{"id":18080,"date":"2020-05-19T10:00:44","date_gmt":"2020-05-19T08:00:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hatrabbits.com\/?p=18080"},"modified":"2022-07-26T17:33:05","modified_gmt":"2022-07-26T15:33:05","slug":"storytelling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hatrabbits.com\/en\/storytelling\/","title":{"rendered":"Storytelling: 15 techniques to spice up your story"},"content":{"rendered":"
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1658849581084{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]We all want to become better storytellers. It’s an invaluable skill to be able to tell amazing stories that inspire your customers, colleagues and friends. But how do you master the art of storytelling?<\/strong><\/p>\n

In general, even a great idea will not become a reality if you don’t succeed in convincing those around you of its value. A good storyteller can effectively explain his or her ideas and gather support for them. Being able to captivate your audience enables you to make ideas happen. In this article, you can find 15 simple tricks that you can use immediately to spice up your stories. These storytelling techniques are all-powerful and have been used in popular books, documentaries, tv-shows, theatre plays, films, computer games, Ted Talks, and many other fields.<\/p>\n

15 powerful storytelling techniques<\/h3>\n

1. Preview<\/strong>
\nGive your audience a sneak peek of your story. A taster of what you have to offer. People will be curious to see and hear more. Just like you want to watch the full movie after seeing an intriguing trailer for a new film. It’s the same reason you are dragged into another night of binge-watching after seeing a preview of the next episode of your favourite series on Netflix.<\/p>\n

2. Cliffhanger<\/strong>
\nPeople hate ‘loose ends’. We have a need for closure. That’s why the ‘cliffhanger’ (infamous from the last seconds of a tv soap opera), is a great way to grab and hold people’s attention. Your audience will be desperate to know how your story develops or ends.<\/p>\n

3. Surprise
\n<\/strong>By adding unexpected elements or plot twists you keep your story exciting. You can achieve this by working towards something and then, out of nowhere, taking your story into another direction. You can also introduce an unexpected event that blows your audience out of the water.<\/p>\n

4. Mystery
\n<\/strong>We are curious creatures and a bit of mystery can stir up our curiosity. It’s like solving a riddle or watching a magic trick. We want to figure out how it works. We want to understand the secret and we won’t let go until we’ve solved it. For the storyteller, this means a captivated audience.<\/p>\n

5. Humour
\n<\/strong>Tell a joke, choose a funny format or add silly elements to your story. Humour is a powerful way to engage your audience. If you amuse people they will love to find out more. Make me laugh and I will listen.<\/p>\n

6. Wonder<\/strong>
\nRemarkable things grab our attention. Whether it’s something extraordinary, cool, or weird. If it’s something people have never seen or heard before, they will want to know more. Make people wonder and your story will stick and spread.<\/p>\n

7. Personal
\n<\/strong>Numbers (no matter how impressive) make for a boring story. Your audience needs to feel empathy and emotion. That’s why you should always introduce a character they can relate to. This can be you, but it can also be a (fictional or real) character that helps to make your story more relatable. After a disaster, nonprofit organizations show individual victims in their campaign to turn an abstract problem (e.g. an earthquake) into a relatable story of an individual like you and me.<\/p>\n

8. Drama
\n<\/strong>Great storytelling is all about drama. Drama is what makes a story interesting. Drama can be a direct problem (‘if we don’t do something we are going to hit that iceberg!<\/em>‘), a conflict (‘we only have two remaining lifeboats, we have to choose who lives or dies<\/em>…’) or a direct threat, the so-called ‘ticking clock’ (‘Because of the irreparable damage, the ship will sink to the bottom of the ocean in 60 minutes!<\/em>‘).<\/p>\n

When you want to tell a great dramatic story I advise you to use Joseph Campbell’s ‘monomyth’. Better known as the ‘Hero’s Journey<\/strong>‘. This is the classic layout for every hero story. You can find it everywhere. From the ancient legends, myths, and fairytales to world-famous books & Hollywood movies, such as The Matrix, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, and Star Wars. They all use the same storytelling structure.<\/p>\n

Below you can find a short animation video that explains the individual steps. For more information, you can best read Campbell’s book ‘Hero with a Thousand Faces<\/span><\/a>‘.<\/p>\n

The article (with tips & tricks) continues below the videos.<\/em><\/p>\n