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]]>The full playlist is here, and we’ve expanded on some of our recommendations in the descriptions below.
“You Got To Run (Spirit Of The Wind)” by Buffy Sainte-Marie & Tanya Tagaq – I love this song and its message. Watching Buffy Sainte-Marie sing is always a joy, but Tanya Tagaq there in the back doing her wilderness vocalizations makes it even more powerful. And I love that it was commissioned by the feds and between two Polaris winners for a collaboration to see what they could come up with. It’s so great!
Noompiming, the latest book from Michi Saagig Nishnaabeg writer, scholar, and artist Leanne Betasamosake Simpson, is a novel grounded in Anishnaabe storytelling that weaves narrative structure with poetic form, producing something that is wholly new and alive. The result is an exercise in decolonization via a radical reimagining of what it means to live in—and be of—the world.
The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open, a film by Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers and Kathleen Hepburn, is the story of two Indigenous women who meet because one of them is in crisis. It’s beautifully filmed and acted, and the story of a brief but powerful bond between two people has really stuck with me since I watched it last year.
I can’t say enough about Reservation Dogs. Created by Sterlin Harjo and Taika Waititi, with an almost completely Indigenous cast and crew, and shot entirely in the Muscogee Nation, it is a watershed moment for Indigenous representation in Hollywood. It’s fresh and funny and touching. Seriously, just go watch it. (It’s on Hulu in the U.S. and Disney+ in Canada.) And I get such a kick from seeing Indigenous representation in mainstream spaces where traditionally there hasn’t been much, so seeing the cast present at the Emmys made me stand up from the couch and pump my fist.
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]]>The post How to Use Storytelling to Improve Your Marketing in 2022 (My Top 10 Tips) appeared first on Echo Storytelling Agency.
]]>It’s the end of the year and I’m looking back at both the marketing trends and the tried and true tactics that I have seen work for businesses. As a member of the Forbes Agency Council, I have been answering top marketing questions all year, and I’m happy to bundle and share these tips as we look forward to 2022. ECHO is a storytelling agency, which means we approach marketing problems knowing that a good story is often the best way to create a connection with audiences, no matter the channel. Below you’ll find examples of how storytelling can help you bring authenticity, emotion, and lasting relationships to your marketing efforts in the new year.
Understand Your Customers. The right voice and tone for your brand are only “right” if they resonate with your customers. Before you launch, think deeply about your ideal customer. Give them a name, a home address, a job, a bucket list, a favorite author, a hobby and a demeanor. Then, take the guesswork out of your brand messaging by testing it on real-life people who fit the bill.
Tell a Story. Take your lead from viral TikTok creators and use the power of a story. By using text on top of a video, you won’t come across as overly polished but you will catch your audience’s eye, even with the sound off. Start with a short bit of text that establishes a problem plaguing your ideal customer, ideally a fear or concern. Then drop in more text to help solve their problem step by step.
Own Your Mistakes. Successful brand storytellers tell the truth to their audiences. If you think you’ve made brand decisions that alienated your customers, create content that acknowledges that in an upfront way. Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz is a great example of a leader who owned his mistakes (he even wrote a bestselling book about them!) and, as a result, won a lot of customers back from his competitors.
Don’t Waste Time. Get right into the meat of your message, and use bold language and images to capture attention quickly in videos. When you compete for attention on YouTube, you have to make your content stand out in the first three seconds. Try something unexpected. Our brains filter signals that seem “normal,” so when an unexpected thing happens, the brain pays extra attention to it.
Don’t Hide Your Why. Our largest project ever was a brand story for a multinational company based in Mexico City. Why did their vice president fly all the way to Vancouver to meet with our small agency? Because we bonded over a story I shared with her about my grandmother’s dementia and why it inspired me to start my storytelling agency. Since then, I share my “why” story with every potential client.
Let’s Do Lunch. The better we get to know someone, the better we can assess the right story solution to solve their business problem. And nothing beats breaking bread with a potential client for fast-tracking that “get to know you” stage. I have shared lots of virtual glasses of wine with clients over these past 18 months, but I’m looking forward to doing old-school lunches again, as soon as it’s safe.
Heed Your Analytics. Dig into roadblocks. We encourage clients to dive into the data and find out where customers or users are getting stuck in their marketing funnel. If people are finding your website, browsing a few pages and then not taking any action, at least you know where you need to focus your energy. Combine data with audience feedback to unlock these sticking points.
