Le Storytelling

graphic by Marc C. Scott

The French have discovered a new tool which is proving very effective in communications, whether related to politics, marketing or corporate communications. They call it ... "Le Storytelling".
http://www.rezonance.ch/rezo/classes/ft-first-tuesday/geneve/20101102/one-community?page_num=0#programme
Translation of the introduction to the conference: "Humans have always told stories. The Anglo-Saxons, aces of storytelling, have realized that the narrative is a powerful communication tool. It's the best means to remember a message. Telling a story helps to seduce, convince and stimulate an audience, whether addressing voters, clients and collaborators. Raising emotions, stories reach reason through the heart. A hero is worth a thousand statistics!"

We'll try not to be smug, but we've been saying so for years!

graphic by Marc C. Scott

What is Storytelling Without Relationships?
http://bit.ly/ddC7Cu
"As technology provides us with more and more ways to tell stories, we would be wise to ask ourselves the extent to which any given storytelling medium enables us to preserve relationships"
In this interesting piece by Dr. Kathy Hansen, PhD, the specific role of connections and relationships in storytelling are examined. She first looks at a publication from Mark Oppenner called 'Different Ways of Remembering: The Example of Storytelling' (http://bit.ly/dnMPyN), who suggests that storytelling not only involves the physical presence of the audience and storyteller, but also a relationship that is formed between the two parties. Hansen also analyzes 'Storytelling As a Connective Tissue' (http://bit.ly/9PnBaU), where Laura Packer uses a different angle of seeing storytelling as the tool that shapes individuals as the hear and repeat stories.

Storytelling: It's Role in Information Visualization
http://bit.ly/9bvcpz
In this paper based on the works of Thomas, Gershon, and Ward, the Wojtkowski's explore the use of storytelling to support information visualization. They suggest that the development of technology and computers over recent years has helped to create new media and methods which can be used to deliver information in a fashion similar to storytelling. They argue that designers in these areas of technology still use paper-based modalities as replicas for their new media ones.

Telling the American Story
http://bit.ly/9uVFoq
In this 'structural and cultural analysis of conversational storytelling,' Livia Polanyi asserts that stories reflect culture, and thus, American stories reflect American culture. Her book provides thoughtful insight into many features of conversational stories that have either been put aside or omitted from formal analysis in this area of study. She also examines the structure of autobiographical stories, specifically the storytellers own evaluation of the events he or she is describing. The later chapters move to examine specific stories of American culture, from which Polanyi draws broad cultural assumptions.

Mastering the Discipline of Business Narrative
http://bit.ly/9HvzYk
Former world bank executive and master storyteller Stephen Denning's work looks at storytelling with a specific focus on it's role within the business environment. He is interested in expressing how important the skill of storytelling is for leaders, particularly in businesses. Most businesses, however, need assistance in implementing these narrative skills to effectively inspire and guide their organization. Also check out Denning's book, 'The Leader's Guide to Storytelling' (http://bit.ly/bzcuZr).

In French:

http://www.paperblog.fr/1850451/enquete-le-storytelling-en-entreprise/

a very interesting article about communication tools


With contributions by Andrew Chase