As presented at Galvanize in Seattle, alongside Mindspand.

1. Origin
Story
HOW TO CRAFT YOUR

8. We know that people are substantially
more motivated by their organization’s
transcendent purpose (how it improves
lives) than by its transactional purpose
(how it sells goods and services).
PAUL ZAK, WHY YOUR BRAIN LOVES STORIES
HARVARD BUSINESS REVIEW

9. whose vision and values?
• People as a competitive advantage
• Ethics
• What’s right for customers
• Diversity and inclusion
• Leadership

11. 01
MAXIM OF STRATEGIC STORYTELLING
Every act of
communication
is an act of
storytelling.

12. How Storytelling Works

13. Our brains are wired for story.

14. During successful communication the listener’s brain
responses become similar to the speaker’s brain
responses. This implies that people understand each
other by mirroring each other’s brain responses.
URI HASSON, NEUROSCIENTIST, PRINCETON

15. Aristotle’s Rhetorical Triangle
Storyteller (Ethos)
Content (Logos)Audience (Pathos)
CONTEXT
STORY

16. 02
MAXIM OF STRATEGIC STORYTELLING
Stories create
connections
between
tellers and
audiences.

23. Sympathy
Empathy
“I understand what you're feeling.”
“I feel what you're feeling.”

24. The evolutionary function of
storytelling is to reveal the immaterial.
MASLOW’S HIERARCHY OF NEEDS

27. why strategic storytelling?
• set a vision
• say “why now”
• improve the impact of case studies
• build trust and uncover pain
• create alignment within teams
• anticipate and celebrate change

28. 03
MAXIM OF STRATEGIC STORYTELLING
Stories have a
setting in time
and space.

30. Narratives
function in
triangles of
characters.

31. Stories are made of waves of
emotional tension and release.

32. 04
MAXIM OF STRATEGIC STORYTELLING
Character
relationships
raise dramatic
intensity.

33. Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey

34. Margaret Murdock’s Heroines’s Journey

35. every origin story has
• an inciting incident
• a reaction according to the “old pattern”
• a loss
• a sense of spiritual aridity
• a new discovery
• a sense of being “the only one who understands”
• a process of returning to the world
• a spark of universal wisdom

37. 05
MAXIM OF STRATEGIC STORYTELLING
Great stories
are built upon
universal
themes.

38. an origin story:
• tells us where you’ve come from
• suggests a roadmap for where you’re going
• illuminates your values
• answers why?
• is more memorable than a biography
• is more relatable than a CV
• avoids the passionate about problem

39. 06
MAXIM OF STRATEGIC STORYTELLING
We need
storytellers
more than ever.

40. MAXIM OF STRATEGIC STORYTELLING
The growth of the
Internet will put
jobs into three
categories:
1. People who tell computers what to do.
2. People who do what computer tell them to do.
3. Storytellers who help people cope.

41. Storytelling
Training
Storytelling
Consulting
• Leaders
• Sales Teams
• Data Scientists
• Entrepreneurs
• Branding
• Strategic Planning
• Vision/Mission/Values
• Cultural Development

42. Origin
Story
Summary
HOW TO CRAFT YOUR

43. Don’t bore
your audience
with the facts.

44. Tell a story that
is happening
in time and
space.

45. Focus on a
choice or
turning point.

46. Focus on a
choice or
turning point.
Create clear,
relatable
characters.

47. Focus on a
choice or
turning point.
Create
clear,
relatable
characters.
Structure your
story in the
order your
audience learns
and feels things.

48. Include the
part of your
story you’re
scared to tell.

49. Flex your
empathy
muscles.

50. jordanbower.com
@jordan__bower