3 storytelling tips
Written by Niki Juhasz
3-year-old Will is speedy – and he’ll show you exactly how fast he is with a quick sprint down a hallway. Even better? His shoes LIGHT UP when he runs and jumps.
Before he started early learning classes, Will was too shy to talk with people he doesn’t know well. But by the time I met him, he was bold enough to point out that my shoes *did not* light up like his (though I tried jumping too, just to make sure).
I share this example because putting a face, a name, a personality to your work is what storytelling is all about. The lessons here? I’ll never be as cool as Will, and early learning resources make a huge impact for our kids.
Forthright founder Katie recently sat down with Elana Leoni, founder of Leoni Consulting Group, to chat about this exact topic: the power of storytelling.
We’re sharing a few key takeaways from the conversation here. (Or, listen to their podcast convo here!)
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Start With Your Audience
Any time you begin a story, start by asking a few key questions:
Who do I want to reach?
Why do I want to reach them?
What do I want them to know, do or think differently?
What is important to them?
These questions will help you figure out what kind of story will resonate with your audience. For example, if you want your audience to understand why accessible, quality childcare is so important, share a story about a single dad who gets to pursue his dream career and support his family thanks to a great program in his neighborhood.
Pick a Main Character
As Katie and Elana chatted, they asked us to imagine hearing about a train accident where 1,000 people were injured. This is terrible, but our brains have trouble imagining what that number even means. However, if we share a story about a little boy – one who was on his way to his first day of school, wearing a too-big backpack with one untied shoe – and describe his experience on the train, we are suddenly connecting with our audience on a much more personal level.
Research shows people feel the strongest, most compassionate feelings towards a single person. In one study, participants gave less money and reported less compassion or sympathy when told about a larger group of people — and even when told about just two people — than when hearing a story about only one.
Picking a “main character” will help you build a strong narrative and connections with your audience.
Use Strong Visuals
Visuals can build empathy, understanding and strong connections. That’s why we recommend including images whenever possible with your stories. Some ideas include:
Sharing real pictures of the character in your story
Featuring a short video – cell phone is completely fine, and in fact, can feel familiar and authentic
Creating an infographic that takes your audience on the story journey with you
Designing eye-catching social media graphics with quotes or other human elements
Want to hear more? Katie and Elana talk about all this, and then some (including a tangent on cheese versus donuts), in the Power of Storytelling podcast.
