How can you generate and organize your stories?
Stories are powerful tools for communication, persuasion, and learning. They can help you connect with your audience, convey your message, and inspire action. But how can you generate and organize your stories effectively? In this article, you will learn some practical tips and techniques to craft and structure your stories using storytelling and design thinking skills.
Storytelling and design thinking are two related approaches that can help you create engaging and meaningful stories. Storytelling is the art and science of using narratives to communicate a message, evoke emotions, and influence behavior. Design thinking is a process and mindset that involves empathizing with your audience, defining their needs and problems, ideating solutions, prototyping and testing them, and iterating and improving them. By combining storytelling and design thinking, you can generate stories that are relevant, creative, and impactful.
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Tashu kumari
Personal Branding Manager | Social Media & Content Specialist | Storyteller | Filmmaker | Building GLIPED
Generating an idea takes a lot of thought process. Look around for inspiration or reflect on your own life events for that. Once you have finalized the idea, it's time to organize the story - start by making a strong hook to grab attention, followed by relevant main content. End with a good Call to Action (CTA) and a conclusion that leaves a positive impression. Structure your story in this script-centric way, i.e., hook the audience, deliver engaging content, and finish with a clear CTA to ensure your story flows smoothly and engages the audience from start to finish.
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S. Lucia Kanter St. Amour
VP Emerita UN Women (SF) | Attorney Action Figure 🦸🏻♀️ | Arresting Author | Fractional Chief Negotiation Officer | Plucky Podcast Host | Irreverent Int'l Keynote | "What Box?" Bellwether
Storytelling is also an incredible everyday negotiation tool. Stories are relatable, de-escalating, hard to argue with, and easier to remember in tense moments than data. It's tough to change someone's mind, but you might be able to tell them a story that gets them to change their own mind.
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Melynda Kloc
Bringing your ideas to life ✍️✨
Storytelling, in my opinion, isn't just a way of writing. It's a form of art. It's a form of conveying messages, connecting with others, creating immersive experiences. Design thinking is sort of like a multi-tool that helps us solve problems through empathy and creativity. When you combine these two, they enhance problem-solving processes by incorporating narratives that: - Empathize with others, - Communicate ideas, - Document progress, - Gain buy-in, - Facilitate iterative learning, All while making complex problems more relatable and innovative solutions more persuasive. I like to call these two combined: The Art of Community - because you're building on problem solving, emotion, and relativity. Staying authentic is key.
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Caroline Trudeau
Strategist. Innovator. Storyteller. Automotive Mobility Industry Advisor. Corporate Culture Influencer. Overall Badass.⚡️Former: AOL, lululemon, Omnicom, IBM, Slalom, Invent. Now: Freelance. Aspiring: TEDx Speaker.
Work with a partner that prompts you to brainstorm to generate as many ideas as possible. Capture all of it without judgement. 5 minutes at a time. Come back to the exercise 3 times. Then look at the entire inventory of thinking you generated. And step back. You’ll see themes emerge. Best tool: post its.
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Jamie Mackenzie (FCIM)
Bestselling Author and Narrator of 28 Bags of Sprouts - Storytelling with Impact | Speaker | I help businesses and people improve communication impact through storytelling | Experienced CMO-CPO Board Member
For me, you can combine the both. Approaching storytelling as an inclusive communication method, opens up the potential to use it more regularly. Always keep the core principals - or layers as I call them in my storytelling model (the sprout model) - this will guide your story. Be sure to know the impact you want to make, the people that you are telling the story to, set starting context and direction, move into the main event and what in particular it is you are addressing, then bring clarity, conclusion and a lasting impression to the end point ... not forgetting to nurture the story with creativity, energy and perspective.
One of the key steps in generating stories is to identify your purpose and audience. What is the goal of your story? Who are you telling it to? What do they care about? What do they need to know? How do you want them to feel and act? These questions can help you define the scope and direction of your story. You can also use empathy maps, personas, and user journeys to understand your audience better and create stories that resonate with them.
Another step is to brainstorm ideas for your story. You can use various techniques, such as mind mapping, free writing, word association, and SCAMPER, to generate as many ideas as possible without judging or filtering them. You can also look for inspiration from other sources, such as books, movies, podcasts, or personal experiences. The more ideas you have, the more options you have to choose from and combine.
