Storytelling Techniques (in 15 Minutes)

What storytelling tech­niques can you learn in 15 minutes?

I have four per­fect ways to chal­lenge your inner storyteller if you want storytelling techniques.

And the best part: 

Neither of these storytelling scripts should take you more than 15 minutes to try for yourself.

Here we go:

Storytelling Technique 1: The Pixar Pitch

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Storytelling Technique: The Pixar Pitch

The Pixar Pitch, made fam­ous by Dan Pink in his book To Sell Is Human, is an excel­lent way to find a nar­rat­ive in your business. 

Emma Coats, a story artist at Pixar, has broken down the key ele­ments of great storytelling in an eleg­ant way that cer­tainly could help improve your storytelling. 

Here’s the Pixar Pitch script for you to try: 

Once upon a time there was _​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​. Every day _​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​. One day _​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​. Because of that _​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​. Because of that _​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​. Until finally _________. 

Jay Connor gives this example of a plot for Finding Nemo:

Once upon a time, there was a wid­owed fish named Marlin, who was highly pro­tect­ive of his only son, Nemo.

Every day Marlin warned Nemo of the ocean’s dangers and implored him not to swim far away.

One day in an act of defi­ance, Nemo ignores his father’s warn­ings and swims into the open water.

Because of that, he is cap­tured by a diver and ends up in the fish tank of a dent­ist in Sydney.

Because of that Marlin sets off on a jour­ney to recov­er Nemo, enlist­ing the help of oth­er sea creatures along the way.

Until finally Marvin and Nemo find each oth­er, reunite and learn that love depends on trust.

As I tried this for my own freel­ance busi­ness, Spin Factory, here’s what I came up with:

Once upon a time, there was no inter­net.

Every day, com­pan­ies had to rely on a few power­ful mass media dis­trib­ut­ors to mar­ket to their con­sumers.

One day, the advance­ments in inform­a­tion tech­no­logy exploded, and all com­pan­ies had to change their way of reach­ing out, but few knew how to do this.

Because of that, “social media experts” emerged and star­ted mak­ing money from com­pan­ies by advising them to pol­lute the digit­al uni­verse with clut­ter and com­plex­ity.

Because of that, Jerry struggled with the idea that com­pan­ies should strive to be clear­er instead of rely­ing on the same old spray-and-pray strategy.

Until finally, he decided to take a leap of faith togeth­er with a small group of cli­ents, all tired of push­ing one mes­sage after the oth­er with no effect, and so the agency Spin Factory was born.

Learn more: The Pixar Pitch

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Storytelling Technique 2: The Rebel Yell Statement

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Storytelling Technique: The Rebel Yell Statement

Copywriter Kevin Rogers pub­lished this simple yet effect­ive script to improve your storytelling, the Rebel Yell Statement, named after the legendary rock anthem by Billy Idol.

Here’s the Rebel Yell Statement script for you to try: 

My name is _​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​, I love _​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​ but was fed up with _​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​. So I cre­ated _​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​ that _________.

Here’s an example by Rogers on Steve Jobs:

My name is Steve, I love com­puters but was fed up with the snail’s pace of com­mer­cial tech­no­logy. So I cre­ated a user-friendly com­puter that pro­cesses inform­a­tion faster than any­thing else out there today.

Here’s the Rebel Yell Statement I wrote for this blog, Doctor Spin:

My name is Jerry, I love PR, but was fed up with “social media experts” giv­ing cli­ents bull­shit advice. So I cre­ated Doctor Spin to share action­able insights based on aca­dem­ic research, hands-on exper­i­ence, and passion.

Learn more: The Rebel Yell Statement

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Storytelling Technique 3: Corporate Storytelling Script

“Stories have to be told or they die, and when they die, we can­’t remem­ber who we are or why we’re here.”
— Sue Monk Kidd

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Storytelling: The Why Prompts

Enhance your PR mes­sage with storytelling. Craft com­pel­ling pub­lic rela­tions nar­rat­ives with these simple storytelling prompts.

Here are 20 “whys” that can serve as start­ing points for organ­iz­a­tions to uncov­er enga­ging and rel­ev­ant stories:

