Master The Art of Storytelling: Build a Deep Connection and Restore Order with Imagination
Stories are how people connect, learn morals, keep engaged, and most importantly communicate. Communication is foundational to attracting people, winning their attention, and building a sense of connection. However, the key to meaningful and successful communication is to master the art of storytelling.
Steve Jobs once said:
“The most powerful person in the world is a storyteller. The storyteller sets the vision, values and agenda of an entire generation that is to come“
Since childhood, we love stories and fairy tales. What made them appealing to us was the connection we built through them. We love to hear and tell stories and identify with them. It’s the simplest way of communicating values and building relationships.
We often fall in love because there’s always a story behind humans that shaped them. Building a connection through shared storytelling will give us a better sense of understanding people, what shaped them, their needs, and hopes.
Andrew Stanton, famous American movie director, and screenwriter, well-known for his involvement in Pixar's movies in his lecture at TEDx "The clue to great stories" about storytelling said:
“Storytelling [...] is knowing your punchline, your ending, knowing that everything you’re saying, from the first sentence to the last, is leading to a singular goal, and ideally confirming some truth that deepens our understandings of who we are as human beings. We all love stories. We’re born for them. Stories affirm who we are.”
Learning how to tell a story and build a connection with your audience is key to unlocking growth and realizing your potential in every area, from writing and career to business and marketing. And how to develop this superpower, we'll be learning from the greatest, from Pixar and Disney to Steve Jobs and Kendrick Lamar.
1. Pixar - 22 Rules For Storytelling
Pixar is one the most creative company of the last over 30 years that proved that storytelling is a superpower. Through various stories with a clarity of purpose, Pixar has been able to build a deep sense of connection with audiences of all ages.
However, storytelling is a skill we can develop and learn directly from Pixar.
Back in 2011, Pixar storyboard artist Emma Coats shared their "22 Rules For Storytelling". It’s a must-have read for all kinds of creators, from writers to entrepreneurs.
You admire a character for trying more than for their successes.
You gotta keep in mind what’s interesting to you as an audience, not what’s fun to do as a writer. They can be very different.
Trying for theme is important, but you won’t see what the story is actually about til you’re at the end of it. Now rewrite.
Once upon a time there was ___. Every day, ___. One day ___. Because of that, ___. Because of that, ___. Until finally ___.
Simplify. Focus. Combine characters. Hop over detours. You’ll feel like you’re losing valuable stuff but it sets you free.
What is your character good at, comfortable with? Throw the polar opposite at them. Challenge them. How do they deal?
Come up with your ending before you figure out your middle. Seriously. Endings are hard, get yours working up front.
Finish your story, let go even if it’s not perfect. In an ideal world you have both, but move on. Do better next time.
When you’re stuck, make a list of what WOULDN’T happen next. Lots of times the material to get you unstuck will show up.
Pull apart the stories you like. What you like in them is a part of you; you’ve got to recognize it before you can use it.
Putting it on paper lets you start fixing it. If it stays in your head, a perfect idea, you’ll never share it with anyone.
Discount the 1st thing that comes to mind. And the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th – get the obvious out of the way. Surprise yourself.
Give your characters opinions. Passive/malleable might seem likable to you as you write, but it’s poison to the audience.
Why must you tell THIS story? What’s the belief burning within you that your story feeds off of? That’s the heart of it.
If you were your character, in this situation, how would you feel? Honesty lends credibility to unbelievable situations.
What are the stakes? Give us a reason to root for the character. What happens if they don’t succeed? Stack the odds against.
No work is ever wasted. If it’s not working, let go and move on - it’ll come back around to be useful later.
You have to know yourself: the difference between doing your best & fussing. Story is testing, not refining.
Coincidences to get characters into trouble are great; coincidences to get them out of it are cheating.
Exercise: take the building blocks of a movie you dislike. How would you rearrange them into what you DO like?
You gotta identify with your situation/characters, can’t just write ‘cool’. What would make YOU act that way?
What’s the essence of your story? Most economical telling of it? If you know that, you can build from there.
There are a lot of valuable lessons we can learn from Emma Coats. However, the goal of successful storytelling is to get to the point, squeezing out the essence.
The punchline must be hitting hard.