Take Your Product on Tour. There’s a reason lifestyle images have been a part of magazines for so long. Take advantage of the video production capabilities that live on your phone and take your product on a tour of beautiful places near you. Pairing great photography with relevant hashtags and messaging on Instagram makes it easy for people to imagine themselves as the delighted new owners of whatever you’re selling.
Reserve Some Stories for Ads and Product Links. Focus most of your stories’ content on sharing the authentic, behind-the-scenes side of your brand, but reserve some content for ads and product links. More than 500 million people use Instagram stories every day, and 58% say they are more interested in a brand after seeing it in Stories. Even better, half say they’ve visited a website to buy a product or service after seeing it in Stories.
Notice the Little Things. Meal-kit service FreshPrep gets alerted when a customer’s order is significantly different from the previous week’s, then sends an email confirming that it’s what the customer actually wants. Also, the company follows up with customers to get feedback on how to improve meals in their preference zone, such as gluten-free or vegan options. It all builds tremendous loyalty in a space dominated by bigger competitors.
Do you have a marketing challenge that you are ready to overcome in 2022? Our team of storytelling experts are waiting to give you the answers you are looking for. Give us a call at 1-877-777-ECHO (3246) or drop us a line at hello@echostories.com.
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]]>The post How To Power Your Website With Storytelling appeared first on Echo Storytelling Agency.
]]>A version of this article also appeared on Forbes.com.
While every brand wants to convert audiences into consumers, conveying your own brand’s awesomeness can be challenging. Most brands default to talking about the life-altering benefits or cutting-edge features of their offerings, assuming this will be enough to sell their audience. But for most consumers, that isn’t enough. Audiences need stories.
Most visitors won’t purchase when they first land on a site. On average, 96% of website visitors leave without converting or coming back.
To draw them back, you need to create a memorable impression. Because the fact is, no one’s going to remember your product’s features or benefits, but people might remember the stories you tell.
Studies have shown that information delivered as story is 22 times more memorable than mere facts and figures. Further, our brain literally lights up when listening to a story, our sensory cortex conjuring up seemingly real sights, sounds, smells and tastes — a full sensory experience.
Storytelling triggers a couple of other valuable brain processes, too: It reduces counterarguing, making audiences less likely to be oppositional, and it provokes neural coupling, which helps customers build empathy for your brand.
I’m sold on story. Now where do I start?
You can integrate components of your story into your site today. Here are five places to begin:
Give your visitors storytelling the minute they arrive. Introduce your main character (i.e., your customer), outline their problem and paint a clear picture showing how your product or service can help.
Great example: Atlassian does a phenomenal job of this, with links to powerful stories featuring its customers on its homepage.
Your “About Us” page should tell your real story, not just air your highlight reel. Why did you start the company? What problem were you trying to solve? Building a company includes setbacks, so include some of the struggles you encountered along the way. The story of your survival and growth builds empathy, authenticity and trust. In research by Edelman, 62% of consumers say they are loyal to brands they can trust.
This is also a good place to tell the stories of your people. Who’s behind the brand, and what do they care about? Audiences get suspicious when they can’t see the wizard behind the curtain, so put your team in the spotlight.
Great example: Founders Brewing gets real about the struggle of starting a business and the mistakes its founders made early on.
Your customer stories are critical for building trust. Your prospects want to know that other people have had a good experience with your brand. But as with your “About Us” story, they want the real deal here. So be generous: Illustrate the challenges and how your customer overcame them with your brand.
Great example: HubSpot hits their case studies out of the park, which is no surprise since their main credo is “solve for the customer first.”
Is there an interesting backstory to one of your products or services? If so, share it. Or consider getting customers to share their own stories about how they use your products or services. We know that people often make purchase decisions emotionally. If you can inspire them to feel something for your products and services via the stories you and your customers are telling, you are on the path to conversion.
Great example: The backstory to the Clif Bar is genuine, interesting and downright inspiring.
Imagine you’ve just been invited to give a TED Talk about your “why” — what drives your company, beyond the bottom line, to do what it does? What TED Talk could you give to light up people’s hearts?
Go ahead and give that TED Talk, record it and put it on your website. And gauge how your audience responds.
Great example: PayPal CEO Dan Schulman’s TED Talk has been viewed over a million times, and it hits at the heart of PayPal’s purpose to break down barriers to financial empowerment.
Once you turn on the storytelling tap, there’s a good chance the stories will keep flowing, giving you ample opportunity to fill your site — and eventually all your other channels, too — with the stuff of true engagement and conversion.
