Dimensions of Telling
The Art and Science of Business Storytelling
Posted by Chris Sissons on Nov 13, 2024
Stories in Business ยป Chris Sissons
One feature of storytelling for business is the advice available to business owners. Much of this advice is good but there is a problem. The power of stores lies in their ability to make this business stand out but standard advice tends towards conformity.
Everyone tells stories in a way unique to themselves. Storytelling can be improved but when we stick to templates there tends to be a sameness to the stories business owners share.
Over this and the next four posts, I plan to explore four dimensions of storytelling. They’re all known and yet not always considered when constructing a story or a marketing strategy.
Analysis, Strategy and Action
Elements of these three may feature in any story or the teaching that follows it. If we take the typical hero’s journey as an example, we see the need for all three. At the start, the hero becomes aware of a problem but is unaware of its causes, consequences or possible solutions.
The journey begins with a leap of faith when the hero sets out to discover more. Their ultimate aim may be to solve the problem but at the start, the hero may not be aware of what they face.
The action that directly tackles the problem comes later in the story. To be effective, the hero must understand the problem and plan accordingly, which may include repeated attempts.
The story does not need to work through these elements in this order. Good advice is to start the story in action and then fill in details as necessary. But these three elements deserve attention even if one or another is absent from the final story.
Context
Stories take place in a particular place and time. Describing this place and time adds colour to the story but it's possible to add too much colour. The hero is not in a bubble. There is a world outside the hero and their concerns. This can be most clearly seen when the hero encounters opposition. Difficult terrain can act as opposition even when it lacks bandits ready to pounce.
Dynamics
This drives the story forward and generates emotional heft for the story. Knowing the goal and the context, do we care? We use suspense, surprise and humour to engage with the listener but perhaps above all else, the question is what is at stake?
Systems
The hero is only one actor. What happens when you tell the same story from the perspective of a different actor? Is the villain really a villain when we understand their motivation? What about the hero’s companions? Bystanders?
The point is not to use these elements to add more to a story but considering these elements helps us find a way to tell the story.
This is the seventeenth in a sequence of posts about business storytelling. The first post was Marketing: Art or Science? The last post was Decision-Making Stories and the eighteenth post will be Analysis Strategy and Action.
To try out one of your business-related stories and receive feedback from me with a few other business owners, please comment below to arrange an informal conversation. I run these sessions free of charge on the second and fourth Thursdays. Visit my website to find out about the Telling Stories Autumn meetings.
Minerva tells me she has been on a hero's journey. Here is her picture of the journey into Owl Country. But who is that in the distance? Whoever it is, they better take care!
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