TELLING POWERFUL STORIES

ONLINE

Jaime Woo

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An Introduction

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The Story of Me

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The Story of Me

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The Story of Me

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The Story of Me

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The Story of Me

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The Story of Me

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The Story of Me

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The Story of Me

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The Story of Me

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The Story of Me

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The Story of Me

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The Story of Me

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What Are We Going To Accomplish Here?

• The common elements found in powerful stories

• Hands-on, practical tips to make stories compelling

• How to translate stories for the social web

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What Are The Elements of A Powerful Story?

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The Elements

• Structure (Composition)

• Theme

• Character

• Conflict (Tension)

• Voice (Tone)

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Three Examples: #1 - The Oil Spill

(AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

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Three Examples: #2 - Pixar’s Finding Nemo

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Three Examples: #3 - Apple’s iPhone ads

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Structure (Composition)

• Most stories are

– Put a man up in a tree

– Throw stones at him

– Get him down

• But this doesn’t quite work for nonprofits and charities!

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Structure (Composition)

• Instead... ask why this? why now?

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Structure (Composition)

• Instead... ask why this? why now?

• OIL SPILL:

• FINDING NEMO:

• APPLE ADS:

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Theme

• What is the message behind your story?

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Theme

• What is the message behind your story?

• OIL SPILL:

• FINDING NEMO:

• APPLE ADS:

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Character

• Who is at the heart of your story and why does they matter?

• In addition, what matters to them? We relate to motivations.

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Character

• Who is at the heart of your story and why does they matter?

• In addition, what matters to them? We relate to motivations.

• OIL SPILL:

• FINDING NEMO:

• APPLE ADS:

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Conflict (Tension)

• Conflict, or tension, is what draws us into a story.

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Conflict (Tension)

• Conflict, or tension, is what draws us into a story.

• OIL SPILL:

• FINDING NEMO:

• APPLE ADS:

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Voice (Tone)

• Voice or tone gives us a perspective to view the story in.

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Voice (Tone)

• Voice or tone gives us a perspective to view the story in.

• OIL SPILL:

• FINDING NEMO:

• APPLE ADS:

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The Elements

• Structure (Composition)

• Theme

• Character

• Conflict (Tension)

• Voice (Tone)

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What Makes A Story Powerful?

• We can relate to it.

• Some stories have characters we can relate to

• Some stories have a setting we can relate to

• Some stories have conflicts we can relate to

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How to tell your story

• How good is your storyteller?

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How to tell your story

• How good is your storyteller?

• A good storyteller is passionate about stories

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How to tell your story

• How good is your storyteller?

• A good storyteller is passionate about stories

• A good storyteller knows his or her audience

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How to tell your story

• How good is your storyteller?

• A good storyteller is passionate about stories

• A good storyteller knows his or her audience

• A good storyteller delivers the unexpected

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Where To Tell Your Story?

• The medium is important

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Where To Tell Your Story?

• The medium is important

• Think about length

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Where To Tell Your Story?

• The medium is important

• Think about length

• Get the technicals right

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Where To Tell Your Story?

• The medium is important

• Think about length

• Get the technicals right (crisp visuals, fresh copy, clean sound)

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Okay, Let’s Take A Break

• What have we talked about so far?

• Know how stories work

• Know how to tell stories

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The Key Is To Start Telling Stories

• Practice, practice, practice

• Consume lots of stories

• The technology is there

• Be honest with each other

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Moving Online

• What’s great about online?

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Moving Online

• Affordable

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Moving Online

• Quick

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Moving Online

• Easily accessible

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Moving Online

• So many different tools

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Moving Online

• What’s not great? Limit on time and attention span.

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Rules of The Medium

• Be human

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Rules of The Medium

• Be human

• Be concise

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Rules of The Medium

• Be human

• Be concise

• Be interesting

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Rules of The Medium

• Be human

• Be concise

• Be interesting

• Be visual

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Rules of The Medium

• Be human

• Be concise

• Be interesting

• Be visual

• Be interactive

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Example: The Girl Effect

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Example: The Girl Effect

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Example: The Girl Effect

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Example: The Girl Effect

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So, Whoa, That Was A Lot Of Info

• You can tell powerful stories

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So, Whoa, That Was A Lot Of Info

• You can tell powerful stories

• There are seeds to powerful stories all around us

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So, Whoa, That Was A Lot Of Info

• You can tell powerful stories

• There are seeds to powerful stories all around us

• You must practice

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So, Whoa, That Was A Lot Of Info

• You can tell powerful stories

• There are seeds to powerful stories all around us

• You must practice

• Seriously, practice