As Seth Godin says, “People don’t buy goods and services. They buy relationships, stories, and magic.” Supercharge your website with stories and turn visitors into customers. That’s the start of the true meaningful work of building lasting relationships. The best part? Your loyal customers will begin to spread the word on their own, and that is a happy ending.
Do you need to better connect with customers, clients, and fans? If your website could use a storytelling upgrade, we’d love to hear from you. Call us at 1-877-777-ECHO (3246) or email hello@echostories.com.
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]]>The post 7 Types of Stories: Which Are You Telling? appeared first on Echo Storytelling Agency.
]]>These kinds of stories can appear in a marketing piece (such as a single TV spot) or become part of a larger narrative that tells the story of your company. Adopting one of these meta-narratives can yield a powerful branding tool that builds your company’s profile amongst your stakeholders. The types of stories you tell send a distinctive message to your customers, whether it’s one that you carefully crafted or not.
So. Which of these seven types of stories are you telling? And which ones should you be telling?
The quintessential example of this story type: David and Goliath. The basic narrative: plucky underdogs buck the status quo despite apparently insurmountable odds. Think Erin Brockovich and every sports movie you’ve ever seen.
A brand that does a great job of using this narrative is Apple. Even as it has become a behemoth, its brand purpose of disrupting norms has proved remarkably durable. Its iconic 1984 ad is also a classic example of the “overcoming the monster” narrative.
This narrative often works best to develop a brand’s reputation as a provider of quality. It also can exploit the vulnerability inherent in the story to make a formidable brand seem open, friendly and approachable. (Think Oprah.)
Johnnie Walker has used this narrative to amplify its brand of resilience and ambition. The Man Who Walked Around the World commercial makes much of Johnnie Walker’s humble origins and marks the exact moment that the brand moved from “farmboy to Edwardian dandy,” complete with top hat.
Quest narratives abound, with their central metaphor being that the journey is worth more than the destination. Think of The Odyssey, The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, or even The Catcher in the Rye. This can be particularly useful for a young brand that is still developing and is in the process of building the origin story of its brand, or defining its why in the mind of the consumer.
Nike tells quest stories in many of their ads, and particularly in the recent “Dream Crazier” campaign. Here they tell the story of women in sports, and the quest for equality, recognition, and respect.
Voyage and Return is a close cousin of The Quest, but they are differentiated by “the return.” A notable business example is Howard Schulz’s return to the helm of Starbucks after a time spent away. When brands are returning to prior ways of doing business, they are participating in a Voyage and Return narrative. This can be useful for rebranding purposes, or working to restore a brand in crisis.
Ikea took the Voyage and Return idea to a whole new level with it’s sequel to a commercial about a Lamp.
Many brands effectively use humour to entertain and engage their customers. One great example comes from Metro Trains Melbourne who wanted to promote safety around their trains. Dumb Ways to Die has an impossibly catchy tune, beautifully simple animation, and a good dose of humour.
Tragedy is mostly off-brand. However, emotional connection is always valuable, and for some organizations, their major function. Many NGOs and charities use tragic stories to help engage deeply with those who may volunteer or donate to their cause.
Child Bereavement UK takes a tragic story (the loss of a child) and faces it head on, by asking people what they would say to those they have lost in a campaign called One More Minute. It’s raw and very sad footage, and it opens up the space to talk about grief.
Things always go wrong. The Rebirth narrative is one of the most inspiring, combining vulnerability and success into one powerful package. Chrysler effectively used a Rebirth narrative after the 2008 financial crisis to rehabilitate its brand and image. The 2012 Super Bowl ad Halftime in America was an inspirational, highly patriotic pitch to the rebirth of American industry and manufacturing.
Which story are you telling? And who is listening?
Does your business need a storytelling boost? Our expert communicators are ready to help you take your company to the next level. Give us a call at 1-877-777-ECHO (3246) or drop us a line at hello@echostories.com.
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]]>The post Five Ways To Strengthen Your Client Relationships Eroded By The Pandemic appeared first on Echo Storytelling Agency.
]]>A version of this article also appeared on Forbes.com.
Over the past year, we’ve all adapted to new ways of working. We’ve masked, we’ve socially distanced, and we’ve Zoomed beyond measure. Now, with mass vaccinations underway, we’re finally able to anticipate some kind of normalcy on the horizon.