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Julia Lechner
Head of Editorial & Social | Award-Winning Storyteller | Content Strategy | Writing | Editing | Organic & Paid Social | Creative Thinking | Podcasting | Content Marketing | 2022 Digiday Award Winner
When I'm developing a new story, I often spend weeks gathering as many ideas as possible in my notes app, as I feel inspired, before sitting down to hone my story. Similarly, in design thinking, the process of divergent and convergent thinking is the act of generating ideas and gathering many materials before filtering and deciding which pieces you will use in your work.
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Holly Crawshaw
I tell your story on LinkedIn in books. || NYT Best-Selling Ghostwriter
The best way I've found to brainstorm story ideas is to start with a brain dump of all stories related to a specific topic. Write a "title" for each story on a notecard and organize them under that topic. I put all the topics and stories up on a foam board/creative board. You could do the same process with sticky notes and a white board - or even a wall. As you assess your topics and stories visually, you begin to see how to build your chapters based on flow, logic, and chronology.
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Rajesh GUNDETI
Project, Product and Innovation Management | Technology scouting for open innovation, startup collaboration | Digital transformation| MBA, UK | PGPM, India | B.E. India | Automotive d&d, innovation projects
By seeking inspiration from the things around us! In the grand scheme of things, everything is correlated. So while solving a problem with storytelling, we can take inspiration from parallel problems and of course the correlated stories. Brainstorming is indeed yet another powerful way to generate stories. Personal experiences also play an important role in creating stories and generating ideas. For example, many first time parents have created products catering towards first time parents - toxic free baby grooming solutions! Just observe and be curious about surroundings. Ideas will come!
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Saleh Al-Shaibany
Journalist, Lecturer and Publisher
When you write a story that readers can identify themselves from their everyday life then you get them hooked. Storytelling should be based on life experiences like what bothers you or what really pulls your happy strings. It is also about sharing and it can very therapeutic when you pour out your stress and let your readers understand it. But storytelling should also be to light up people lives, take them on a joyful journey or just put a smile on their faces. The first inspiration is yourself on what you see around you and how you feel when you interact with people closer to you. The second inspiration is to entertain people from the words that come out straight from your heart. The third is to inform them about what’s happening.
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Smita Das Jain
1500 Coaching Sessions|280 Clients|10 countries|I empower leaders to get better at what they do|Executive Coach|Personal Empowerment Life Coach|PCC(ICF)|2xTEDx Speaker|3x Author|Co-Author of an International Bestseller
1. Start with a story bank. Think of your story bank as a treasure chest. Whenever you come across an interesting idea or experience, jot it down. Use tools like Evernote or a simple Google Doc to keep everything in one place. That way you will always have a repository of ideas, anecdotes, and inspirations to draw from. 2. Identify core themes. Determine the central themes or messages you want your stories to convey like resilience, innovation, or leadership. That way your stories will have a consistent message and greater impact.
Once you have a pool of ideas, you need to organize them into a coherent and compelling story. You can use different frameworks and models to structure your story, such as the three-act structure, the hero's journey, or the story spine. These frameworks can help you create a clear beginning, middle, and end for your story, as well as establish the main characters, conflicts, and resolutions. You can also use storyboards, outlines, or scripts to visualize and plan your story.
Another aspect of organizing your story is to refine and polish it. You can use feedback, testing, and iteration to improve your story and make it more effective. You can ask for input from your peers, mentors, or potential audience members, and use their suggestions to revise and edit your story. You can also test your story by telling it to a small group of people, observing their reactions, and asking for their opinions. You can then use the data and insights you gather to modify and enhance your story.
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Julia Lechner
Head of Editorial & Social | Award-Winning Storyteller | Content Strategy | Writing | Editing | Organic & Paid Social | Creative Thinking | Podcasting | Content Marketing | 2022 Digiday Award Winner
Every storyteller's process looks different. For me, I start with writing the beginning and end of my story and develop a loose outline for the middle. From there, I try different approaches to what the bulk of my story will look like, the tone, the details, the moments for laughter or a dramatic pause. Because I already know how my story starts and ends, I feel comfortable playing around and brainstorming the journey to get there, in order to get the best possible final draft of my story.
