There’s this funny thing that has happened to me throughout my life. Well, maybe it’s not really ha-ha funny. It’s probably more…of an a-ha moment funny. Anyway, over and over again I have noticed this pattern that the Universe shows me. It’s that when I discover something and it resonates with me, that thing will keep appearing again and again and again. Like a giant neon sign lighting my path saying, this is the way.
I know this happens to a lot of people, but seriously, things will keep showing up, keep showing me, here, this is the path, so many times, probably because the Universe realizes I have no sense of direction. No, really. My sense of direction is so lousy that I can sometimes get turned around when I’m visiting the small town I was born in and have lived in on and off throughout my life. This is a town of less than 10,000 people, so it’s really small. But, I digress…
One thing that has been showing up consistently for me for several months is the word storytelling. Now, that’s not to say I didn’t know about it. Nope, I knew what storytelling was, intuitively, it just wasn’t a word I used a lot.
I’m all about it, and always have been, but I didn’t know to use that term. Since I registered for an online certificate in Storytelling and Content Strategy, I’ve been doing a lot of research on what defines storytelling. I found some books on it through the library, read a few articles about it, listened to some marketing and business podcasts and have even thought about some ways to integrate storytelling into my social media presence.
I listened to the audio book The Storyteller’s Secret recently and pulled my pen and paper out to take notes more than once. As a writer, communications professional, plus with my upcoming certificate course beginning in the fall, I am deeply interested in the phenomenon of storytelling and ways to improve narrative.
Back to the book. Here’s the Three G’s I found most important when relating to storytelling:
- Grab your audience’s attention with a question or something unexpected.
- Give your audience an emotional experience (share a struggle that you’ve overcome).
- Galvanize your audience with a call to action.
Of course, there was a lot more I gleaned from The Storyteller’s Secret, but I won’t go into it here. If you write, own your own business, are in marketing or are just interested in how stories are used in our every day lives, I highly recommend checking out The Storyteller’s Secret.
Amanda Bretz 