by Ron Ploof | Oct 23, 2017 | Business Storytelling
Last week, I walked around my old neighborhood and experienced a rush of memories:
- The tree fort we built in the woods
- The crazy lady obsessed with her lawn
- The tree I fell out of requiring an ambulance ride
- The grass field where we once played sports
- The retired German couple that taught me life lessons about the harshness of war
- The place where my friend and I burned out his mom’s washing machine motor (great story!)
- The family that moved without telling me, costing me a week’s worth of paper route money
Each memory was tied to a place, such as a house, a tree, or a field. Each served as anchors to a personal story.
Anchors are special adaptations of the StoryHow™ PitchDeck Card #57 (Symbolism). They take the form of physical objects or places that hold a particular memory.
Storytellers use anchors to set memories. Perhaps you need an audience to remember something later in a story. Or, maybe you want to encode a message for long-term memory. Carefully placing an object into a scene or an event into a setting can setup a memory for whenever that object or setting is encountered.
Want to make something super memorable? Use an anchor.
Photo Credit: Siegel, Arthur S, photographer. Bethlehem-Fairfield shipyards, Baltimore, Maryland. Stockpile of ships anchors. Baltimore Maryland, 1943. May. Photograph. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/owi2001026729/PP/. (Accessed October 20, 2017.)
by Ron Ploof | Oct 16, 2017 | Business Storytelling
Many years ago, I was working on a graphical computer program in a college computer lab. Unfortunately, the code kept crashing and I couldn’t figure out what was wrong. I must have reviewed my work a dozen times, but for the life of me, I just couldn’t find the error. So I called my professor over.
“Can you take a look at this code for me?”
It took my socially awkward professor less than a millisecond to see the problem.
“You spelled DIMENSION wrong,” he said sarcastically, identifying my careless use of a T instead of an S. He then punctuated his lesson with a geeky attempt at humor. “DIMENTION is for dee-men-ted people.”
I tell this little story to illustrate the concept of Who Knows What (StoryHow PitchDeck Card #42)
Characters in a story, like people in life, choose actions based on their situations. In my case, I wanted my computer program to run, but didn’t have the information required to complete my goal. So, I asked my teacher for help. My teacher wanted to teach me a lesson to be careful, and he did so–in a memorable (yet brutal) way.
But, Who Knows What runs deeper than what the characters know. It’s the storyteller’s responsibility to determine Who Knows What. Storytellers make premeditated decisions on what the audience knows. Since I chose to tell this story through a first person point of view, you couldn’t get the information until my character did when the professor noted the spelling error.
Think about the next story that you want to tell. Each character and the audience possesses certain information. How will you as the storyteller dole it out?
Photo Credit: F.E. Redmond, Post-Standard, Syracuse, N.Y. Emily Pierson Handing out Leaflets in New York State Suffrage Campaign, ca. 1915. New York United States, 1915. Photograph. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/mnwp000284/.
by Ron Ploof | Oct 9, 2017 | Business Storytelling
Before one tells a story, three things must happen. You must find someone willing to listen, they must have some interest in the subject, and they must have the time necessary to hear it. Then, it’s the storyteller’s job to hold their attention for the duration.
We’ve already discussed one attention-retaining technique: story statements–dual-purposed sentences that deliver factual information while simultaneously opening questions within a listener’s head. Story statements rely on the human brain’s propensity to question things. So, as long as your story continues answering those questions, you’ll continue to earn audience attention.
Today, we turn to another storytelling induction tool: the open-ended question. While story statements induce listener questions, open-ended questions induce listener ideas.
Storytellers are open-ended question masters because they focus on getting to the center of the story. They know that the best way to do so is to ask questions that can’t be answered with a simple yes or no. Why? Because open-ended questions draw deeper answers.
For example, let’s say that you’re trying to draw a success story out of a client. The following closed-ended questions won’t help much:
- Were you happy with the service? (Yes/No)
- Did you increase sales? (Yes/No)
While closed-ended questions will always evoke a response, the answers aren’t story worthy. However, if you tweak the questions just a little bit, you’ll get much deeper answers:
- What was your favorite part of the service?
- How has your sales responded since the service?
These questions demand more from respondents, forcing them to be more thoughtful with their answers.
And then there’s my ALL TIME FAVORITE open-ended question. “How so?”
“How so?” is the ultimate tool of mass induction. When used as a follow-up question to a previous answer, it forces the respondent to provide even more depth by adding nuances like context, prioritization, and comparisons.
Give tools of mass induction a shot. Try using story statements, open-ended questions, and your new secret weapon, “How so?” They just may help you find the center of your next story.
Photo Credit:
Herford, Oliver, Artist. Frenzylogical Chart. , 1917. Photograph. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2010716595/.
by Ron Ploof | Oct 2, 2017 | Business Storytelling
I just reread one of my favorite books–for the third time. I read it for the first time while in my twenties, a second in my thirties, and this final time, I read Zen & The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance midway through my fifties. Each time through the book, I picked-up something new. It’s the same with movies, television shows, or documentaries.
The first time I watch a movie, I’m an audience member. I want to experience the story the way the writer intended. I want to be taken to unexpected places, empathize with the characters, and feel as if I’m a part of the story.
The second time is different. While I can still enjoy some things the second time around, I can’t be surprised, because I know what’s coming. However, I can peel back the curtain to learn how the wizard set those surprises up, through understanding the story’s roles, events, influences, and techniques.
