It seems like storytelling is everywhere these days—and with good reason! Story is how our brains process and retain information. But sometimes it can be hard to see just how story and story structure applies to you, your messages, and your ideas.
If that’s you, then here are a few posts to get you started on how to find the story in your ideas—and the Red Thread that connects them all together.
Why story is the best structure
The function of a story is what makes it so powerful—our brain gets a roadmap for connecting new information to what it already knows. Because story structure is how everyone’s brain processes new information, when you can put your information in that format, you’re getting your audiences’ brains to work for you.
How to make your message feel like a story (even if it isn’t one)
Focusing on what a story does, not what it is, might change your perspective if you’re feeling uncomfortable putting your idea into a story format, not to mention a “once upon a time story” isn’t always appropriate or right for the situation. That’s where the Red Thread comes in. Its structure is story structure. That’s why, when you create your message using the Red Thread, your message will feel and function like a story, even when it isn’t (or doesn’t sound like) one.
The problem with stories
Maybe you’re comfortable telling stories, but you don’t see a story in the idea you’re currently translating. What if you expand your definition of “story” beyond example stories? What I call “never-ending stories” contain the same parts—the five parts of your Red Thread—but unlike example stories, they tell what is happening or what could happen, not what already has. Once you have your Red Thread, you can put it into any story you need, at any scale.
Please note that many of the links are affiliate links, which means if you buy a thing I link to, I get a percentage of the cost, and then donate it to charity.
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