• Why was the organ­isa­tion foun­ded? The story behind its incep­tion, the gap it aimed to fill, or the prob­lem it sought to solve.
• Why did the founders choose this par­tic­u­lar mis­sion? Personal or pro­fes­sion­al exper­i­ences that led to estab­lish­ing the organ­iz­a­tion’s mission.
• Why are the organ­iz­a­tion’s val­ues what they are? They are the prin­ciples that guide the organ­iz­a­tion’s oper­a­tions and decision-mak­ing processes.
• Why do employ­ees feel proud to work here? Employee stor­ies of pride and fulfilment.
• Why do cus­tom­ers choose us over com­pet­it­ors? Stories of cus­tom­er sat­is­fac­tion and loyalty.
• Why do we pri­or­it­ize sus­tain­ab­il­ity? The organ­iz­a­tion’s com­mit­ment to envir­on­ment­al respons­ib­il­ity and the steps taken to achieve it.
• Why do we invest in com­munity ini­ti­at­ives? Examples of com­munity engage­ment and the impact of these efforts.
• Why is innov­a­tion a corner­stone of our strategy? Stories of innov­a­tion and how they have shaped the organization.
• Why have we evolved our offer­ings over time? It is a jour­ney of growth and adapt­a­tion to chan­ging mar­ket demands.
• Why do we adhere to spe­cif­ic eth­ic­al stand­ards? The import­ance of eth­ics and integ­rity in the organ­isa­tion’s operations.
• Why have we taken a stand on spe­cif­ic social issues? The organ­isa­tion’s involve­ment in social causes and the reas­ons behind these choices.
• Why do we pri­or­it­ise employ­ee devel­op­ment? The value placed on learn­ing and growth with­in the organisation.
• Why have we expan­ded into new mar­kets? The stra­tegic decisions behind geo­graph­ic­al or product expansion.
• Why do we focus on cus­tom­er exper­i­ence? Customer sat­is­fac­tion and ser­vice are import­ant in the organ­isa­tion’s philosophy.
• Why do we choose cer­tain part­ner­ships and col­lab­or­a­tions? This sec­tion will dis­cuss the cri­ter­ia and stor­ies behind stra­tegic part­ner­ships and collaborations.
• Why have we over­come par­tic­u­lar chal­lenges? Here are tales of resi­li­ence, over­com­ing adversity, and what was learned from those experiences.
• Why do we invest in research and devel­op­ment? The role of innov­a­tion in driv­ing the organ­iz­a­tion forward.
• Why is trans­par­ency import­ant to us? The sig­ni­fic­ance of open com­mu­nic­a­tion with stakeholders.
• Why do we have a global/​local approach to our oper­a­tions? The rationale behind the scale of oper­a­tions and its impact.
• Why do we believe our future will look a cer­tain way? Here are some vis­ions for the future and the steps to real­ising them.

These “whys” can lead to pro­found stor­ies that human­ise the organ­iz­a­tion, show­case its val­ues, and build a deep­er con­nec­tion with its audi­ence.

Please note. Once these stor­ies exist, who can tell them? These stor­ies can be immensely use­ful for cor­por­ate com­mu­nic­a­tion, but if all cowork­ers know these stor­ies, that is the most potent propagation.

Learn more: The Story First: Mapping Whys for Storytelling

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Storytelling Technique 4: The Lottery Question

Imagine your organ­isa­tion won the lot­tery; money is no longer a primary motivator. 

You and your co-work­ers are now taken care of fin­an­cially, and the brand has earned notori­ety by hav­ing the win­ning ticket. 

Taking money out of the equa­tion might seem coun­ter­in­tu­it­ive for a busi­ness. I’m all about the bot­tom line, too. Still, this is about how to improve your storytelling.

Here’s the Lottery Question script for you to try: 

With more money than you need in the bank, what would your com­pany do next? 

Here’s how I ima­gine this scen­ario for Spin Factory:

Great minds need time for reflec­tion to grow stronger and hap­pi­er, so we would have more vaca­tion time than the usu­al industry stand­ard.

Each week, we would set aside time to explore new aca­dem­ic research and inter­act with the sci­entif­ic com­munity on beha­vi­our­al research, human psy­cho­logy, and online mar­ket­ing.

I wouldn’t go out on a frantic hir­ing spree but rather invest heav­ily in the people we already have on board.

We would say no to work­ing with cli­ents if we don’t feel pas­sion­ate about their busi­ness object­ives.

Our kick­offs, con­fer­ences and team-build­ing travels would be so epic that it would be ridicu­lous.

We would do pro bono work for import­ant non-profits that oth­er­wise can’t afford our expert­ise.

Despite the suc­cess, we would still work hard because we con­sider hard work a vir­tue and a way of life.

As fol­lows:

What could you do to imple­ment your lot­tery ideas today — even without win­ning an actu­al lottery?

Storytelling Techniques for Public Relations

In pub­lic rela­tions, mas­ter­ing storytelling tech­niques is para­mount for pro­fes­sion­als seek­ing to effect­ively con­vey mes­sages and build mean­ing­ful con­nec­tions with their tar­get audi­ences.

Storytelling is a power­ful tool for craft­ing nar­rat­ives that res­on­ate with indi­vidu­als on an emo­tion­al level, cap­tur­ing their atten­tion and fos­ter­ing engagement. 

By har­ness­ing the prin­ciples of storytelling, pub­lic rela­tions pro­fes­sion­als can trans­form mundane inform­a­tion into com­pel­ling stor­ies that evoke empathy, under­stand­ing, and trust among stake­hold­ers, influ­en­cers, and pub­lics.

Moreover, nar­rat­ives can human­ise brands, mak­ing them relat­able and mem­or­able in the minds of con­sumers. As such, integ­rat­ing storytelling into pub­lic rela­tions strategies not only enhances brand per­cep­tion but also facil­it­ates the com­mu­nic­a­tion of key mes­sages in an authen­t­ic and impact­ful manner.

