The Not So Lost Art of Storytelling
Did you know you can get a degree in storytelling? Several universities offer a Master of Arts in Professional Communication with a Concentration in Storytelling. Storytelling is defined as the conveying of events in words, sounds and/or images, often by improvisation or embellishment. Culturally, humans have been using stories or narratives to preserve our history long before the written word even existed. These stories we used for entertainment, education, and instilling moral values, think of Aesops Fables.
Today, storytelling has evolved with the digital age. We now have all kinds of different mediums to convey stories, everything from blogs to Snapchat. Not only has the medium changed but we have increased our ability to share with a much greater audience reach than ever before. However, the crucial elements of a good story haven’t changed: plot, characters, and a narrative point of view.
Plot:
With the rise in popularity of reality TV, (I know it seems like forever ago), plot has shifted somewhat. The focused structure of a plot has given way to the daily dramas of reality. This makes your plot change every day allowing you can start each morning with a new story or continue the one from the day before.
Characters:
If your world is anything like mine, then your friends and family are amazing characters. Everyone has that one friend that “you never really know what they’re going to do.” If you can’t identify them in your circle- that person is you! These characters move in and out of our lives but always help progress the plot along. They may be unwitting stars of your Snapchat story or always end up being mentioned in a blog, either way they are crucial to a good story.
Narrative Point of View:
Telling the story from your own point of view is easy with YouTube, Facebook (yes, Facebook is a platform for storytelling too), and even Instagram. The point of view for most people has simply shifted to looking through the camera of your smartphone. However, it is still your eyes, thoughts and emotions that are being captured from your point of view.
Storytelling has been around as long as humans have felt the need to communicate. Originally it may have been used as a part of religious rituals, but some archaeologist believe that the beautiful cave art may have served as a form of storytelling for many ancient cultures. We don’t have to draw on walls to tell amazing stories anymore, but we still do- I’ve seen some amazing graffiti.
Today we have so many interesting digital tools to amplify your story. So if you are trying to figure out a way to blog, vlog, or craft your story, your businesses story, or just get yourself out there, remember the basic structure of great storytelling.
If you are having trouble articulating your business’ story give our Marketing Eye Atlanta Office a call at 404-626-8070 or send us an email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and we can help you get the word out.
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