Therefore, I would say that the clarity of purpose, and simplicity are crucial features of telling good stories. A good thought-patterng we may have is to:
“Make it simple, but significant.“ - Don Draper
Emma Coats also point out to:
“Simplicity. Focus. Hop over detours.“
“Come up with your ending before you figure out your middle”
Figure out the essence and the ending of your story. Lead your audience to this singular goal. Keep it simple, but significant - don’t overthink, cut the unnecessaries, and be focused.
2. Disney - Restore Order with Imagination
Walt Disney was the master of storytelling, and Disney is the greatest storytelling empire of all time. Stories have always been the core of everything Disney has been doing. It’s a great example of how stories can drive brand recognition and build a deep sense of connection with the audience.
“That’s what we storytellers do. We restore order with imagination. We instill hope again and again and again.” - Walt Disney
Through his imagination and passion-driven stories, Walt Disney suspended reality. He focused on creating magical moments and telling stories that allow his viewers to experience a new reality while remaining in the same place.
What was great in stories made my Walt Disney that characters and the world he created were on the one hand universal, on the other special and remarkable. It was the main reason we fall in love with Disney’s stories.
First, Disney introduced us to their self-created magical world in which the action takes place. There are a lot of magical moments, a dreamy environment, mixed features from humans, animals, and the natural world. However, the boundaries between those are blurred.
Disney through his stories was also the master of infusing novelty. Such magical environments gave us a fresh and new perspective as well as surprising insights.
Second, through these magical qualities, they convey universal values that anyone can relate to. Who wouldn't feel a real sense of freedom, find real love, and spend a magical moment with their significant other? It all gave us the sense that we can infuse magic and extraordinary moments in our daily lives.
“No matter how your heart is grieving, if you keep on believing, the dream that you wish will come true“ [Cinderella - A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes]
The power of Disney’s stories comes from an imaginary world with universal stories and values that resonate with everyone. Additionally, the main characters often face a lot of problems, so it makes them more relatable. However, after struggles, they find a way to fulfill their dream lives.
“After every storm the sun will smile“
For example, Cinderella is a poor girl, cared for by her stepmother and two nasty stepsisters who show no respect, interest, or love. However, she finds support in birds that often fly to her room. Cinderella talks to the birds about her problems and often finds comfort in them. The birdies understand her and start singing with her for consolation. Additionally, Cinderella's sad life turns into a wonderful one, well worth spending when she meets her lover.
Disney is the company that mastered the art of storytelling by simple stories with novelty perspectives and features that bring universal values and consistently lead to a singular goal, such as, for example, finding true love.
3. Steve Jobs - passion-driven stories
“The ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do.“
A good story may be complex or simple, but a great story is always simple. And the co-founder of Apple may be one of the great examples.
Steve Jobs wasn’t only showing a new product but rather was a master of attracting the audience and indulging them in the story and idea behind the product. Therefore, he created a special connection with the product or idea, making the audience feel special as if they’re part of a movement.
Throughout the whole presentation, Steve Jobs was building suspense that eventually led to the product reveal. And that is what made the product feel larger and ground-breaking. It is commonly said that he was distorting reality, and people were witnessing something out of this world.
“So, we’re going to reinvent the phone. Now, we’re going to start with a revolutionary user interface“
The most famous Steve Jobs’ keynotes were from 2007, when he introduced the whole world to the revolution of mobile devices, showing the first iPhone. However, he started his “Stevenote“ by describing the whole context. We can see how he split his speech into three separate sections that ultimately led to the release of a breakthrough product.
He started with the setup of the situation:
“This is a day I’ve been looking forward to for two-and-a-half years. Every once in a while, a revolutionary product comes along that changes everything.“
Then he described the conflict and the state of the current market situation: “So, before we get into it, let me talk about a category of things. The most advanced phones are called smart phones, so they say. And they typically combine a phone plus some e-mail capability, plus they say it’s the Internet. It’s sort of the baby Internet, into one device, and they all have these little plastic keyboards on them.“
“Here’s four smart phones, right? Motorola Q, the BlackBerry, Palm Treo, Nokia E62 — the usual suspects. And, what’s wrong with their user interfaces? Well, the problem with them is really sort of in the bottom 40 there. It’s this stuff right there. They all have these keyboards that are there whether or not you need them to be there.“
Lastly, he found the resolution to the problem:
“Well, how do you solve this? Hmm. It turns out, we have solved it! We solved in computers 20 years ago. […] What we’re going to do is get rid of all these buttons and just make a giant screen. (…) We’re going to touch this with our fingers. And we have invented a new technology called multi-touch. (…)Third thing I want to talk about a little is design. We’ve designed something wonderful for your hand, just wonderful. “
Additionally, at the end of the keynote, Steve Jobs, once again, highlighted the importance of the event and left people with great enthusiasm and thought they participated in something innovative.
