A brief overview on storytelling and how you can use this concept to deliver your ideas/proposals to the targeted audience.

1. CEIES DISCOURSE 02:
Presentation, Pitching and Storytelling
Ahmad Jais Alimin
UTHM
ICE Lab
1130hrs, 6th
October 2020

2. Storytelling
A brief overview by
Ahmad Jais Alimin, PhD
5th October 2020

3. There is one traditional dramatic structure, summarized by the three-act structure. We find this structure in Greek theater and
in the latest Avengers movie.
This structure can be further divided into the 17 steps belonging to three acts of the Hero’s Journey as codified by Joseph
Campbell. Next to the original name of each chapter you will see how this informs business storytelling.
1. The Call to Adventure – Introduction
2. Refusal of the Call – Motivation
‘Hero Journey’ by Joseph Campbell (circa 2000)

4. 1. The Call to Adventure – Introduction
2. Refusal of the Call – Motivation
3. Supernatural Aid – The Reveal
4. Crossing the First Threshold – Entering the
Topic
5. In the Belly of the Whale – Too Much
Information
6. The Road of Trials – From Chaos to Order
7. Meeting with the Goddess – Access to
Knowledge
8. Temptation – Temptations and Errors
9. Atonement with the Father – The Mastery of
Knowledge
10. The Encounter with Death/Resurrection – End
of the Old Knowledge
11. The Ultimate Boon – The Birth of the New
Knowledge
12. Refusal of the Return – No Way Back
13. Magic Flight – Birds Eye View
14. Rescue from Without – Actionable Takeaways
15. Crossing the Return Threshold – Ready to End
16. Master of Two Worlds – Perfect Mastery of the
Old and the New Knowledge
17. Freedom to Live – The Epic Wrap-Up

5. Freytag’s Pyramid
• 1893, a German scholar named
Gustav Freytag recognized the
dramatic elements (Exposition,
Rising Action, Climax, Falling
Actions and Denouement) as the
building block of a narrative
structure.
• Freytag argues that these
elements can be depicted as a
pyramid diagram
TRODUCTION
edia made history when a thirteen-
Hikayat Sang Kancil (1978) was
V network broadcaster RTM [11].
taught animator named Anandam
at Sang Kancil is considered unique
guage to impart didactic and moral
dren. As what famous Malaysian
r Khalid or Lat puts it, “Malay
for children to understand that the
y” [8]. Indeed, this kind of novelty
by the public but by the government
e use of Malay language is said to
Cultural Congress of 1971 and that it
al identity and dilute the negative
rtoons [8].
Apparently, Aristotle observed that in a typical story there are
three interrelated events known as the ‘Beginning’, the
‘Middle’ and the ‘End’ [10]. Similarly, Todorov recognizes the
three stages as the vital component in a simple narrative
structure. He asserts that an ideal narrative begins with a state
of equilibrium then followed by a disturbance which is caused
by some power or force and finally the reestablishment of the
state of equilibrium. In this case, the second equilibrium is
similar to the first, but the two are never identical [4].
Fig. 1. Freytag’s Pyramid

