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
Even if you’re not a Game of Thrones fan — must be a few lawyers out there who quibble with their court system — one can only marvel at Tyrion’s sales pitch to Daenerys (season 5, episode 8) as he jockeys for the top advisor role. It is sheer genius and case study in persuasive language. Nothing …more
I expected more from the Google job description in its search for the next Doodler. Job descriptions can serve as a litmus test on whether a company gets business storytelling. In other words, are functions other than communications like HR using language to give those on the outside a sense of the company culture and …more
Before jumping into the sense of urgency part, let’s frame the issue. Mobile devices are taking over the world. In terms of raw numbers, mobile users surpassed the desktop users last year. Yet, this only tells part of the story. For PR and other communication functions, the core question comes down to behavior. Are consumers …more
Taking a page from the music industry, I introduced our “greatest storytelling hits” in 2013 pulling from posts published before 2011. Now I’m going back to the well, showcasing some of my favorite posts published between 2011 and 2013. I hope you’ll find that they still have relevance and some spunk. 1. An Open Letter to …more
The grab bag makes its second appearance this year. Again, these are topics that can’t quite stand on their own, but I found worth highlighting. Social Buttons for Sale? Go to virtually any online media property and you’ll find two social buttons, Twitter and Facebook. The big two dominate the sharing of media stories. But …more
In conducting our storytelling workshops, the concept of contrast is one technique that always resonates with participants. I think of contrast as a poor man’s failure. Several posts have highlighted the power of failure in lifting a narrative, but most companies won’t go there. When was the last time a CEO barked “OK, let’s focus …more
We are fans of SlideShare as a platform for business storytelling. The odometer on our SlideShare — we’ve posted six decks since 2011 — just passed the 100,000 views mark, not too shabby for a communications consultancy that works behind the curtain. While consumer brands use SlideShare, its marriage of in-depth content and social make …more
The AdAge headline screamed “B-to-B Content Fails to Engage Users.” Forrester Research graded 30 B2B websites based on 10 criteria reflecting the engagement level of the content. The results weren’t pretty. With 30 points possible, the average score was a mere 12.8. “The biggest problem is that the majority of content talks about the company, …more
