Top Storytelling Techniques Posts From 2010 (Part II)

Yesterday’s post highlighted half of my list of favorite posts from 2010.

Here’s the second half of the list.

Looking to diversify from mailing labels, Avery Dennison creates what are essentially big-boy decals for cars.

But the story missed the most obvious visual to bring the story to life.

Like an actual car showing off the new look?

Geez, the story is not about Rudy Widjaja, Nita Riady, James Hartono, and the rest of the local execs. It’s about dressing up cars.

9) 10 Ways Communicators Must Evolve

As part of the #444PR series, this post examines what it’s going to take for tomorrow’s communicators to be effective.

The profession still resists the point, “lose control”:

I don’t mean rush the stage at a Lady Gaga concert.

I’m talking about giving up the old-fashion quest to control the message.

In spite of all the blather about “engagement,” many practitioners still adhere to a control and command mentality.

And it’s not just about the message.

It’s time to let go in transforming employees into communicators.

If you prefer, there’s a SideShare version of the post.

10) Reuters EIC: The Conversation About the Story is as Important as the Story Itself

I still don’t understand why the blog post from David Schlesinger didn’t garner more attention.

Here you have the head of Reuters, one of the largest news organizations in the world, telling the troops that he’s charging the social media hill.

There’s poetic sensibility in his words:

Knowing the story is not enough.

Telling the story is only the beginning.

The conversation about the story is as important as the story itself.

This is a far cry from the days of Walter Cronkite telling everyone what to think Monday through Friday at 6 p.m. From Schlesinger’s perspective, the journalist takes on the dual role of reporting as well as pulling in other relevant information from others who may or may not be professionals.

11) Nancy Duarte Talk Shines Spotlight on Storytelling

Nancy was gracious enough to take the stage at the Agency.

Through exhaustive research – speeches, screenplays, Greek tragedies, etc. – Nancy discovered all of these powerful stories follow the same framework, moving back and forth between “what is” and “what could be.”

It’s the gap between the two scenarios that creates interest and even drama.

The part of Nancy’s talk that I thought was particularly insightful involved analyzing the 2007 Steve Jobs presentation that launched the iPhone and Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous I Have a Dream speech.

Nice touch by our ace photographer Carlos Mangandy to capture Nancy in a pose similar to Martin Luther King Jr.

12) Where Did Journalist Julian Assange Get His PR Degree?

Lost in WikiLeaksMania, Julian Assange has shown the PR savvy of a seasoned pro.

With dot-connecting analysis, we shared with the world how Assange maximized publicity.

Typical PR thinking would have shotguned a news release out to the world with a pointer to the digital treasure trove of governmental pillow talk.

More is better.

That’s not how Assange maximized the communications impact.

He did just the opposite.

He created scarcity, not abundance, by offering access to only four publications: Le Monde (France), El Pais (Spain), The Guardian (the UK), and Der Spiegel (Germany).

Yes, the irony is rich.

Thanks for tuning into this forum, not just today but throughout the year.

Without further adieu, we turn our attention to 2011.