2. What We’ll Cover
! More on value proposition & customer segments
! Your one-line organization story
! Traditional story structure
! Lunch
! Apply story structure to your organization’s story
! Draft your organizational story
! Sara Bamberger: Kevah
3. Why “Stories”?
! “The (social) entrepreneur’s challenge is to effectively
communicate their value proposition, not only to
customers, but also to vendors, partners, investors, and
their own team. Especially for technical founders, this
is normally all about presenting impressive facts. But in
reality facts only go so far. Stories often work better,
because humans don’t always make rational decisions.”
!
-Martin Zwilling, Forbes Magazine
4. Value Proposition
! 1st element in communicating your organization’s story
! Write down your value proposition
! Not the “What” or “How”, but the “Why”
6. Value Proposition
! 1st element in communicating your organization’s story
! Write down your value proposition
! Not the “What” or “How”, but the “Why”
7. Customer Segments
! Write down the Customer Segments related to your
Value Proposition
! All stakeholders
! All partners
! Pick one as your “audience” for today
8. The Logline
! Can you reduce your value prop to 1-2 sentences?
9. The Logline
! Can you reduce your value prop to 1-2 sentences?
Example: Hollywood screenplays
! The Descendants - A descendant of Hawaiian royalty
struggles to raise his daughters after a motorboat
accident leaves their mother in a coma.
! Midnight Cowboy – Naïve Joe Buck arrives in NY City to
make his fortune as a hustler, but soon strikes up an
unlikely friendship with the first scoundrel he falls prey
to.
10. The Logline: Structure
! The logline is specific in time, place, needs and emotions
! Logline MadLibs!
[protagonist]…[verb]…[antagonist]…[goal]…[stakes]
11. The Logline: Structure
! The logline is specific in time, place, needs and emotions
! Logline structure:
[protagonist]…[verb]…[antagonist]…[goal]…[stakes]
! Gravity – Two astronauts struggle to survive in outer space
when their ship is destroyed and shipmates killed.
! Captain Phillips – A cargo ship captain must protect the lives
of his crew and himself when his ship is captured by Somali
pirates.
12. Loglines for Organizations
! The logline can overstate the “how” and “what”
because it’s a pitch piece.
! Logline structure:
[protagonist]…[verb]…[antagonist]…[goal]…[stakes]
! For organizations, we need to emphasize the “Why”
! The “Why” is in the goals and stakes of the logline
13. Loglines for Organizations - 2
Example: The Union of Concerned Scientists
! What they say:
“The Union of Concerned Scientists puts rigorous,
independent science to work to solve our planet's most
pressing problems.”
14. Loglines for Organizations - 3
Example: The Red Cross
! What they say:
“The American Red Cross exists to provide
compassionate care to those in need.”
15. Loglines for Organizations - 4
Example: The Union of Concerned Scientists
! What they say:
“The Union of Concerned Scientists puts rigorous,
independent science to work to solve our planet's most
pressing problems.”
Example: The Red Cross
! What they say:
“The American Red Cross exists to provide compassionate
care to those in need.”
What’s the difference?
16. Loglines for Organizations - 5
Example: The Union of Concerned Scientists
! What they say:
“The Union of Concerned Scientists puts rigorous,
independent science to work to solve our planet's most
pressing problems.”
! What they “bury”:
“Our decades of achievements show that thoughtful
action based on the best available science can help
safeguard our future and the future of our planet.”
17. Loglines for Organizations - 6
Exercise: Develop a logline for your organization.
Hints: Keep in mind! Value Proposition
! Stakeholder/Customer Segments
! Empathy
18. The Elements of Story Structure
! Loglines only go so far. We still need to tell our story.
! Stories generally need a:
! Beginning
! Middle
! End
! In traditional storytelling we have a name for these.
19. Classic Story Structure
Three Acts:
! Act I: the hero confronts a Problem that initiates a
mission or journey
! Act II: the hero overcomes Obstacles along the
way
! Act III: the hero devises a Strategy, executes it and
succeeds (or fails)
20. Classic Story Structure
In brief:
“Introduce the hero, get him up a tree, throw
rocks at him, then get him out of the tree.”
