Business of Story

One of the most fearful words that has ever existed is "failure". It hinders even the most ardent dreamer from pursuing their dreams. This fact made me thoughtful of an important question: if we remain fearful, will our dreams ever come true?  Before recording this week's show, I was reminded of an old dream of mine to become a Spring DJ for KUGR radio in the 1980s. It was the craze back then befo...

The actual aesthetic of our voices is something many of us have worried about at some point or another. We've all seen or heard a recording of ourselves and thought, "Is that really what I sound like?" The good news is that perception can be changed. Yes, we can even change how we hear our own voices through simple exercises and mindset changes. And more importantly, we can change the way others h...

Richie Prynne, a young street performer (also known as a busker) formed CC Smugglers in his early twenties. He knew it was hard to make it as a band these days, and that they'd have to get creative with their marketing to really stand out. Their idea? 'Guerrilla Busking.' They'd pop up and play to queuing crowds waiting to go into similar shows. The long list of targets included the fans of SeaSic...

As a business storytelling speaker, a customer relationship management (CRM) system is pretty important for me to organize my prospects. But I find my relationship with the CRMs I've tried to be frustrating, cumbersome and not particularly effective. I recently heard about another up-and-coming CRM called Nimble and decided to give it a go. I was pleasantly surprised with how easy it was to use. Y...

I love wordplay.  You've heard me say things like, "storytelling is the Velcro of collaboration" or "an anecdote is the antidote". I'm just using the storytelling powder keg of proverbs to make an explosive impact. But I never realized the power of these tiniest of stories until I read Ron Ploof's new book, The Proverb Effect: Secrets to Creating Tiny Phrases That Change the World. What's the diff...

Robert McKee once told me that our conscious mind is simply the P.R. department for our subconscious mind, where all of our real decisions are being made. In the advertising world, we know we buy with our hearts and justify our purchases with our heads. We tell ourselves emotional stories as to why we need to buy something, and then we create nonfiction in our brains to counteract any buyer's remo...

Storytelling is so highly relevant in elevating the skills and competence of professionals in their respective fields. Yet, why is no one in business has taught how to use storytelling to their advantage? With the influx of new technology, it is no surprise why a huge need for storytelling has been stirred. A lot of ideas swarming inside the great minds of innovative thinkers are going down the dr...

There has always been a distinction between a commander and a leader. A commander gives instructions, delegates tasks, and implements orders. A leader has a more serious responsibility – that of influencing people and making the critical decision to choose what kind of influence he will be. My stint in the United States Air Force paved the opportunity to work with their leaders, trained them how t...

As the Kavanaugh hearing underscored, the Democrats still lack a focused, cohesive narrative on which to build their platform. Dr. Randy Olson, who appeared on this show the day after Trump's election to the White House, reveals how Donald Trump and the Republicans continue to steamroll the Democrats for want of a story. From his post : "Rather than presenting a clear  ABT structured narrative  (K...

" One of the most important commodities in our industry is truth."   In a world where almost everyone's personal struggle revolves around the approval from others, it's always been easier to say what we think people want to hear instead of what things actually are. Truth is the most powerful tool every storyteller can use when they want to win the hearts of their audience.  Director Randy Murray i...

Brand and business storytelling is all of the rage today. And for good reason. It works. But while most storytelling experts tell you to tell stories, these six content marketing and communications leaders will show you how. This week's show previews the latest storytelling tips and techniques you'll learn from leading brand and business storytellers who are coming together for STORYco, a FREE sto...

The primaries are approaching and we're inundated with the typical screeching political attack ads. But a surprising thing happens when you replace vitriol with ingenious storytelling. People take notice. And in this rare case, laugh. Patrick Hunt, partner in Minneapolis ad agency Hunt Adkins, shares how they created the viral Bigfoot ad for Dean Phillips for Congress Campaign. They married truth...

