how to craft your origin story
TRANSCRIPT
Origin Story
HOW TO CRAFT YOUR
We know that people are substantially more motivated by their organization’s transcendent purpose (how it improves lives) than by its transactional purpose
(how it sells goods and services).PAUL ZAK, WHY YOUR BRAIN LOVES STORIES
HARVARD BUSINESS REVIEW
whose vision and values?• People as a competitive advantage • Ethics • What’s right for customers • Diversity and inclusion • Leadership
01MAXIM OF STRATEGIC STORYTELLING Every act of
communication is an act of storytelling.
How Storytelling Works
Our brains are wired for story.
During successful communication the listener’s brain responses become similar to the speaker’s brain
responses. This implies that people understand each other by mirroring each other’s brain responses.
URI HASSON, NEUROSCIENTIST, PRINCETON
Aristotle’s Rhetorical TriangleStoryteller (Ethos)
Content (Logos)Audience (Pathos)
CONTEXT
STORY
02MAXIM OF STRATEGIC STORYTELLING Stories create
connections between tellers and audiences.
Sympathy
Empathy
“I understand what you're feeling.”
“I feel what you're feeling.”
The evolutionary function of storytelling is to reveal the immaterial.
MASLOW’S HIERARCHY OF NEEDS
why strategic storytelling?• set a vision • say “why now” • improve the impact of case studies • build trust and uncover pain • create alignment within teams • anticipate and celebrate change
03MAXIM OF STRATEGIC STORYTELLING
Stories have a setting in time and space.
Narratives function in triangles of characters.
Stories are made of waves of emotional tension and release.
04MAXIM OF STRATEGIC STORYTELLING
Character relationships raise dramatic intensity.
Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey
Margaret Murdock’s Heroines’s Journey
every origin story has• an inciting incident • a reaction according to the “old pattern” • a loss • a sense of spiritual aridity • a new discovery • a sense of being “the only one who understands” • a process of returning to the world • a spark of universal wisdom
05MAXIM OF STRATEGIC STORYTELLING
Great stories are built upon universal themes.
an origin story:• tells us where you’ve come from • suggests a roadmap for where you’re going • illuminates your values • answers why? • is more memorable than a biography • is more relatable than a CV • avoids the passionate about problem
06MAXIM OF STRATEGIC STORYTELLING
We need storytellers more than ever.
MAXIM OF STRATEGIC STORYTELLING
The growth of the Internet will put jobs into three categories:1. People who tell computers what to do.
2. People who do what computer tell them to do.
3. Storytellers who help people cope.
Storytelling Training
Storytelling Consulting
• Leaders
• Sales Teams
• Data Scientists
• Entrepreneurs
• Branding
• Strategic Planning
• Vision/Mission/Values
• Cultural Development
Origin Story
Summary
HOW TO CRAFT YOUR
Don’t bore your audience with the facts.
Tell a story that is happening in time and space.
Focus on a choice or turning point.
Focus on a choice or turning point.Create clear, relatable characters.
Focus on a choice or turning point.
Create clear, relatable characters.
Structure your story in the order your audience learns and feels things.
Include the part of your story you’re scared to tell.
Flex your empathy muscles.
