Storytelling is the art of telling stories.
As human beings we tell stories all the time. When we share an anecdote, when we present a new project and even when we write a tweet.
Today we know that there are many stories, but great stories, memorable stories... there are not so many of those.
What makes a story memorable? The first answer is simple: a story is memorable because of how we tell it. And if we want the way we tell it to become unforgettable, applying the 4 steps of strategic storytelling is the key.
Step 1: The journey (Research)
Before telling a story, we must know who we are going to tell. Here we begin the journey into the world of our audience: investigating what they are like, what they are interested in, what they feel, how they think, how they behave and why.
This will help us discover what he really wants and is interested in hearing from us.
Step 2: The big idea (Insight)
All powerful storytelling is born from a great idea, this is the plot: what our story is about.
An argument can start from the most obvious truth, from something everyday, but it becomes a great argument until we connect it with our audience, delving into their behavior, aspirations and experiences, and add emotions to it.
Step 3: The 3 acts (Strategy)
Aristotle proposed that any story that seeks to connect with people and captivate them starts from a basic 3-act structure: approach, crux and denouement.
It is from this structure that we develop the argument.
- Approach: Introduces the protagonist of the story, his world, what you want to achieve and why you want to achieve it.
From the approach we give our story a tone and specific emotions (humor, sadness, inspiration, curiosity), which we must develop throughout the story, with the setting and staging of the story, but mainly through our protagonist.
A guideline for building a protagonist with whom the audience can easily identify is that their fears, aspirations and experiences are similar and stem from what we know about the audience itself.
- Knot: Here appear the challenges faced by the protagonist, his struggle to achieve what he longs for, the great conflict.
In order for our story to make an impact, it is essential to give it an internal conflict (the protagonist's emotional environment) and a external conflict (specific to its physical environment).
- Denouement: It is the closure, when we know if our protagonist achieves his goal or not.
For the experience from our story to be unforgettable, the climax (the last challenge faced by the protagonist) must answer all the expectations and doubts that were formed since the story began.
Step 4: The Creative Engine: (Creative)
The creative engine finishes defining how we tell our story so that it becomes memorable.
The plot, the characters, the setting, the structure and the format of the narrative are elements where we must exploit our creativity and be innovative.
Let's not be afraid to challenge, excite and surprise our audience, this is the only way to connect emotionally with them.
If you are interested in learning more about storytelling and applying it to your communication strategy, write to us at info@cckcentroamerica.com