But a complete return to our old ways seems unlikely. Some people will go back to full-time work on-site, but many others will likely continue to work remotely at least part of the time. And business travel may permanently take a backseat to the convenience and cost-effectiveness of videoconferencing — which makes strengthening client relationships an ongoing challenge.
Prior to the pandemic, breaking bread with our clients was simply nonnegotiable, even though it meant I spent a week every month on the road. It was the only way I could quickly move past the transactional nature of client work into the rich terrain of discovering what they really needed from us and how I could give them the biggest wins. I couldn’t imagine doing business any other way — until, of course, I had to.
So throughout the past year, I’ve done a little experimenting. My goal has been to find alternative ways of building strong, authentic and lasting client relationships with techniques we can take forward into the post-pandemic new normal.
Here are five strategies I have found to be most effective in deepening connections with our clients without having to meet face to face.
Make Zoom fun again.
We may all be suffering from Zoom (and WebEx and Microsoft Teams) fatigue, but this technology is here to stay, so it’s important to bring some fun and novelty back into online client meetings.
One idea is to send out care packages with all the items clients need when you kick off their project. When they unwrap everything — for us, that’s anything from a deck of our custom-printed cards to guide them through our virtual design discovery, to a bottle of bubbly for a toast to the start of our work together — the delight is palpable. And the trust you earn from the extra effort lends the project a wonderfully human note.
Go beyond Zoom check-ins.
As much as we try to make Zoom fun, you can get to know your clients without racking up more hours on video calls. Follow their social channels and set up Google Alerts so you can monitor media mentions and industry news that matters to them.
We put important dates, like company anniversaries and client birthdays, into our calendar so we can acknowledge them with handwritten cards. Bonus points if your card includes a story about a shared experience on the project, an inside joke or a quote from an author you happen to know they love.
Care about what they care about.
We’ve made concerted efforts to learn more about, and donate, to the philanthropic causes our clients care about. Having a shared passion for making the world better in a specific way raises a purely business relationship into something more layered and human. Sending relevant news or content about these causes also gives us good reasons to stay in touch with our clients outside project-related emails.
Let clients get to know you too.
Relationship-building goes both ways, and your clients are likely keen to reciprocate your efforts to get to know them better. Make it easy for them by sharing insights into your world. Post case studies, anecdotes and behind-the-scenes photos to give both existing and prospective clients an idea of who you are and what you stand for. Give everything you post a unique personality that reflects the warmth of your brand and the real people behind it.
Add storytelling to your communications.
If you’re looking to genuinely deepen your relationships with your clients, storytelling is undoubtedly your most powerful tool. Research has shown that storytelling is an effective way to build empathy and understanding, and even to motivate trust and cooperation.
This can be as simple as sharing a story about your weekend hike, or telling clients about another successful project you worked on and how it unfolded — this doubles as reassurance that in these economically uncertain times, you’re managing fine and will be there long term to meet their needs.
If storytelling doesn’t come naturally to you, here are three ways you and your colleagues can practice at work:
• Dedicate a few minutes in your regular team huddles to sharing stories about how you or a colleague used one of your company’s core values to solve a problem.
• Share photos of your work-from-home life with fun captions that give context to what’s going on for you that day.
• Create a safe space to be vulnerable and a forum where colleagues can share the challenges they may be facing.
In almost any organization, repeat clients and referrals from happy clients are key to your success. The positive outcome you deliver for your client is critical to making them happy, but so is the more human side of the relationship, and that’s where storytelling is so impactful.
We have a quote attributed to Maya Angelou, printed five feet high, on our office wall: “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
Storytelling is all about feeling. In this new reality of building relationships remotely, use it as your superpower and you will find that your bond with your clients stays strong. You may even come to see long-distance relationship building not as a path that impedes success but as a strategy that helps it flourish.
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]]>The post 10 Global Storytellers to Watch in 2021 appeared first on Echo Storytelling Agency.
]]>We are always on the lookout for great storytellers who bring their specific experiences to the work that they do. Listed below are 10 global storytellers whose work we admire. Each person is skilled at connecting their unique experience to universal themes through storytelling. Moving, emotional, and powerful work can be found by any of the creators below.
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (Nigeria/USA) is the author of short stories and novels like Half a Yellow Sun. She speaks about the importance of representation in storytelling in a TED Talk called “The Danger of a Single Story,” which has been viewed over 26 million times.
Yoseph Ayele (Ethiopia/New Zealand) is the co-founder of the Edmund Hillary Fellowship, a community of entrepreneurs, investors, and change makers in New Zealand. Ayele speaks about his experience as an immigrant and about the way political borders affect human beings (“The way we think about immigration is flawed”).
