What comes to mind when you hear the names George Lucas or Stephen Spielberg? Most people would answer ‘movie director’, but with movies like Star Wars, Raiders of The Lost Ark, and E.T, these directors are also master storytellers.
The biggest lesson we can learn from these directors is that stories should not be just a string of events mashed together. The result of using basic elements like structure, character, setting, conflict, and resolution is a story that the audience can connect with on a subconscious level.
A good business story uses a familiar structure to capture attention.
The structure you choose helps tie the pieces of your story together seamlessly. Whether you realise it or not, stories that succeed do so because they evolve the audience's expectation of unity (beginning, middle and end). There are lots of story structures that you could use, but we recommend the ones that are commonly understood across all cultures and can be applied easily in a business setting.
1 + 1 = Leadership
Peter Anderton, an engineer, crossed over to the ‘dark side’ of HR as an organisational development manager. Watch how his storytelling techniques, along with his theory of the two rules of leadership have inspired many people.