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Jamie Mackenzie (FCIM)
Bestselling Author and Narrator of 28 Bags of Sprouts - Storytelling with Impact | Speaker | I help businesses and people improve communication impact through storytelling | Experienced CMO-CPO Board Member
Use one structure and stick to it, practice it and keep repeating it. I propose my unique storytelling model.... THE SPROUT MODEL, which you can find in my bestselling book, 28 Bags of Sprouts - Storytelling With Impact. Made up of 6 layers (and 28 ingredients) .. follow them and your impact will improve significantly. In summary the 6 Layers are: 1. Impact - Define the impact that you wish your storytelling to make. 2. People - Know who you are storytelling to. 3. Start Point - Set the scene, introduce the context. 4. Main Event - showcase the event and the action. 5. End Point - Bring clarity and closure. 6. Nurture - Bring creativity and energy throughout your storytelling Give it a go ...
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Natasha T.
Storyteller | Author | Journalist | Ghostwriter | Podcaster | Chevening Scholar| I help you tell your story
I keep it simple. I type out my ideas on the fly in Apple Notes, organized in folders and subfolders. This way, when I want to post on LinkedIn, for example, I open the LinkedIn post, and voila, I have a post The hack here is to write from abundance.
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Holly Crawshaw
I tell your story on LinkedIn in books. || NYT Best-Selling Ghostwriter
Visualize your story. Whether that's through sticky notes on a wall, notecards on the floor, or in an AppleNotes document. The process should be personalized for however the author best processes information. Think through all the topics you want to cover. Write each one on a separate card/note. Then, think through all the stories and examples you can use and write each one of those on a separate card/note. Group the stories under each topic. Assess a logical narrative flow to develop an outline. I also believe that outlines are guardrails, not lines on a highway. In other words, they're meant to guide you down a logical and engaging path, but there is a bit of wiggle room as you work through it to allow the story to tell itself.
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Jenna C.
✨WORDS HAVE POWER. ✨ I help companies and individuals create polished communication, so they can build strong relationships with internal and external clients.
In my experience, it depends on what you’re writing. If you’re writing an academic paper, for example, you will follow a strict format and organizational structure. If you are writing a poem, story, or other creative piece, you have more options in organizational structure. First and foremost, though, I think it’s important to figure out what type of storyteller you are. Some writers are architect types who like every little bit structured out and planned before they start writing. Other writers are the adventure types who might have a general in-their-head plan for a beginning, a possible ending, and maybe even some pivotal scenes; however, these writers like to fly by the seat of their pants when creating.
The final step in storytelling is to deliver your story to your audience. You can use different formats and channels to tell your story, such as oral, written, visual, or digital. You can also use different techniques and tools to enhance your story, such as voice, tone, body language, gestures, images, sounds, or animations. The key is to choose the format and channel that best suit your purpose, audience, and message, and to use them effectively and creatively.
Another factor to consider when delivering your story is to engage and interact with your audience. You can use different strategies and methods to capture and maintain their attention, such as hooks, questions, anecdotes, humor, or surprises. You can also invite them to participate and contribute to your story, such as by asking for their input, feedback, or opinions, or by co-creating or co-telling your story with them. The more you involve and connect with your audience, the more memorable and impactful your story will be.
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Rajesh GUNDETI
Project, Product and Innovation Management | Technology scouting for open innovation, startup collaboration | Digital transformation| MBA, UK | PGPM, India | B.E. India | Automotive d&d, innovation projects
Hooks make or break your story! And that doesn't mean that you concentrate holy on your hook and the body of your story is not matching up. That's the worst mistake you can make. A hook is like a trailer for movie. It should not tell about the whole movie but give an give an interesting overview. So that the audience has something to look forward to. But always match the rest of the story with a hook, don't disappoint the reader by using click baits! Also the medium depends frankly. On what the story is about to choose an effective medium to deliver it. If it's a personal story then a video will be a great option. If it's an interesting anecdote a carousel can speak to your audience. Try ending with a P.S. or question!