Connie Walker (Okanese First Nation) is an investigative reporter and host of the podcasts Finding Cleo and Stolen: The Search for Jermain. Walker writes and speaks about the responsibility she feels to represent her community and the need for Indigenous people to be able to tell their own stories.
Katlego K Kolanyane-Kesupile (Botswana) calls herself an ARTivist – as she combines art and activism in her work as a development consultant, cultural architect and scholar. Kolanyane-Kesupile speaks about identity, personhood, and belonging in a TED Talk titled “How I’m bringing queer pride to my rural village.”
Ken Honda (Japan) is a prolific writer and podcaster, with over 50 books published in Japanese. Honda’s first English book, Happy Money, deals with emotional intelligence and the finance industry. He champions a zen approach to work/life balance.
Lee Lawrence (UK) wrote a memoir in 2020 called The Louder I Will Sing, which tells the story of his life. Lawrence’s mother, Dorothy “Cherry” Groce, was shot by the police in their home in 1985. This event was one catalyst for the 1985 Brixton uprising. He speaks about healing from trauma and honoring the work of activists who came before him.
Aminatou Sow (Guinea/USA) is a writer and host of the popular podcast Call Your Girlfriend, and co-founded Tech LadyMafia, a network for women working in the tech industry. Sow speaks about the intersection of feminism, pop culture, and politics.
Nontombi Naomi Tutu (South Africa/USA) is an educator, human rights activist and speaker. The daughter of Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Leah Nomalizo Tutu, she speaks about the influence of both of her parents on her activism and life.
Priya Krishna (USA) is a food writer and author of Indian-ish: Recipes and Antics From a Modern American Family. She writes and speaks about trends in the food and restaurant world, and about the intersection of cultures within those worlds. She has a large following of fans on her NYT Cooking show on YouTube.
Jasmine Guillory (USA) is the author of five novels, including The Wedding Date. Guillory writes about Black protagonists in a genre of writing (romance fiction) that has been dominated by white authors and stories.
Does your business need a storytelling boost? Our expert communicators are ready to help you take your company to the next level. Give us a call at 1-877-777-ECHO (3246) or drop us a line at hello@echostories.com.
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]]>The post Client Spotlight: Celebrating Good Works appeared first on Echo Storytelling Agency.
]]>This flamboyant and wealthy rock star with a distinct public persona also built a more private legacy behind the scenes. The full breadth of Prince’s philanthropic contributions came to light after his death in 2016. Over his lifetime, he helped create green jobs in low-income communities, provided financial support to Trayvon Martin’s family and families of other police shooting victims, and donated $1 million to the anti-poverty initiative Harlem Children’s Zone, among many other generous acts.
Environmental and human rights activist Van Jones tells a story of how Trayvon Martin’s murder inspired Prince to help Jones start a new initiative:
“He said, ‘Hold on a second: If a black kid wears a hoodie, you say he’s a thug, and if a white kid wears a hoodie, you say it’s Mark Zuckerberg. Why is that?’ And then of course, I say, ‘Because of racism.’ And Prince goes, ‘Well, maybe. Or maybe we just haven’t produced enough black Mark Zuckerbergs. Why don’t we focus on that?’ Complete genius.”
And just like that, #YesWeCode was born.
As demonstrated by the good works of Prince, legacy is not just a list of career achievements or net worth figures – it’s also solidified by the impact someone has on the world. As a famous rock star, Prince’s legacy will live on in the pop culture public consciousness. But many people (and companies) who are doing good in the world do not have the luxury of fame to carry on a legacy, so sometimes help is needed. It was our absolute honour to help commemorate the good works of some non-rock star, yet equally generous, people and companies.
The nonprofit Radcliffe Foundation (now called The Giustra Foundation) was founded by successful Canadian mining and entertainment executive Frank Giustra. Since 1997, it has supported many causes both at home (from Streetohome to the Boys Club Network) and abroad, where it partners with global change makers like the International Crisis Group and the International Rescue Committee. With a website redesign, we helped more clearly explain its unique and proven private-sector approach to philanthropy and aid delivery.
