Fiction is wonderful. Not only does it allow us to imagine we’re in a different world, era and situation, it enables us to safely become aware of different ways of thinking. When we’re reading or watching fiction, we know it is a made up story – even if it might be based on something real … Continue reading Why the most powerful element in storytelling is the truth

We’re a self-interested species, and we’re driven by story. As much as we might care about others, it’s our own now and future which more concerns us. The lens with which we view any advertisement or offer is naturally biased towards what we see is in it for us. What might be non-interest today could … Continue reading Why you should make your story appealing, succinct and problem-solving

As much as we like to think we’re rational, coolly evaluative creatures, at our heart, we’re ruled by our heart. It is what we feel that counts. Sure, we’ll justify decisions we make, pointing out why something’s features and benefits are useful to us. But that’s after the intuitive gut-response. This comes first. This heart…felt, … Continue reading How does your story make someone feel?

We all get so wrapped up in our own business we can lose objectivity, lose perspective of what we actually do. It’s the not being able to see the wood for the trees phenomenon. Having someone else with which to bounce around your idea of ‘business self’ is an invaluable resource. Preferably you need a … Continue reading The power of another person’s perspective

Adding words is easy. But more words don’t necessarily add to more clarity. As the Occam’s Razor principle implies, you should use as few words as possible to explain – and no more. More words = confusion. More words are likely to be filler fluff. More words = potential to lose your reader or viewer … Continue reading Anyone can add words, few can remove them

When someone asks “what do you do?”, they’re (mostly) not simply asking for a job description. We want to know if your ‘what’ has a direct relevance to me when expressed as a why – and whether it is pertinent to myself or others I might know. It may not be that you want their … Continue reading Your story is your sell and your sell is your story

Advertising is often the art, or deception, of putting a gloss on what we do. That is, trying to make a product or service bigger, or better sounding, than it really is. There’s an inherent danger in this approach. In the same way that if you tell a lie, you then have to remember what … Continue reading Tell an authentic story, not an imaginary one

We’re all complex. And our individual businesses usually do many things. Try telling that to a stranger though, and watch their eyes glaze over. That’s because we all crave understanding, immediately. Sure, later on you might expand the small list of problems you solve. But initially, at a cocktail party or as the first thing … Continue reading No really, what’s your business’s one thing