The HERO Method®

Information is important.

Story is essential.® mythic

What’s Your Favorite Story of All Time?

• Avatar – WW Record Box Office sales• $1,582,000,000

• E.T.– Most weekends at #1• 16 weekends

• Titanic– Most consecutive weekends at #1• 15 weekends

• The Dark Night– Biggest opening week• $239,000,000

The HERO Motifs

Ordinary World and What’s Lacking

Call to Adventure Crossing the Threshold

The Heroic IdealThe Treasure

The Wounded Land is Healed

The Shadow

Write this down:

The stories human beings remember best

are based on the Hero’s Journey motifs.

The HERO Method®

Weaving Mythic Motifs into Messaging

The Science BehindThe HERO Method

1. We re-act to emotion, not information.

The Limbic Brain is where The Action is.

Attributes of Limbic Brain:• Emotion• Motivation to act• Associative memory• Connection to other

(loyalty)

• Pre-verbal and symbol-based

Every buy is an emotional buy.• Sensory data hits the limbic

system.• We make decisions to act.

• Feedback loop between limbic and neo-cortex

that supports the limbic response.

• We re-act to emotion, not information.

The Science BehindThe HERO Method

2. We are hardwired to feel positively about stories that use certain mythic motifs.

Let’s go back 5,000 years

• King Gilgamesh• Odyssey • Da Yu• Prince Rama• King Arthur• Alice in Wonderland• Star Wars

Evolution of Hero Motifs

Medium• Campfire• Books• Radio• Telephone• Cinema• Internet

Genre• Romance• Adventure• Sci Fi• Horror• Fantasy

• Why not business communications?

HERO Stories and Mythic Motifs…

• Adaptable to:– The Big Picture• Brand awareness• Corporate communications• Positioning for products and services

HERO Stories and Mythic Motifs…

• Adaptable to:– Individual components• Case studies / Customer stories• Web copy• Video scripts• Live presentations and webinars• White papers

Write this down:

1. We re-act to emotion, not information.

2. We are hardwired to feel positively about stories that use mythic motifs.

HERO Highlights

The Heroic Ideal

A deeply held belief you have that will solve your audience’s Issues …

AND will make their world – or our world – a better place.

Emotional Resonance

People buy from people they know,

like,and trust.

Yours Your Audience’s

Relevant Rewards

• Not “all possible benefits”

• They are core rewards that – your organization truly

believes in.– Your audience perceives

as significant.

Positive Opening & Outcome

• Are you only trying to sell them something?

OR• Are you – opening with an

authentic emotional connection

– and leaving them with a positive feeling?

Positive Opening & Outcome

– Of genuine service?

– Authentically helpful?

– Of value?

Write this down:The HERO Method

1. Think Heroic. Think Ideal

2. If we authentically feel it, so will our audience.

3. Focus on benefits that make our audience’s world a better place.

4. Begin with a positive connection. Then think: “service, help, value” for every communication we create.

Information is important.

Story is essential.

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