An Uncommon Road, by Gian Singh Sandhu
Gian Singh Sandhu, a founding member of the World Sikh Organization and first president of its Canadian chapter, was often told how his remarkable success as an immigrant-turned- entrepreneur was a story worth sharing. Many of his experiences are universal, but he wanted his story to focus beyond the personal to the broader experience of the Sikh diaspora in North America. The memoir we created with Sandhu, An Uncommon Road: How Canadian Sikhs Struggled Out from the Fringes and Into the Mainstream, traces the evolution of the Sikh community’s place in Canada since the arrival of the first settler in 1897 with an insider’s perspective on this complex journey. The book offers a remarkable view of some of the most intriguing and complicated political issues Canadian citizens have ever faced, along with a moving tribute to a brave man who continues to fight for social justice — not just for the Sikh community but for all Canadians.
L’Arche Internationale is a not-for-profit organization with a profoundly inspiring goal: to create a world where everyone truly belongs. They run a worldwide network of communities for adults with intellectual disabilities, but their advocacy work extends far beyond the bounds of those communities. They came to us to help them promote their documentary series called As I Am, where they told stories about some of the members of these communities. We dove headfirst into creating a YouTube strategy that made sure the content was on-message, engaging, and easily shareable. A third of the way into the project, we had already exceeded L’Arche’s very ambitious campaign targets, and eventually 450,000 people saw these stories and were exposed to their mission and vision.
Ideally, people want to leave their mark by making the world better than they found it. A legacy of generosity is one of the most meaningful and lasting ways for someone’s name – and spirit – to carry on for generations. A true legacy means living a life consistent with your values, and preserving the things essential to a healthy, sustainable and peaceful society. This hard work and generosity deserves to be shouted from the rooftops, for rock stars and non-rock stars alike.
Do you want your values and beliefs to continue with future generations? Do you intend for your company to exist past your own life span? We can help – it’s kind of our thing. Give us a shout at hello@echostories.com or at 1-877-777-ECHO (3426).
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]]>The post 7 Ways to Bring Storytelling to Your Virtual Holiday Celebration in 2020 appeared first on Echo Storytelling Agency.
]]>With the mission to help people tell their personal stories, we at ECHO are keenly aware that something precious is in danger of falling through the cracks. The holiday season usually affords many of us the opportunity to spend time with loved ones we might otherwise never see. And it’s during this time that we share memories and stories. With so many of us keeping apart right now, are those stories going to be lost or forgotten? Not if we can help it!
Family and friendship are built on a foundation of shared experiences. So, even if you have no choice but to spend the holidays apart, you can — and should — still bridge that literal and figurative gap with stories. In fact, with the pandemic reportedly contributing to unprecedented incidences of loneliness among the global population, it’s arguably never been more important to uphold the crucial human connection that storytelling provides.
Here are 7 ways you can keep storytelling alive this holiday season.
Even the technologically averse have begun embracing the modern marvel that is video chat. Platforms such as Skype, Facebook Messenger, and Zoom are free and largely intuitive, and allow you to connect with those you miss no matter where they are in the world. Pick a day and time, and be prepared to catch everyone up on your most memorable moments from this very unusual year. (If you have the means, this is the perfect opportunity to give a tablet to a relative who would love to see your face.)
Back in pre-internet times, it was common to make a real project of mailing everybody in one’s circle an end-of-year chronicle — usually handwritten and elegantly presented inside a thoughtfully chosen card. (Some of us have never abandoned this practice.) Emails are perfectly nice, of course, but people of all ages still love to have and hold a beautiful physical object. It’s a much more poignant and intimate gesture than simply clicking Send. The card/letter combo is ripe for a comeback!
Whether in person with your bubble or online, gather together your loved ones to read a cherished story (from the pages of a hardcover or by the light of an iPad). It doesn’t have to be a festive tale — just something you think your audience will enjoy and that encourages time spent together. Crackling fireplace and fuzzy slippers not required.
We don’t all love the same music, but almost everyone loves music. And the music we do love tends to reveal a lot about us: our temperament, our aesthetic preferences, the era in which we grew up. If you’ve ever given or received a mix tape, you know how much a selection of songs can say about a person. Put together a Spotify or YouTube playlist, give it a theme (“Top 20 of 2020,” “The Year I Was Born,” “Festive Faves”), and share it far and wide.
Food not only brings people together and helps cultivate shared memories, it plays a part in shaping who we are, according to psychologists and scientific research. While we won’t be gathering this year for large family meals or refreshment-laden house and office parties, we can still feast together virtually. Use one of the above-mentioned chat platforms to have a socially distanced dinner. Or better still, host a cooking competition from your kitchen! Share a favourite recipe in advance with friends and family, then guide everyone through the steps. Compare results at the end. No matter how successful your efforts, you’ll be talking about it for years to come.