40 years back, Forever Living was a scrappy startup operating from a garage. Today, it is a multi-billion dollar organization with a presence in 150 plus countries. Their success can be attributed, in no small way to their genius brand story telling prowess. In order to come up a magnetic brand story, you need a FIRM focus on authenticity and selflessness.  In this week's show, Nick Woodward-Shaw,...

Whether you are a multi-billion dollar business or a brave little startup, the struggle to connect with your audience is a difficult and often, unsuccessful one. Presenting your brand story through a narrative lens will help facilitate effective translation, allowing you to reach your target audience. In this week's show, you will discover how you can you can use your own personal narrative to cre...

As I've learned from my associates at Anecdote, character trumps credentials every time when you are trying to connect with people. But when looking for a job or reinventing a career, we often make the mistake of leading with our resumes rather than our personalities. After 15 years as a communications executive with a multi-national mining firm and ready to make a change, Jennifer Russo realized...

In 2005, Clinica Adelante was an organization struggling to stay afloat. Today, they are a 500 employee-strong community health center serving more than 75,000 patients every year. What makes this transformation even more amazing is that they have achieved this without losing sight of their noble philosophy of providing affordable healthcare for all. In this week's show, the incredible Avein Saaty...

Word of mouth marketing is incredibly effective – if done the right way. A talk trigger or story starter is a tool that can be used by businesses to carve a distinct brand identity via powerful word of mouth marketing. Creative and purposeful implementation of talk triggers is necessary to garner customer traction and propel your business forward. In this week's show, you will learn how to do just...

  Everything starts and ends with listening. Ultimately, it's more about listening than storytelling. If you or your brand are telling a compelling story but no one is listening, then what is the point? How many times have you gone into a meeting to present something that you are passionate about only to find that very few people are engaged and listening? It happens way more than we want to admit...

How does a customer experience your brand? Do they leave an interaction feeling enlightened and empowered? Or do they leave feeling disconnected and disenfranchised? Understanding consumers' personas and journeys is critical because at the end of the day, brands need to truly connect. Because if you don't, you're likely losing customers and employees for life. Any business with customers needs to...

Nowadays, businesses are starting to realize how truly vital it is to have a purpose-driven brand. That's because when your brand has a true purpose behind it, your potential for success increases dramatically. Co-founder of China Mist Tea, John Martinson, saw that success firsthand in his very own business. He saw an inconsistency in the market and took advantage of it. Now, fast forward 36 years...

Have you ever overheard a conversation between two teen girls gushing over the latest and greatest Kylie Jenner Lip Kit and you think to yourself "Wow, those girls are not even speaking my language." But maybe those girls simply aren't your ideal customer. It's not that you're disconnected from them, it's that you don't know their lingo. To know someone's lingo is to know their values and emotiona...

There is a raw energy in narrative and evolved leaders use story to empower people a catapult them to action. But we often look just upon the surface of a tale or anecdote without appreciate the story elements, like protons, electrons and neutrons, that power it. Until today's show. Our guest is Paul Skah,  who specializes in the "why" behind what really makes business storytelling work, and the a...

What is it about TV shows, movies, or those viral Facebook videos that keep you glued to the screen? The answer is quite simple: story. And if you are able to create a story that the audience can truly connect to, you've struck gold.  But it takes hard work, focus and the ability to produce, edit and learn. Jason Ensler has mastered the art of striking gold with storytelling. On today's show, he s...

Jen Dille wears many hats, she is a mom of four and project manager for Sure Spark Marketing. But one of her more recent hats that she has picked up in her "spare" time is that of the licensee and co-organizer of TEDxGilbert alongside her daughter, Mara.  Maybe you haven't even heard of TEDx, so allow me to explain –TEDx is a local TED talk event that is put on independently by a member of the com...

In 2016, Avantpage, a language translation company, set out to give their already successful company a revamp. They wanted to start standing for more in the world. They did this by redefining not only their brand strategy, but their brand story. Avantpage has been able to really hone in on their brand voice as activists in order to adequately spread their message and motto –empathy beyond words. O...