Storytelling has always been part art and part science. A healthy amount of intuition for timing as well as the ability to be concise and dramatic at the same time really help.
Many story tellers could better read their audience. Think about the last dinner conversation and the person dominating the “stage”. Did that person realize when others were tiring of his stories? Did he realize when showing up each topic with a personal example was getting to be over the top?
Not all big story tellers are sensitive
enough to the ebb and flow nuances of a conversation. Truly engaging in the conservation by listening and showing interest in other perspectives is an absolute must.
A great story teller has uncanny timing and the ability to be really relevant that comes from superior listening skills. They are always in tune with how a conversation is unfolding and how to make a story really impactful. The story needn’t make the narrator the hero nor the protagonist. It just needs to add to the development of the conservation in an impactful way,
usually reinforcing a common sentiment with a clear example or by introducing a different but compelling perspective.
Story tellers have some leeway to embellish but the basic storyline needs to be truthful. Embellish too much and lose instant credibility.
So, given how the new media has evolved our marketing customer touch points into a conversation, these basic storytelling principles should be applied. Are marketers truly involved and engaged in a conversation with their audience or just chest pounding with poor
storytelling principles?