Just about every home computer and smartphone allows you to capture video. Film yourself sharing your most memorable moments of the year (or from your lifetime) and share them with those close to you. In just a few steps, you can upload a video to a private YouTube channel (to be viewed only by folks of your choosing) or make it available for download via a file-hosting service like Dropbox. Unlike a virtual chat, this is a document of you that they can keep forever.
How well do your children or grandchildren know your history? How well do you know theirs? Prepare a list of milestones and noteworthy events from your past, and arrange for friends and family of your choosing to do the same. Then schedule a virtual chat and take turns quizzing your fellow contestants. The winner claims bragging rights and maybe a real-life gift to be claimed when life has returned to something more like normal.
However you choose to celebrate the season, we hope you’ll find a safe way to share stories and memories while you do it. Our mission is to help you deepen relationships with those who matter most to you, and this year especially, those you feel closest to may be physically farthest away. We encourage everyone to find ways to bridge that distance and build meaningful memories that you’ll treasure together long after we’ve all been vaccinated. Happy holidays!
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]]>The post How to Honour the Legacy of a Retiring CEO appeared first on Echo Storytelling Agency.
]]>If you search for lists of history’s most famous CEOs, the results you receive likely won’t surprise you: Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Sam Walton, Jeff Bezos, Oprah Winfrey…. The accomplishments and influence of each of them are indeed titanic. Common, too, is that, unusually among CEOs, their names are virtually as well-known as those of the companies or products upon which their reputations and fortunes were made.
Yet another thing they have in common: each or them is the subject of one or more biographies, many of them bestsellers.
There are multiple reasons why millions of us enjoy reading nonfiction accounts of successful people. They provide a view onto a life perhaps more dramatic, more adventurous, altogether fuller than our own. They can offer entertainment, too, when they’re well written, and serve as inspiration, particularly if one aspires to goals in a similar field. “I learned a lot from this book and I believe it will continue to have a huge effect on my life moving forward,” concludes one Amazon customer’s breathless assessment of Walter Isaacson’s multi-million-selling Steve Jobs — a not atypical sentiment among hundreds of reader reviews of that 2011 book.
Jobs himself seemingly understood the importance of leaving a thorough document of his work. He personally commissioned Isaacson to write his biography, and it was completed in haste in his final two years. Steve Jobs was published three weeks after its subject’s passing.
As has been observed here before, a hallmark of many successful people who come to ECHO (CEOs and otherwise) is a surplus of modesty — it often falls to their colleagues, family, and friends to lobby for a memoir. But those same reluctant participants tend to soon come around to the idea and ultimately are delighted with the results — and the impact those results have on readers.
A successful CEO — one whose leadership talents are made evident not only on a balance sheet, but in the hearts and minds of staff — deserves to be celebrated when they retire. Finding the right gesture that honours their legacy and reflects their unique personality is no easy task. Above all, it should be tangible — something the honouree can return to anytime as a reminder of, and a monument to, all they have achieved, and that can be passed down to future generations. This can be a personal memoir, a corporate history, or a combination of the two, in book form or as a video. And it should be filled with the memories and testimony of loved ones and valued associates.
CEOs and other effective leaders tend to place great importance on how their work has positively impacted others’ lives; no less a success story than Warren Buffett said he wants to be remembered not as modern history’s most lucrative investor, but as a teacher. For a certain type of leader, to have their altruistic goals affirmed by those who have surrounded them throughout their working life is immeasurably rewarding.
This generosity, openly explored in book form, is one of the most meaningful and lasting ways for a CEO’s name — and spirit — to carry on for generations to come.
You may also want to consider establishing a namesake educational trust, charitable foundation, or recurring award, especially if the CEO you seek to honour has demonstrated a passion for philanthropy. In keeping with Buffett’s desire to be remembered as a teacher, many CEOs wish for young, ambitious men and women to benefit from education in the same way they did, and to not be held back by financial limitations. This generosity, openly explored in book form, is one of the most meaningful and lasting ways for a CEO’s name — and spirit — to carry on for generations to come.
But whatever you ultimately decide, throw a party as well. It may not be as lasting as a book, but it lives forever in the memory of the person in whose honour it was thrown. Bringing together people to share stories, memories, and laughs is always a worthy endeavour. Even if it has to take place over Zoom, everyone could use a reason to celebrate this year.
Do you know someone who has lived an extraordinary life? If the time is right to capture their story, we’d love to hear from you. Call us at 1-877-777-ECHO (3246) or email hello@echostories.com.
