Bernard Goldbach in Cashel | Image from my Flickr | 470 words
I AM WATCHING the early development of a master storyteller (at left). I'm also sharing with her some secrets I've learned from master storytellers.
Mia the Storyteller, like Dervala the storyteller, understands the need for people to connect with truly interesting narratives. We humans like to share ideas because we connect and bond through common thoughts.
Mia, like her mother the animator, knows it's important to put a face on a story. Mia knows the face of Bart when he makes a mistake so she makes the same faces when narrating her own short stories.
Effective digital storytellers get paid for the same because they can weave aspects of brands, company culture, and employee values into stories that resonate for the C-suite, that move the needle for investors, and engneder customer loyalty.
I use my blog to tell better stories than I can share with the limited space (and attention span) of my Twitter. I use my Flickr photostream to illustrate some of those stories, just like I'm using a shot from my Flickr for this post. I try to capture the soundscape of some stories through Audioboo but that requires careful placement of the recording device so as to not affect the dynamic of the precious environment where the stories originate. Master storytellers like Christian Payne and Peter Donegan inform my judgment with their recording expertise.
We're surrounded by layers of stories, both in real life and through the channels of our online social life. Some of those real and virtual channels coalesce to create truly "cohesive and compelling content for internal and external communications", according to Susan Young [1].
I've seen how effective digital storytelling can influence people and drive results. But I know my powers are limited by the reach of my stories and the media channels that contain them. However, I know enough about the mechanics of how memes spread, how compelling stories are made from images, video, audio and graphics, as well as how to leverage small pieces of technology to best effect. That's why I'm teaching in one of Ireland's most innovative creative multimedia programmes today.
Ever since my first "Hello World" on my own website in 1996, I've kept looking for good sources of stories. It means peering over the shoulders of people who help me attune my story-seeking antennae for quality thoughts, interesting profiles, well-composed pictures, succinct video clips, long form blog posts, and thoughtful interviews. I'm getting better at both finding these things and sharing at the well. [RSS Feed]
And some day, I hope to sit in an audience where I can learn from masters who do these things better than myself. Some June, I want to travel to PAB.
1. Susan Young -- "Seven Secrets of a Master Digital Storyteller", Get In Front Communications, February 21, 2012.
2. Eammon O'Brien -- "Why You Should Tell Stories To Be More Persuasive When Speaking", The Reluctant Speakers Club, March 20, 2012.