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Jamie Mackenzie (FCIM)
Bestselling Author and Narrator of 28 Bags of Sprouts - Storytelling with Impact | Speaker | I help businesses and people improve communication impact through storytelling | Experienced CMO-CPO Board Member
There are multiple environments and ways to deliver your storytelling. In-person, virtual, written, audio, visualisation .. the list can go on. Whichever it is, just ensure that you are factoring this into how you are communicating it. In-Person allows you to use the physical environment, and physical self more so that if it is in a virtual scenario. Consider this in your preparation - and make the most of it.
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Smita Das Jain
1500 Coaching Sessions|280 Clients|10 countries|I empower leaders to get better at what they do|Executive Coach|Personal Empowerment Life Coach|PCC(ICF)|2xTEDx Speaker|3x Author|Co-Author of an International Bestseller
Use the power of visuals. A picture is worth a thousand words. Use visuals to complement your stories. Whether it’s a relevant photo, a short video, or an infographic, visuals can bring your narrative to life and captivate your audience. Photos, videos, and infographics can make your stories more engaging and memorable.
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Holly Crawshaw
I tell your story on LinkedIn in books. || NYT Best-Selling Ghostwriter
The more you can connect your delivery to your reader's everyday lives, the better. I've found that ending with questions that provoke thought and even challenge the reader to take action help the reader see themselves in your narrative. It also prompts actual change within the minds and lives of readers - evidence that they're taking steps to improve themselves.
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Kalpana Chandran
Founder, Quantum Leapers | Proctor Gallagher Certified | Global Speaker & Thought Leader | LinkedIn Top Voice | Transforming Leadership & Mindsets with Science
Delivering stories is not just about words; it's about creating immersive experiences that transport your audience into the heart of your narrative. Utilize design thinking principles to choose the most effective mediums and channels for your story, ensuring maximum impact and engagement. Whether it's through captivating visuals, interactive experiences, or live performances, every aspect of your delivery is carefully curated to enhance the storytelling experience, leaving a lasting impression on your audience.
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Bobby Nastasi
Executive Producer DOZGOOD MEDIA
I work in a visual medium. So using a tele-script format enables me to place visuals alongside my copy. To simplify it; Build two columns one for copy or dialogue, the other (descriptive) for how you visualize or see the story playing out.
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David Prosper
Special projects and unconventional situations are my specialty.
Just taking advantage of a burst of writing motivation is key, for my style of writing and I know this works for some others. By taking advantage of, I mean writing down anything as quickly as possible with whatever is in front of you: phone, computer, paper, bad napkin, etc. Afterwards you can look at all the drafts and quick ideas and one liners, and sort and organize them into different buckets. I've had stories emerge from several different creative threads and merge into one much better tale using this method - which sprung from when I co-wrote an astronomy coffee table book. We used a more formal method to brainstorm as a group for book sections and layouts, using whiteboards and sticky notes. Works solo as well as in groups!
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Holly Crawshaw
I tell your story on LinkedIn in books. || NYT Best-Selling Ghostwriter
I'd like to add that in order to be a successful writer, you don't have to be Hemingway or Steinbeck. All you have to do is offer a unique solution to a problem your audience has. To do that, you have to know your audience. Your audience should be in mind with every word you write. What keeps them up at night should keep you up at night. Get in their heads by listening to them. Follow them on social media. Connect with them. Call them. LISTEN to them. Once you know what they need and want - give it to them.
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Anurag Batham
70% of My Body is Made of Cinema | Writer | Storyteller | Journalist | Concerned Citizen — of Earth | Helping Writers Unlock Their True Potential
Outlining a story can do wonders. A writer will not forget any essential element to begin with. Moreover, your flow will remain intact. You don't have to write the story in a single go. Go one headlight at a time.
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Kalpana Chandran
Founder, Quantum Leapers | Proctor Gallagher Certified | Global Speaker & Thought Leader | LinkedIn Top Voice | Transforming Leadership & Mindsets with Science
While storytelling and design thinking provide a robust framework for crafting compelling narratives, there are other crucial elements to consider. Authenticity is paramount – ensure that your stories are grounded in truth and resonate with genuine emotion. Adaptability is key – be prepared to iterate and refine your stories based on feedback and evolving audience needs. And above all, never underestimate the power of storytelling to drive meaningful change and inspire a brighter future.
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