Move from Storytelling to Authorship

Jul 9, 2013 | Interview Preparation, Storytelling

The word “storytelling” is all the rage in the communications world. We’ve abandoned the time-honored tradition of “messaging” and switched to swapping stories with each other. The notion is simple. The public has rejected artificial messaging. They crave authentic stories with descriptive language and personal anecdotes.

This evolution makes sense for many reasons, but comes with a dark side. As with many communications trends, the storytelling movement has become the new bandwagon we’re all jumping on. In fact, talk of “storytelling” is so prevalent, that it just might run the risk of quickly becoming overdone and overexposed.

The concept of storytelling can also be a tough sell for some executives. The phrase can sound so “elementary school,” so “Once upon a time…”  It can be a challenge to convince a seasoned executive – schooled in the comfort of structured message delivery – to get in touch with his or her inner “Hans Christian Anderson.”

But in fact, that’s exactly what is needed. While “storytelling” is getting the buzz, it is “storytellers” who have defined the way we as a society share and assimilate information. Instead of talking warm and fuzzy “storytelling,” we need to move more communicators to “authorship.” Why do certain stories resonate? An author is the creative force that organizes and interprets events and gets us to experience the world from a different perspective. Looking at communicating through the lens of several world-renown authors, business leaders can learn a lot about the essential techniques for crafting stories that are shareable and memorable.

William Shakespeare – The world’s greatest playwright created characters that mirror the human experience. We are drawn into the stories of Hamlet, King Lear and Macbeth because we recognize characteristics we see in ourselves. From tragic kings to the comic relief of the Fool, the Bard drew on a wide range of human traits, foibles and emotions to engage his audience. Like Shakespeare, communicators need to populate their stories with relatable characters we want to get to know.

Arthur Conan Doyle – The creator of detective Sherlock Holmes gave us perhaps the most iconic hero of modern fiction. It was Doyle’s attention to detail that helped define Holmes, from his clothing to his personal history to his idiosyncratic habits. These days, there is no patience for a generic “talking head.” The public demands that the spokesperson of the 21st century have a backstory. While it’s not necessary to overshare, as the hero of your story, you need to serve up a distinctive personality that stands out from the crowd.

John Grisham – From the courtroom to the law firm, the king of legal thrillers peppers his tales of intrigue with fascinating insider details. Your story is an opportunity to pull back the curtain. Don’t ignore the everyday details of your business that add texture and illuminate your work for the public.

July 2013

From Shakespeare to Goldman Sachs: Characters Drive a Good Story

Mar 8, 2012 | Interview Preparation, Storytelling

This post was originally published on CNBC.com.

The very public resignation of a mid-level Goldman Sachs executive – which erupted on The New York Times Op Ed page Wednesday – has all the elements of a rippin’ good yarn.

Fans of both potboilers and highbrow drama need look no further than Page One to find the roles and techniques of classic storytelling, leveraged for generations by playwrights, novelists and filmmakers. The Goldman Sachs storyhas it all – a lone protagonist demanding accountability from a powerful entity, with a healthy dose of personal sacrifice, greed, bureaucracy, questionable ethics and dramatic revelations. Think Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Julia Robert’s Erin Brockovich or George Clooney’s Michael Clayton and you get the idea.

While we can’t begin to know the real details and motivation behind the Goldman Sachs story, it is clear that the major players have quickly fallen into defined roles in the daily drama the news media crafts each day. Complex narratives are distilled into broad concepts for easy audience consumption – black and white, good versus evil, guilty or innocent.

In reading the coverage, one can’t help but notice that the narrative offered by the individual employee is far more compelling than the corporate voice. It’s not surprising. More often than not, corporations will typically find themselves placed in the role of antagonist. The situation gets aggravated when the company defaults to “corporate speak” in press coverage. The audience automatically identifies with the individual and the emotional appeal of that deeply personal point-of-view. The corporation, by comparison, sounds cold and sterile. And, the classic roles of hero and villain are reinforced once again.

It’s too bad, because corporations are actually made up of individuals who believe in what they do and have a deep personal commitment to their work. But corporations need to realize that they are always speaking to an audience which seeks an emotional connection, be it in fiction, drama or the real-life media. A press statement does more to reinforce stereotypical storytelling archetypes than it does to advance the drama to a mutually satisfying conclusion. A deeply personal response does far more to captivate an audience.

If you find yourself cast in the next media drama de jour, which role would you like to play?

March 2012