STORYLINES. STORYBOARDS. STORYTELLING. The Power of Story transcends just about everything.

I thought this would be a good follow-up to Seth Godin’s thoughts on STORY.

Everything you do should be built around a STORY!

STORYLINES. STORYBOARDS. STORYTELLING. The Power of Story transcends just about everything.

The POWER of STORYTELLING is a given. It goes back, literally, to the beginning of humankind! STORIES are, without question, the most meaningful way to communicate any (and I mean ANY) MESSAGE!

Here’s a simple test: Ask any of your Volunteer Leaders or Board Members (or even key staff) if they would rather:

ASK THEIR FRIENDS FOR MONEY

OR

SHARE THE STORY –> PRESENT THE STORY!

STORY helps with the Open, Dialogue, Conversation, and much more. Building, telling, sharing your STORY is ALL you need to do. And I mean that pretty literally.

In our For Impact world, ‘SHARE THE STORY’ is about:

1. AUTHENTICITY
2. DIALOGUE
3. STORIES … Your Story. Their Story. Org Story.

• The ORGANIZATION STORY. (Founding. Problem, Solution. Etc.)

• The IMPERATIVE STORY (Change, Save, Impact/Solve.)

• The VISION STORY. (Purpose. 30,000’. Moonshot.)

• Your PERSONAL STORY. (Part of Flow: Open. 3 Bullets.)

• The LEGACY/HISTORY STORY. (100 Years Old. Founded before the Country. 1st whatever.)

• The MATH/NUMBER STORY. (The Gap. Income & Expenses. Revenue Streams. Transformational.)

• The CAUSE & CASE STORY. (Again, Problem/Solution. Impact.)

• The MODEL STORY. (Business Model. Funding Model.)

• The PLAN STORY. (The HOW we will get there. The ‘Blue’ Plan and the ‘Green’ Plan. 1,000-Day Plan.)

• The FUNDRAISING/DEVELOPMENT STORY. (Authentic. Haven’t been out asking, etc.)

• The BOARD STORY.

• The TALENT STORY.

• The PROSPECT STORY.

WHAT ARE YOUR STORIES?

Storytelling Resources: Here are some RESOURCES to help you around this concept of STORYTELLING.

• THE POWER OF STORY TELLING by Jim Loehr. This has become one of my ‘favorite’ books! Loehr has always been one of my top thinkers/writers. His Power of Full Engagement is like a bible to me and our team. However, this Power of Storytelling is a huge leap for him… and could be one of the most impactful books you can read for your own PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT, your ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOMENT and your INCOME DEVELOPMENT!!!

• THE FOUR TRUTHS OF THE STORYTELLER, December 2007 Harvard Business Review by Peter Guber. You really, really need to read this article as it relates to storytelling. Guber is an exceptional leader in the entertainment/ experience world. This line alone ought to cause you to read this article. “Although the MIND may be part of your target, the HEART is the bullseye.”

• AROUND THE CORPORATE CAMPFIRE by Evelyn Clark. Subtitle says it all: How Great Leaders Use Stories to Inspire Success.

• STORYTELLING by Fog, Budtz and Yakaboylu. This is more about storytelling as it relates to BRANDING… but there is still some great stuff! E.g., the four elements of storytelling:

1. THE MESSAGE!!!
2. CONFLICT (Problem/Solution in Our World)
3. CHARACTERS (Who is involved? Share your own story on the visit, etc.)
4. PLOT

• THE WAY OF THE STORYTELLER by Ruth Sawyer. Just one of those classics about STORYTELLING. Originally publishedin 1942. (Believe it or not, before I was born!) Just another way to look at STORIES.

• CRUCIAL CONVERSATIONS by Patterson, Grenny, McMillan & Switzler. Not the most “exciting” book I’ve read but still has some good nuggets in it around the subtitle: TOOLS for Talking When Stakes Are High.
  CRUCIAL CONVERSATIONS is about trying to discover how to communicate best when it matters the most. Foreword by Stephen Covey.

• Finally, if you just want to have some fun, pick up STORY PEOPLE by Brian Andreas. He is an ARTIST who just makes me laugh and think. I love his work. Here’s one of my favorite lines:

”I like geography best,” he said, “because the mountains and rivers know the secret:

Pay NO attention to boundaries.”