odds victory.

By staying mindful of this powerful narrative arc, encapsulated in an abbreviated structure, your own business/brand remains embodied within the ultimate client/customer first positioning mindset which you will no doubt be rewarded by.

Learn more…

Hero’s Journey in 3 Acts: Story MapTemplate

Hero’s Journey in 3 Acts: Presentation Template

4S Processing Rubric

Deeper Dive: Hero’s Journey

Deeper Dive: Three Act Story Structure

Deeper Dive: Brand Story vs Brand Narrative

The Science Behind The Art Of Storytelling by Lani Peterson

Tell Me A Story: What Narratives Reveal About The Mind / Hidden Brain podcast

Telling Good Stories: How to Use the Elements of Narrative to Keep Listeners Engaged Think Fast Talk Smart podcast

The Patterning Instinct

Narrative Economy
https://www.greenbook.org/insights/behavioral-insights-academy/the-difference-between-narrative-and-story-in-branding-and-why-you-should-care

#storytelling #brandstories #brandstorytelling #brandnarrative #businessstorytelling #influence #identity #archetypes #herosjourney #storystructure #storytellingbrain

I learned this framework from journalist and NYT best-selling author Will Storr in earning my Digital Strategy Certification as an enrolled member of the Section: Business Education Masterclass Platform founded by Professor Scott Galloway/NYU Stern School of Business

 
Ann O