Great Storytelling Skills

Here are 10 essentials you need to follow to complete great storytelling:

1. Follow a clear structure

It is important for a story to have a beginning, middle and end. This makes it easy to follow and understand, as most stories in the business world follow a chronological structure.. One of the most important elements of your story is its exposition. This provides an introduction to your characters and setting, which can provide a context to your listeners. Providing this clarity can help your audience remain engaged. Other important elements of your story include the rising action, climax, falling action and resolution.

2. Ensure the audience can relate

If the audience can relate to your story, it can be more effective. Researching your audience to understand their feelings and experiences is useful to craft a compelling story. When an audience feels a connection to the story, they are more likely to engage with the brand and take the desired action. Marketers also can use this to encourage people to support a brand or purchase a product.

3. Feature likeable characters

The more likeable the characters in your story are, the more likely it is for the audience to have an interest in the story. It's important to give the main characters positive and realistic attributes, such as honesty and compassion. For example, if you're telling a brand story, then the company is the main character and you can do your best to highlight its best qualities.

4. Appeal to an audience's emotions

Emotional appeals can be very impact. There are six primary emotions to appeal to, which are happiness, anger, sadness, fear, surprise and disgust. Appealing to an audience’s emotions can make your story feel more authentic. You may find it easier to connect with your audience, as emotions are powerful motivators to influence actions.

5. Include surprises

A story with surprises can help maintain an audience’s interest. When the events in a story are predictable, listeners may no longer anticipate the next part. To create a surprising story, you can challenge clichés or add suspense. For example, you can tell a product story about how a customer experience resulted in a unique way to use the product.

6. Include all the necessary information

It's important that your story includes all the information an audience needs to understand the events and characters. To increase clarity, ensure that you include important details and provide context. This includes information about the setting, such as time and location, and character motivations and characteristics. You can also be sure to thoroughly explain the problem and describe how the characters plan to solve it.

7. Use your own experiences

It's useful to use your own experiences as inspiration for your story. This helps you to tell an authentic story which may help the audience relate. Being knowledgeable about the events that occur in the story also helps you build a structure in the story because you understand how the story can best progress.

8. Highlight the challenges and work out how to overcome them

Great stories have conflicts or challenges for the characters to overcome. These challenges help develop a structure within the story and make it more intriguing. For marketing purposes, it can be helpful to consider what may challenge consumers and create a story featuring a challenge the audience may experience.

9. Tell a story with a purpose

Purposes for telling a story include to inform, entertain or persuade. Often a business tells stories to persuade consumers to make a purchase or to inform them of their company or products. Determining the purpose of your story can also help guide the plot.

10. Show action in your story

Great storytellers can show feelings and character traits through actions rather than explaining everything to the audience. This technique helps keep your story engaging. Using action verbs and events or dialogue can help tell the story without being passive.

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