6. Modified Freytag’s Pyramid (Azhar Harun et al., 2013)
3).
TABLE 1. MARKERS
No Codes Name Operation
1 BGN Begin The story begins
2 TP1 Turning Point 1 Any indications that lead to climax
3 RA Rising Action Any indications of suspense or thrills
4 CP Climax Point The ultimate action of intense
5 FA Falling Action Any indications of anti-climax
4 TP2 Turning Point 2 Any indications that lead to resolution
5 END End The story ends
Fig. 3. Modified Freytag’s Pyramid
Equilibrium
Disruption
SHOT
TENSION
LEVEL
EXPOSITION CONFLICT RESOLUTION
TP1 TP2
RA
BGN END
CP
FA
METHOD
Prior to analyzing the dramatic elements and narrative
structure of HSK, a task called Deconstruction and
Reconstruction was performed (see Fig. 2). This is done by
reviewing (observing) the artefact using an annotated video
analysis program called Kinovea which is useful for measuring
shot length (time) and extracting key shots.
Fig. 2. Deconstruction & Reconstruction task
Next, the key shots were arranged using a worksheet which
was adopted from a model called Cartoon Analysis Worksheet
developed by the Education Staff, National Archives and
Records Administration, Washington D.C [3]. This worksheet
provides a visual reference thus enables the researchers to
conduct shot-by-shot analysis [1] by scrutinizing the individual
shots and statistical style analysis of motion picture [9]. Next,
the researchers measured the time length and tempo in order to
locate the ‘Climax Point’. In Freytag’s Pyramid, the ‘Climax
Point’ is the highest peak which signifies the tragedy event in
the plot [5]. It literally connects the two situations that is the
state of ‘Equilibrium’ and ‘Resolution’. Hence, the key aspect
for distinguishing the ‘Exposition’, the ‘Conflict’ and the
‘Resolution’ is to determine the actions depicted in all of the
key shots. For example, in the Disney’s classic animation
Cinderella (1950), the ‘Climax Point’ can be discerned in a key
shot depicting Cinderella’s losing one of her glass slippers
while descending the palace stair [2]. At this point, it seems as
if the animation is moving slightly faster than normal. In this
however the model does not depict the time length which in
this case is the essential part for the construction of animation.
In order to overcome this disadvantage, several variables were
introduced. These variables are labelled as Number of Shots,
Tension level and Markers (Fig. 3). The Number of Shots
refers to quantity of shots that has been sampled earlier during
Deconstruction and Reconstruction process. The Tension level
actually refers to Todorov’s Narratology theory, which
includes ‘Equilibrium’ and ‘Disruption’. However, the
researchers did not incorporate ‘Resolution’ because it is
somewhat similar to the state of ‘Equilibrium’. In this regard,
the two states (situations) help describe the level of tension
depicted in the animation. Regarding the Markers, the
researchers used five abbreviated code name to denote the
events that occur in the animation (see TABLE 1). Each of
them is positioned in the diagram for easy detection (see Fig.
3).
TABLE 1. MARKERS
No Codes Name Operation
1 BGN Begin The story begins
2 TP1 Turning Point 1 Any indications that lead to climax
3 RA Rising Action Any indications of suspense or thrills
4 CP Climax Point The ultimate action of intense
5 FA Falling Action Any indications of anti-climax
4 TP2 Turning Point 2 Any indications that lead to resolution
5 END End The story ends
Disruption
TENSION
LEVEL
EXPOSITION CONFLICT RESOLUTION
RA
CP
FA

7. Freytag’s
pyramid
elements –
(Joe Bunting,
2020)
The pyramid, sometimes called Freytag’s Triangle, is best visualized in the
following diagram:
How to Understand Freytag’s Pyramid

8. Freytag’s pyramid 5-element – (Joe Bunting, 2020)
1. Introduction
Contains both the exposition and “exciting force”:
Exposition - to introduce the principal characters, time period, and tone, and set up the “exciting
force.”
Exciting Force - “complication,” and other frameworks call it the “inciting incident,” – setting the
protagonist into motion.
2. Rising Movement
The movement towards the climax
3. Climax
In the middle of the story - a reflection point.
If things have gone well for the protagonist, at the climax they start to fall apart tragically, vice versa.
The energy, values, and themes shown in the first half are reversed and undone in the second half.

9. Freytag’s pyramid 5-element – (Joe Bunting, 2020)
4. Falling Action
Things continue to either devolve for the protagonist - leading up to the “force of the final suspense,”
a moment before the catastrophe - a moment of suspense … slim possibility of reversal is hinted at.
5. Catastrophe or Denouement
The ending phase of a story as the moment of catastrophe, in which the character is finally undone
by their own choices, actions, and energy.
While Freytag never uses the word “denouement” in his own framework, people interpreting him
have used the term to describe endings with a happy result for the protagonist.