I get to study how the protagonist (StoryHow PitchDeck card #2) and antagonist (#3) interact with minor characters (#4). How time (#5) and setting (#6) were used to influence context (#45). How a super power (#12) helped a protector (#14) cover another character’s fatal flaw (#11). The second time through a movie, I have a better appreciation for plot points (#19) as the characters wrestle with both internal and external conflict (#20 & #21). And since I already know the ending (#17), I can appreciate the moral choices (#37) that drive the throughline (#40), all while marveling at how the writer set the hook (#52) and used foreshadowing (#58) to setup a twist (#27).
The best way to learn storytelling is to immerse yourself in the work of others. Read a book more than once. Watch a movie, documentary, or TED Talk for a second, third or fourth time. And use the StoryHow PitchDeck as a guide to help you identify the roles, events, influences, and storytelling techniques used to create them.
Photo Credit: Rosener, Ann, photographer. Substitute fuels tested. Emmet L. Reed, laboratory assistant at the U.S. Bureau of Standards, uses a special microscope to measure the degree of wear which substitute gasoline has produced on an automobile engine cylinder. Washington D.C, None. [Between 1935 and 1945] Photograph. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/owi2001029917/PP/.
by Ron Ploof | Sep 25, 2017 | Business Storytelling
I once knew a guy named Tim who obsessed over saving money. He’d drive twenty miles to save a dime on a gallon of gas, use sketchily-obtained coupon codes to shave pennies off of online items, or choose to do something himself rather than paying a professional.
Tim had a blind spot. But to be fair, we all do.
Blind spots obstruct our ability to perceive the full scope of a situation. Some, such as Tim’s cost-at-all-cost tunnel vision, result from our own choices. But, the opposite of tunnel vision is also true. Have you ever ignored an ailment too long before seeing a doctor? Blind spot.
Other blind spots, caused by lack of knowledge, experience, or skill are out of our control and can put us unknowingly into jeopardy. Consider that scary movie scene where your favorite character is totally oblivious to the fact that the monster is right behind her.
The most dangerous blind spots are the ones that we hold as virtues. Do you pride yourself in being an optimist? Blind spot. While optimists criticize pessimists for their inability to see the upside of situations, overly optimistic people have diminished capacities to assess downside risk.
Blind spots create opportunities for storytellers to make a point, hold audience interest, or become the reason why characters find themselves in sticky situations. By withholding specific information from an audience (like where exactly the monster is located), storytellers can increase tension or let people come to their own false conclusions before dropping the hammer on them later.
Is there a situation where your customers make the same mistake over and over again? If so, there’s likely a blind spot that a business storyteller can shed light on. Customer’s like Tim, for example, are frequently blind to the concept: total-cost-of-ownership. Let’s say that your company offers training for its products at an additional cost, but Tim decides to save a few bucks by learning on his own. While he will save money in the short term, it may take him three weeks to complete a one-week task. In other words, he saved dollars yet lost time.
But this post isn’t about Tim; it’s about you and me.
We all have blind spots. What are yours?
Photo Credit: Keller, Arthur Ignatius, Artist. He Surprised Couples Stealing Embraces. , 1923. [?] Photograph. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2010717024/
by Ron Ploof | Sep 18, 2017 | Business Storytelling
Kip Meacham’s passion for communications began in an elementary school library. “Books were my first love,” he said. There was something magical about them. These printed words, written by people he’d never met, took him to faraway places and opened his mind to new ideas. He combed packed bookshelves for many years before he found an InfoWorld article that would change his life.
The article described 1985 as “the year of the LAN,” a concept that sent Kip’s neurons into overdrive. He reasoned that if personal computers were networked, more people could share more words, and ultimately communicate more. This watershed moment led him to work as a marketer for modem-maker, US Robotics.
“I like to work with smart people,” he said, describing his professional life as a non-engineer living in a world of engineers. But smart people aren’t always the best communicators, and so Kip has spent his career developing skills to fill the communications gaps of his heavily left-brained co-workers.
“I like to help people figure out their story. Your deck has helped me do that.”
While many people have reported similar things, Kip was the first person to send physical proof. Here’s Exhibit A: the condition of his StoryHow™ PitchDeck box.
Kip is as enthusiastic about the deck as he is creative in his praise.
“It’s fricken awesome!” he said, describing the deck as a meta tool that’s flexible and adaptable. “It’s like lineman’s pliers in an electrician’s tool belt.”
Note to self. Add “lineman’s pliers” to storyhow.com’s list of keywords.
“It’s a great consultant’s tool,” he continued. “You can use it to crystalize your strategy, determine tactics, and find execution points that lead to an ending.”
But Kip’s decimated box didn’t get that way through his marketing work alone. It’s also pulling double-duty to support his passion for communication.
“One speech can change the world,” he said, describing an obsession with connecting audiences with ideas. “If people could communicate better, we’d solve most of our problems.”
One of his outlets for teaching how to change the world is Toastmasters International. And while most people would consider joining one Toastmasters chapter enough, Kip is a member of three different chapters in the greater Salt Lake City area. His wife refers to Kip’s obsession with Toastmasters as being in “a cult.”
“You need three skills to communicate: writing, speaking, and drawing,” he said. “Therefore, my communication’s bible consists of three books: Ann Handley’s Everybody Writes, Nancy Duarte’s Resonate, and Dan Roam’s The Back of the Napkin. And I tie all of them together through storytelling and the StoryHow™ PitchDeck.”
Finally, when asked if he had a favorite card in the deck, he answered without hesitation. “Yes, the Catalyst Card (SHPD Card # 9) because that’s what I am…a Creative Catalyst.”
We wish Kip the best of luck in his mission as a Creative Catalyst. If there’s one thing that this world needs right now, it’s the ability to communicate better.
Photo Credit: Kip Meacham
