That’s right. The basis of visual storytelling can come from words. I call these “word visuals.” They’re perfect for PR folks who can struggle with bringing a visual dimension to communications. Words as a design technique play to our strength. These “word visuals” come in four flavors: Clever words that stand on their own: The …more
Failure. Point to a movie or a book that captivates, and I’ll show you failure. Shrek. Absolutely. Something more high-brow, like the best-selling novel “A Little Life.” Again, failure underpins the story. For it’s the failure — something going horribly awry, the more pain the better — that creates the tension in a story. As …more
If you missed it last week — perhaps studying the latest numbers from the Department of Labor? — BuzzFeed proved what everyone has always believed in theory. If you stretch enough rubber bands across a watermelon, it will eventually succumb to the pressure in one glorious Kodak moment. The New York Times used the BuzzFeed …more
Many business professionals today accept storytelling as an effective means for communicating … in theory. Whether they actually embrace the act is a different story (retaining my reputation for bad puns). Of course, many books promise to recast you with Ira Glass’s gift for narrative and Jimmy Kimmel’s wit. I wrote about one such a …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
Thanks to the wonders of the Internet, writing is back in vogue. Yet, fresh challenges stand between today’s business writing and grabbing the reader by the scruff of the neck. As we scrutinize our own writing and the associated internal training, we view seven issues that guide us: 1. Education of stakeholders: This has nothing to …more
With a decent stack of potential fodder for a grab bag post, it’s decision time. Here are the three vignettes that made the cut. That’s One Ugly Website If Warren Buffett was willing to take a pay cut, he could slide into the PR world as an account director with virtually no learning curve. His …more
Storytelling is the new “black” when it comes to business communications. To understand the plight of storytelling, consider the chart put together by our crack research group using Factiva to search on the number of articles containing the word “storytelling” in general and business publications. .. The data doesn’t exactly quantify the communications profession embracing …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