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]]>I’d make a terrible salesman. I know because I’m related to some pretty competent salespeople who often trick me into doing their bidding. Only in hindsight does the penny drop.
I’d be terrible at marketing and advertising, too. Advertising — the who, what and where of products — is enthralled with a world that is strictly black and white. But that’s not real life. The world is shades of grey (hmm…not 50 of them).
What I am is a storyteller, and I think I’m pretty good at it. I like the who, the what and the where of things — I find them interesting — but what helps me more is my fascination with the how and the why. Perhaps that’s as good a definition of why advertising ≠ storytelling as I’m likely to come up with.
That why I’m sad when clients question the power of honest storytelling in favour of mere marketing and its unrelenting, no-nuance positivity. It’s human to be tempted by the safety of a story that goes “First it was good, then it got better, and now it’s the best.” But should safety be the point? Is risk not the foundation of business? Of life?
We learn by story. We persuade by story. Our brains light up because of how we narrate the world:
When we tell stories to others that have helped us shape our thinking and way of life, we can have the same effect on them too. The brains of the person telling a story and listening to it, can synchronize.…We are wired that way. A story, if broken down into the simplest form is a connection of cause and effect. And that is exactly how we think.
Even advertising has realized that you can’t distract the heart:
In the past 30 years, scientists have shown that we are much more likely to retain something mentally when we have a strong emotional response to it. Ads imprint themselves on the cortex when they touch the heart.
Or, as Paul J. Zak, the father of storytelling neuroscience, explains:
Why should customers or a person on the street care about the project you are proposing? How does it change the world or improve lives? How will people feel when it is complete? These are the components that make information persuasive and memorable.
Once upon a time, an entrepreneur decided to build and market a widget. She got the idea while visiting orphaned whales and in their memory pledged to keep her costs low and ethics high. When her workers threatened to organize a union, she sat them down, made them tea and everyone sang Kumbaya. The IPO was through the roof, everyone got Class A shares, dividends rained down like cherry blossoms in the springtime, the planet healed itself and she still had plenty of time for her kids and her yoga. The widgets were best of class.
Come on. The world is imperfect, and those of us who live in it are reassured by a few recognizably rough patches. Branding Magazine suggests we’re becoming more attuned to the lie of perfection (hence all those corporate apologies online). The market will need to follow suit:
Emotional brand IQs will rise. As consumer decision-making becomes more emotionally-based, successful brands will identify and utilize emotional values as foundations for meaningful positioning, differentiation, and authentic storytelling.
Remember, though, that “authentic” can go too far. We’re fans of the courage that Starbucks founder Howard Schultz has shown in daylighting serious issues adjacent to the production and consumption of fancy coffee drinks. But it’s possible to be too earnest:
Starbucks is boldly exploring, and perhaps overstepping, the landscape of cultural leadership that is increasingly being demanded of all brands. If anything, the way in which a conversation is initiated and the tone of the dialogue is the real issue.…As Starbucks has demonstrated, the more brands rise to the challenge of being more socially responsible, the more often they will find themselves wading into sensitive conversations that polarize people
Earlier this year, Denmark’s Happiness Research Institute (yes, there is such a thing — the real question is, Why don’t we have one?) split more than 1,000 people into two groups: half were allowed to keep Facebooking, while the rest were kept off the social network. After just one week, the two camps showed marked differences in the degree of satisfaction they reported in their lives and friendships, in their moods (Facebooking led to more sadness, worry, and depression) and in their degree of concentration.
Why? Blame Facebook’s unrelenting cheer (which led some years ago to the pejorative term Fakebooking). The gap between our real, textured, highs-and-lows lives and the Barbie Worlds we see online — all those trips to the Pyrenees, the selfies with celebrities, the perfect kids — are actually making us miserable because they’re not true:
Social media is a non-stop great news channel. A constant flow of edited lives which distorts our perception of reality.
5 out of 10 envy the #amazing experiences of others posted on Facebook
1 out of 3 envy how #happy other people seem on Facebook
4 out of 10 envy the apparent #success of others on Facebook
After that one week off, the non-Facebookers in the Danish study awoke from the dream of envy, and in their waking felt that they had found more meaningful lives. Imagine if the next unrealistically, aggressively, unrelentingly positive story they decide to shelve is yours.
Can’t tell which of your stories are authentic and constructive, and which will lead to online shunning and erosion of market share? You should probably call us.
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