10. our secret. It’s also known as the Freytag Pyramid, after the 19th century German novelist and playwright
Gustav Freytag who codified it. The framework is five beats in a sharp arc, like this:
Of course, we’ve adapted it. Marketing storytelling yields a somewhat di"erent intention than storytelling for
storytelling’s sake (namely, that we’re selling something at the end of the story, while the novelist is trying to

13. Freytag’s Pyramid and numbers (data) –
(Brent Dykes, 2016)
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Fiction #3: Data stories have a beginning, middle and end. In this
case, the fictional aspect is not that this statement is incorrect but that this
piece of advice is actually useful to would-be data storytellers. The idea that
Data storytelling combines data, visuals and narrative to drive change and action.

14. Brent Dykes (2016)
introduces a new problem or opportunity (inciting incident). Leading your
audience to the main insight (climax) and then to recommendations / next
steps (resolution) is a more helpful structure for data stories than Aristotle’s
model.
Fiction #4: Data are the characters of your story. I often see some
confusion about how the different narrative elements are represented in a
Start by providing background information, then highlight something interesting that deviated from...
[+]
Start by providing background information, then highlight something interesting that deviated from what , show
supporting data points until you reach the climax (main insight) and then discuss recommendation and next steps.

15. Freytag’s Pyramid and numbers (data) –
(Brent Dykes, 2016)
The chart on the left includes descriptive text of what happened with revenue between Q3 and Q4. The chart on the
right includes explanatory text which helps to increase the audience’s understanding of what happened.
marketing campaign would be valuable context. Text can add value if it’s
explanatory, not descriptive. Without adequate context and domain
expertise, it’s going to be difficult for machines to “automate” data
storytelling.
With so many important data stories to tell, it’s our duty and privilege to
The chart on the left includes descriptive text of what happened with revenue between Q3 and Q4.
The... [+]

16. Elements of a business story
– (Shawn Callahan, 2014)

17. Elements of a business story – (Shawn Callahan, 2014)
Social: Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram
Connect: newsletter, weekly story questions, blog, podcast
Fundamentals: spotting a story, story habit, business point
Extras: contact, careers
SPOTTING A BUSINESS STORY
Copyright © 2004-2020 Anecdote International Pty Ltd

18. Modified
pyramid

20. 10. The Road Back
11. Resurrection
12. Return with the Elixir
At La Fabbrica della Realtà we have elaborated our very own Storytelling Mountain and during our courses we will help you
climb it with ease.
1. Tell your audience who you are.
2. Tell your audience why you’re there.
3. Tell your audience why they’re there.
Structure of a story (Matteo Cassese, 2020)

21. Tell your
audience who
you are.
Tell your
audience why
you’re there.
Tell your
audience why
they’re there.
Transform your
audience.
Everyone reacts
differently.
Mark the most
important
concept.
Provide a
summary.
Provide
actionable to-
dos.

22. Telling a Great Marketing Story - (Jason Ocker, 2020)
storytelling’s sake (namely, that we’re selling something at the end of the story, while the novelist is trying to
sell the story itself). To do that, we’ve replaced those five general parts with elements relevant to business.
Anytime you hire us for a messaging project or any project that we think might need to be rewound to the
messaging level, you’ll see this slide from us:
And then we multiply it times three—three trends, three challenges, three parts to the big idea, etc.—
because with complex businesses and complex products, there’s usually more than one thread that needs

23. Universal pitch (Andrew Tolliton, 2020)
PAST
PRESENT
PROBLEM
FUTURE
PROBLEM
SOLUTION
OUTCOM
ES
CALL TO ACTION

24. Positions
• Associate Professor, UTHM
• CEO/Co-Founder APT TOUCH (www.apttouch.com)
Academic & Professional Qualifications
• Leaders in Innovation Fellowships (LIF) Newton Fund,
Royal Academy of Engineering
• Pg. Dip. Entrepreneurship, Judge Business School,
Cambridge Univ.
• Doctor of Philosophy (Mech. Eng.) Coventry University
• Masters (Mech. Eng.) Universiti Teknologi Malaysia
• B. Eng. (Mech. Eng.) Imperial College, London
Area of expertise
• Retrofit technology
• Near Zero Emissions Transport
• Solar Chimney + Fresh Water Generator
• Technopreneurship

25. A.J. Alimin - August 2020
Email ajais@uthm.edu.my
Mobile +60167958256
LinkedIn Ahmad Jais Alimin
http://bit.ly/Linkedin_AJA