Ideas, analysis and communication insight for strategic thinkers in B2B tech
SPECIAL EDITION
Storycraft in B2B Tech
Turn Conflict & Character Into Stories That Stick
This week’s issue is all about storytelling, and I cover how to craft a story that’s riveting and memorable. It’s a formula you can follow even if you don’t think you’re a natural storyteller.
Often, people in business think storytelling is about narrating a series of events like the popular ‘One Day In The Life Of A Customer’ scenario, which shows a person going about their daily tasks supported by a vendor’s technology. While events occur in storytelling, they’re not the story.
What is Story?
Robert McKee, in his book Storynomics, says, “All stories are narratives but not all narratives are stories.”
“Narratives tend to be flat, bland, repetitive and boring recitations of events. Stories, on the other hand, are value-charged and progressive. The mind embraces a well-told story; the imagination is its natural home. Once through our mental door, story fits, sticks and excites consumer choice.”
“The next time you’re bored to the bone by somebody’s ‘story,’ in all likelihood you’re not being told a story. If you were, you’d be listening and engrossed. Instead, the guy is torturing you with a narrative, probably a repetitious recitation of “… and then I did this and then I did that and then I did the other thing and then and then and then… “
On the other hand, McKee states that storytelling is “a dynamic escalation of conflict-driven events that cause meaningful change in a character’s life.”
To turn a boring narrative into a conflict-driven story, follow steps one and two below.
1. Be Guided By The Tension Framework
You have a story to tell about your company, its evolution and growth. Or you want to craft a customer success story. Or the story is about your buyer: what brought them to this point where they’re thinking about investing in a new technology solution? Regardless of the story, the Tension Framework below (with examples of how to apply it) will help you identify the evolving conflict that brings a story to life.
Once you’ve defined the areas of tension and conflict, it’s time to add further detail by applying the basic elements of storytelling as below.
2. Apply The Six Basic Elements Of Storytelling
A real story is made up of the following elements:
CHARACTER – A person or persons that take part in the action of the story. They can be the hero (main character) or part of a supporting cast.
SETTING – Time and place in which it happens
THEME – The central idea or belief
PLOT – A series of events and character actions that relate to the central conflict
CONFLICT – A struggle between people or things or what’s inside them
RESOLUTION – How did the characters change or transform through challenge?
To flesh out the story it’s important to use as many of these elements as possible. See how this is applied in the examples below:
You Now Have The Building Blocks of Storytelling
Completing 1 and 2 above gives you the basic building blocks of a story, which you can create for a written narrative, a presentation or a speech.
Going through the above ‘mechanics of storytelling’ is helpful because it lets us review story development more effectively, especially when we ask the right questions, such as:
“How well have we fleshed out the main character(s)?”
“Do we truly understand what the main character (hero) wants, fears and stands to lose?”
“What is the deeper cause of tension and conflict?”
“Is this really the compelling event that caused the hero to consider change?”
“Are we showing a clear progression of action as the tension builds?”
Conclusion
Applying the tension framework and the six basic elements of storytelling will help you craft a multidimensional story full of context and consequence, rather than just narrating a tedious sequence of events.
If this helped you think differently about communication, forward this newsletter to someone who leads, sells or explains complex ideas in tech.
For a different perspective, subscribe to my other newsletter, THE STATIC, a weekly, 5-minute read that decodes the nonsense in tech hype and comms.