PR Resource: PR Toolbox

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Doctor Spin’s PR School: Free Storytelling PR Course

Elevate your pub­lic rela­tions game with this free Storytelling PR Course. Learn essen­tial and time­less storytelling tech­niques for effect­ive communication.

• The Story First: Mapping Whys for Storytelling
• 10 Storytelling Elements (Found in Almost All Great Stories)
• Storytelling Elements in Star Wars: A New Hope
• Shakespearean Archetypes In Storytelling
• Storytelling Techniques (In 15 Minutes)
• Slow Storytelling is Making a Comeback
• The Three-Act Structure of Greek Storytelling
• The Pixar Pitch
• The Rebel Yell Statement
• Storytelling Books

Learn more: All Free PR Courses

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PR Resource: Ethos, Pathos, and Logos

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Ethos, Pathos, and Logos: Three Classical Modes of Persuasion

“Aristotle’s three modes of rhet­or­ic­al per­sua­sion are eth­os, pathos, and logos, which are based on mor­al com­pet­ence, emo­tion­al appeal, and reas­on.”
Source: Sino-US English Teaching ¹Lin, W. (2019). Three Modes of Rhetorical Persuasion. Sino-US English Teaching. https://​doi​.org/​1​0​.​1​7​2​6​5​/​1​539 – ⁸⁰⁷²⁄₂₀₁₉.03.003

Ethos, pathos, and logos are three modes of per­sua­sion recog­nised since ancient Greece, and they play an essen­tial role in pub­lic relations. 

• Ethos. This mode of per­sua­sion refers to the cred­ib­il­ity or eth­ic­al appeal of the com­mu­nic­at­or, which can be estab­lished through demon­strat­ing expert­ise, integ­rity, and goodwill.
• Pathos. This mode of per­sua­sion per­tains to emo­tion­al appeal, which involves stir­ring the audience’s feel­ings to sway their opin­ions or actions.
• Logos. This mode of per­sua­sion is the logic­al appeal, which relies on present­ing sound argu­ments and evid­ence to con­vince the audience.

In PR, these three modes of per­sua­sion are often com­bined to cre­ate com­pel­ling mes­sages that res­on­ate with the audi­ence on mul­tiple levels. ²Modes of per­sua­sion. (2023, September 27). In Wikipedia. https://​en​.wiki​pe​dia​.org/​w​i​k​i​/​M​o​d​e​s​_​o​f​_​p​e​r​s​u​a​s​ion

By under­stand­ing and apply­ing the prin­ciples of eth­os, pathos, and logos, PR pro­fes­sion­als can craft mes­sages that res­on­ate deeply with their audi­ence, driv­ing action and fos­ter­ing last­ing relationships.

Learn more: Ethos, Pathos, and Logos in Public Relations

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PR Resource: Drafting

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Communication Skill: Drafting

Drafting, cre­at­ing, and refin­ing writ­ten doc­u­ments are fun­da­ment­al com­mu­nic­a­tion skills cru­cial in every­day life. From com­pos­ing emails and writ­ing reports to craft­ing per­son­al let­ters or social media posts, the abil­ity to draft and edit doc­u­ments ensures clar­ity, coher­ence, and effect­ive­ness in con­vey­ing messages. 

“The first draft of any­thing is shit.”
— Ernest Hemingway

Many indi­vidu­als struggle with writ­ing not because they lack ideas but because they under­es­tim­ate the power of revi­sion. The ini­tial draft is rarely per­fect; it’s through revis­ing this draft — trans­form­ing it into a second, third, or even fourth draft — that one hones the mes­sage, sharpens the lan­guage, and strengthens the over­all communication. 

Developing a habit of draft­ing and edit­ing allows for explor­ing ideas, refin­ing thought, and elim­in­at­ing ambi­gu­ity, mak­ing the final product more impact­ful and under­stood by its inten­ded audience.

To become bet­ter at draft­ing, con­sider these five tips:

• Embrace the pro­cess. Accept that draft­ing is a pro­cess that involves writ­ing, revis­it­ing, and revis­ing. Your first draft is just the begin­ning, not the end product.
• Separate writ­ing from edit­ing. Allow your­self to write freely in the ini­tial draft without wor­ry­ing about per­fec­tion. Focus on get­ting your ideas down, then shift to edit­ing mode to refine your work.
• Read aloud. Reading your draft aloud can help you catch errors, awk­ward phras­ing, and unclear areas. This prac­tice can also improve the rhythm and flow of your writing.
• Seek feed­back. Don’t hes­it­ate to share your drafts with oth­ers. Feedback can provide new per­spect­ives and insights that you might have overlooked.
• Use tools wisely. Use writ­ing and edit­ing tools (such as large lan­guage mod­els, gram­mar check­ers, or style guides) to help identi­fy areas for improve­ment. However, always apply your judg­ment to ensure sug­ges­tions align with your inten­ded mes­sage and voice.

Incorporating these strategies into your writ­ing routine can elev­ate your draft­ing skills, lead­ing to pre­cise, com­pel­ling, and effect­ive writ­ten com­mu­nic­a­tion in every aspect of your life.

Learn more: Communication Skills (That Everyone Should Learn)

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