The Best Storytelling Posts ...

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Finally, I don’t have to evangelize the value of storytelling from a tattered pulpit.

This is the first post curating the best content since the new blog design went live. I still marvel that the microphone works.

Here’s my take on the best posts from the first of half of 2015.

  1. To Borrow from a Poker Phase — “All in with Storytelling”

    Word Visual

    Websites from PR agencies all seem to say the same thing. “We’re results-driven.” “We value our people.” Blah, blah blah. This post looks at how we applied our storytelling expertise to own communications, creating a website that stays away from the typical corporate speak.
  2. Contrast as a Storytelling Technique in Business Communications

    I keep coming back to contrast as a favored storytelling technique because it’s relatively easy to implement. The bigger the gap between the two reference points, the greater the drama. Journalists use contrast on a regular basis with the Wall Street Journal providing an exhibit A in a story on the terrorist attack on the French magazine Charlie Hebdo.
  3. Man Bites Dog; Makes Plea for Your Input on the Name “Ishmael’s Corner”

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    I had some fun with this post in experimenting with visual storytelling. It turns out that even the most pedestrian motion goes a long way in snagging attention. The feedback from post guided me in the decision to keep the blog’s name after bulldozing the old design.
  4. How a Personal Touch in Communications Failed Big Time

    As the world increasingly tilts toward the virtual world, the old fashion personal touch stands out. At least, that was the thinking from Alex Rodriguez and his branding team in putting together a hand-written apology “To The Fans.”  Just because the person handwrites the apology doesn’t automatically increase the believability. The act triggered another round of pile on Alex from the media.
  5. Flawed Dot Connecting from The Washington Post Correlates Rise of PR to the Fall of Journalism

    The eroding economics of the journalism business frustrate those writing the stories. They periodically take out their frustrations on PR, lamenting the higher salaries found in the PR profession. This is like pointing out the compensation difference between the person who cooks at Chipotle and the person who cooks at The French Laundry. Sure, both professions share some basic stills, but they’re distinctively different jobs with the wonders of capitalism placing more value on one over the other. BTW, I’m not insinuating that journalists are the “fast-food cooks” of communications. But I did feel the need to highlight the flawed dot connecting.

I’ll publish the rest of the list of Wednesday.


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