Look at the construction of any major feature story in Fortune, Bloomberg Businessweek, The Atlantic, Wired, take your pick. What element is likely to underscore the narrative? Here’s a hint. It starts with an “F.” Failure (if you guessed frickinmess, you were in the ballpark). Something going terribly wrong — the bigger the “train wreck,” …more
Few people can consistently amuse in 140 characters. The only person I’ve come across who does is Tim Siedell who parlayed his Twitter account from a job in advertising to writing for Comedy Central.Now, try to be clever in half that space. That’s the challenge for those select few who call themselves door hanger copywriters. …more
Given the blog’s quest to serve as an industry resource, it’s rare that a post focus on Agency work. Today is an exception. I asked Idran Junadi, an account director in our Singapore office before taking a PR role with Oracle, to write about a campaign because it shows the power of storytelling techniques in …more
After publishing my book “On storytelling, leadership and the power of connection,” I started the project www.hetverhaalvandeleider.be. What encouraged me to do this was an incident at my book’s publication event. An economic weekly magazine offered two key leaders from the Belgian economic community to speak at the affair, but they were ultimately offered nothing …more
Every company website features an “About Us” section. Sometimes, it goes by a different name. Our Story. Corporate Overview. Company Info. Etc. Nomenclature aside, all strive to give the visitor a look inside the company, explaining its business, its values and what makes it tick. Naturally, it hopes to make a positive impression. Better yet, …more
By Raf Stevens Storytelling is a powerful weapon. In my book, “Leadership, Storytelling and the Power of Connection,” I offer guidelines for telling a good story that creates an emotional connection with employees, customers or other stakeholders. Executives who deploy storytelling efficiently are better able to convince their target audiences and achieve their business objectives. …more
I can’t pinpoint exactly when I met Raf Stevens. He’s part of what I refer to as the “storytelling posse” on Twitter, those evangelizing business storytelling 140 characters at a time. Not one to limit his narratives, Raf recently published his second book “Leadership, Storytelling and the Power of Connection” which explores the role of …more
The grab bag returns with three random tidbits that squeeze under the communications umbrella. Here goes. Contrast as a Storytelling Technique Of all the storytelling techniques that lift business communications, contrast is one of the easiest to implement. Old Way vs. New Way With vs. Without LeBron vs. Steph (for the NBA fans) And the …more
In preparation for our storytelling workshops, we request that participants complete some light homework. We often ask them what B2B company does a particularly good job in building its brand and public profile. With rare exception, GE wins this unaided awareness test. In a “cement mixer” with thousands of B2B companies, what is GE doing …more