- Robert McKee, Screenwriting Guru
25. Classic Story Structure
Three Acts:
! Act I: the hero confronts a Problem that initiates a
mission or journey
! Act II: the hero overcomes Obstacles along the
way
! Act III: the hero devises a Strategy, executes it and
succeeds (or fails)
27. Organizational Story Structure
Three Parts:
! Part I: the Organization confronts a Problem that
initiates a search to define a business/service model
! Part II: the Organization iterates to resolve Obstacles
that confront the model
! Part III: the Organization evolves a Strategy, executes it
and succeeds (or fails)
29. Organizational Story Structure
Three Parts:
! Part I: the Organization confronts a Problem that
initiates a search to define a business/service model
! Part II: the Organization iterates to resolve Obstacles
that confront the model
! Part III: the Organization evolves a Strategy, executes it
and succeeds (or fails)
31. Organizational Story
What Purpose Does It Serve?
! What is it?
! What’s so special about the story?
! What venues can be used to transmit it?
! What are some common types of stories?
32. Organizational Story - Definition
! A means of capturing the essence of the
organization’s experience and sharing it in a
dramatic, narrative fashion.
33. What’s So Special About Them?
! Truthiness: Organizational stories are largely true. When
something is true, it has greater power as a teaching story.
! Familiarity: The context of stories told in organizations is
generally well-known, making them easy to understand. And
familiarity leads to an assumption of truth.
! Familiarity begets exclusivity: The listener feels special because
they believe they understand the story while others may not.
! Personal: Stories in organizations are often quite personal,
either being a direct experience of the storyteller or naming
specific people.
- ChangingMinds.org
34. Storytelling Venues
! Internal Publications
! Speeches andPresentations
! Meetings
! Face-to-face and Phone Calls
! Email and Chat
! Blogs, Online Forums, Social Media
- ChangingMinds.org
35. Types of Stories - Film
Film Genres:
! Western
! Horror
! Drama
! Romantic Comedy
! Dramedy
! Thriller, etc.
36. Types of Stories - Organizations
Founding Stories:
! Genesis Stories
! Founder Myths
Role Model Stories:
! Leadership Stories
! Heroic Stories
Predictive Stories:
! Visionary Stories
! Stories of Hope
! Stories of Transformation
-ChangingMinds.org
37. Founding Stories
Organizational Genres:
! Genesis Stories
! Founder Myths
“Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard started HP with little strong intent
other than wanting to invent useful things and enjoy work.”
“Dell started with student Michael Dell making and selling
computers from his college dorm room.”
-ChangingMinds.org
38. Role Model Stories
! Leadership Stories
! Heroic Stories
These tell how the organization, confronted with a
problem and chaos, found a leader who takes charge and
creates organization and restores order.
These are teaching tales that show praiseworthy behavior.
-ChangingMinds.org
39. Predictive Stories
! Visionary Stories: describe a
desirable future that
inspires and motivates people to work towards that
future.
! Stories of Hope: They
speak of the the hope for rescue
from dire straits, of someone who will save the people
and save the organization from the mess in which it
finds itself now.
! Stories of Transformation: Tell
about how individuals,
groups and entire organizations create deep and
fundamental change, transforming from one state to
another.
-ChangingMinds.org
42. Other Organizations
My Experience:
! Pixar – The Quest
! Walt Disney Corp. - The Brand
! Apple Computer / Steve Jobs – Evolution & Re-Birth
! Electronic Arts – The Publisher
Organizational stories evolve as the organization grows and
changes.
43. The Essential Questions
! Who is the audience (i.e. customer/stakeholders)?
! What are they interested in?
! What type of story best explains my organization?
! How can I best communicate it to them?
44. Drafting Your Story
! Think about:
! Value Proposition
! Customer Segment (i.e. audience)
! Problem, Obstacle, Strategy
! Genre(s)
! Create a “Beat Outline” (25 min.)
! Talking Points
! Storyboard
! Diagram
45. Final Thoughts & Suggestions
! Get out of your head and into your audience’s
! Engage with your audience – body language, humor,
enthusiasm
! Find a way to move your audience emotionally
! Demonstrate vulnerability and perseverance
! Listen actively - this is an interactive experience
! Edit, Edit, Edit!!
! Practice, Practice, Practice!