“The Mac in 1984 is an experience that those of us that were there will never forget. And I don’t think the world will forget it either. The iPod in 2001 changed everything about music, and we’re going to do it again with the iPhone in 2007. We’re very excited about this.”
The key to successful Apple keynotes were passion-driven stories. Steve Jobs often used words like cool, amazing, and gorgeous. The co-founder of Apple always used the power of context to highlight the revolutionary nature of his product and the values he wanted to provide.
Additionally, Steve Jobs divided his speech into an unbreakable chain of cause and effect. He started with the setup - introduction to the revolution, then he described the problems we face with the current state of the market, and eventually, Jobs came up with the solution that led to the revealing of the cutting-edge product.
4. Kendrick Lamar - the master of storytelling songs
I was 14 years old when I heard the first time “Sing About Me, I’m Dying of Thirst” a two-part song lasting 12 minutes describing life in the urban ghetto. Eight years have passed, and I have the same feelings hearing this song.
What is great about this song is breaking down the story from different perspectives around the same environment and theme. He started rapping from others’ points of view and then wove his perspective to raise a subject of trials and tribulations he went through.
According to Rap Genius:
“From beginning to end, Lamar breaks down the stories that pulled him away from gang culture, while also speaking on the spiritual rebirth that provided him with an escape from the streets.”
Kendrick started the song describing a state and dark place full of negativity in which he found himself:
“I woke up this morning and figured I'd call you
In case I'm not here tomorrow
I'm hopin' that I can borrow
A peace of mind, I'm behind on what's really important
My mind is really distorted
I find nothing but trouble in my life”
This description gave us an insight into the point of view with which almost everyone who is going through trials and tribulations can identify. It is beautifully universal in its message because everyone who is experiencing a worse condition desires to find peace of mind, even temporarily, borrowed.
What makes Kendrick Lamar’s storytellings so powerful is the mix of the orders and features, similarly just as Disney combined the world of people, animals, and nature. However, Kendrick connects the world of the urban ghetto - cold, underprivileged, and often bloody place with the world of divine god - transcendental and metaphysical.
He mixes the order of the sacred and the profane so smoothly, almost invisible, it all feels like one whole story:
Sometimes I look in the mirror
And ask myself: Am I really scared of passin' away?
If it's today, I hope I hear a
Cry out from Heaven so loud it can water down a demon
With the Holy Ghost 'til it drown in the blood of Jesus
Kendrick smoothly operates within the story making it universal and exceptional at the same time. Everyone wants to find peace of mind and run away from daily troubles and fears. On the other side, what's remarkable are the references to transcendental order in such an underprivileged and poor environment. As we previously said, the essence of the story is crucial in the art of storytelling. The end-point is what we remember. Therefore Kendrick punches us with a most explicit image of spiritual rebirth. But it all happens under the character of elder and wise woman, someone who lifts the hearts of young and lost souls:
“You man, come talk to me“Thank you, lord Jesus for saving me with your precious blood". And then the woman continued: "Alright now, remember this day. The start of a new life - your REAL life"
Throughout the whole song, he described the people's lives in the urban ghetto. It was a story full of sorrow and pain. However, the most important thing is the ending, the hope he gave.
The strength of this song lies in the fact that the main character, just like us, has to face problems and confessions. Regardless, in the end, after a hard effort, he finds a light at the end of the tunnel - his own spiritual rebirth.
Pixar, Disney, Steve Jobs, and Kendrick Lamar are the proof that If you can tell a compelling story, you can shape the world.
Summary:
“Simplify. Focus. Combine characters. Hop over detours. You’ll feel like you’re losing valuable stuff but it sets you free.“
Use universal values that remain relatable and important but infuse novelty to those, something magical or cutting-edge. Suspend the reality.
Use the power of context, put your passion-driven story in a frame of the bigger picture. Describe the setup, the problem, and your solution in comparison to something.
Use the different perspectives to describe the situation and make sure your punchline hits hard.
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